RPGFan checked out Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga – Legends:

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga – Legends

Some battles are the stuff of legend. The standout Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is already an engrossing SRPG, and now there’s a new Legends DLC expansion enticing players to return to the land of Tahnra to join the ranks of the Nephilim Army. If you enjoy the base game, this DLC is undoubtedly worth the price of admission. However, newcomers to the saga might want to play the original first, especially since one of Legends’ key components is a much-touted New Game Plus feature.

Admittedly, it’s been a while since my initial review and playthrough of Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the implemented upgrades since then, including a visual update with even more detailed gorgeous character portraits by artist Sean “Raikoart” Tay. Legends is the grand opus of the updates thus far, offering eight new challenging story battles and giving players who’ve completed at least one run-through of the base game a chance to approach it differently in New Game Plus.

Naturally, utilizing the New Game Plus feature requires clear save data. You go through the routine of selecting difficulty levels and the like, the same as when starting up a regular new game file. After that, however, an awe-inspiring list of game-tailoring options awaits, such as choosing if you want to carry over characters from your previous playthrough or adjusting damage input and output according to your preferences. Using New Game Plus, you can tailor the gameplay in a new playthrough to be as easy or demanding as you want! The myriad of customization features helps ensure replayability for those who want to experiment with the title’s varied tactical systems.

[...]

Ultimately, what I enjoy most about the Legends DLC is that it allows you to explore a truly enjoyable SRPG once more. It captures the replayability already inherent in the title thanks to elements such as the bond system, reinforcing it with added story battles and a versatile New Game Plus feature. I used Legends as an excuse to replay the game again, finding that I appreciated it more the second time. I can’t say if Legends is worth the additional price for newcomers to Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. However, this expansion makes a compelling incentive to return to Tahnra for returning fans who already enjoy the base game.

Score: 88/100

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted the launch trailer for the Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga - Legends DLC:

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga - Legends | DLC Launch Trailer | Freedom Games

The first DLC for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga has been revealed:

First DLC reveal!

If you missed it during the Guerilla Collective showcase, we have officially revealed the first DLC: Symphony of War: Legends

This DLC will include major content for Symphony of War, including new chapters added to the main story, new artifacts, traits, classes, characters, game modes, and more!

Thank you for your interest, support, and feedback as we continue to make Symphony of War all it deserves to be!

Sincerely,

- Phil

Thanks Couchpotato!

Patch 1.05 for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga has been released:

Symphony of War 1.05 is Live!

Quality of life and gameplay

Hello everyone!

As we continue to work on the Legends DLC expansion content, we have decided to release a slew of Quality of Life, graphics, and gameplay changes and bug fixes in the interim! Thank you again for everyone who has followed SoW's progression and we are excited to release new content for you soon!

Overview
-New, high-quality portraits are available for all story characters
-Many story characters can now be disbanded from their default squads after Chapter 6 - you are now a lot more freed up in regards to building them into other squads if you prefer
-Font spacing and readability fixes
-Other minor QoL/fixes

Portraits
-New portraits are default enabled for all saves
-A toggle has been added to the options menu to use “classic” portrait style

Text/Fonts
-Minor translation fixes
-Korean Hangul input should now properly include the “final” consonant when constructing a composite character
-Adjusted scaling, fixed spacing widths for all Asian languages and updated the font(s) to use a more clearly readable variant

Localization
-The Korean translation has been updated - Credit: Discord user Ludrik

Gameplay
-Many story characters that were previously locked as leaders until late game have been unlocked after chapter 6
-Enemy 2+ range squads should no longer have a "blind spot" where they fail to acquire a target despite one being in range after moving
-Starting and growth of AGI for the Militia class has been increased
-Light Cavalry charge attacks are now properly aligned with the Light melee volley, rather than in the same volley as heavy cavalry charge
-Spear wielding infantry troops have been given some damage resistance to melee cavalry attacks
-Required deployments will still be placed in their own squad and locked as leaders for any missions they are *required* in
-Rebalanced “pity” units given in certain chapters to fill out squads. Tier 2 units are now included for a bit more immediate benefit, but their overall quality is lower
-Chapters 13 and 29, which have been affectionately deemed "playable cutscenes", can now be skipped as such (you will be accelerated to victory and given Faction XP as if you completed the mission normally on this turn where appropriate)

[...]

Legends DLC: July 2023 (we hope) we will be launching a major content pack for Symphony of War, including new chapters added to the main story, new artifacts, traits, classes, characters, game modes, and more!

Henriquejr spotted patch 1.04 for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony of War 1.04 is Live!

Localized build

Please follow our Twitch channel for weekly live dev streams: dancingdragongames
Please join our Discord channel.

Hello everyone!

The major focus of Version 1.04 is Localization. But first, there are two nice changes we've made to the game other than Localization:

• There is now a very convenient "Skip All" feature available for cutscenes
• Light Melee and Firearms attacks have been separated out as their own volleys. This is a small, but very impactful change. Light Melee attacks (militia, skirmisher, swordfighter, swordmaster, scout, hussar, ranger, rogue, assassin) now go before Heavy melee attacks. Firearms attacks (Gunner, Dragoon, Cannons at 1 range) now go first, before everything else. We believe this will greatly benefit the viability of these class groups, who we've seen get less use than we'd hoped. Mixed squads just got a big buff as a side effect of this change.

Localization: We have Localized the game into the following new languages:

• French
• German
• Spanish
• Brazilian Portuguese
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Korean

Chinese key input:
Despite a tremendous effort, due to the difficulty of navigating the base game engine, we were unable to find a solution to name input in Chinese. We apologize for this, and will continue to welcome new solutions. You may still name your character using Latin letters. We just did not want to hold back the rest of the game's localization. We are also having a few talented fans continue to evaluate for grammar and proper nuance of language.

Russian:
Russian translation is in progress. It started quite a bit later than the other languages, so will of course take longer. Thank you for your patience.

Legends DLC: Quarter 2 2023 (we hope) we will be launching a major content pack for Symphony of War, including new chapters added to the main story, new artifacts, traits, classes, characters, game modes, and more!

[...]

Davidvinc checked out the tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony Of War: The Nephilim Saga - Review: Indie Trash Or Treasure - Fire Emblem In All But Name!!

Henriquejr spotted patch 1.02 for Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony of War Version 1.02 is live!

Market Exchange, tile highlights, QoL and UI improvements, balance, and more
Hello!

We're finally here - major update to Version 1.02 is complete and now live! This update comes with some new game features, as well as a large amount of fixes and balance/economy changes that we believe will enhance the Symphony of War experience. Notably, as has been often requested, Warlord difficulty feels significantly more challenging!

New Game feature: Resource Exchange

• At Bazaars and at Home Base, you will now have the option to trade Iron, Gems, Horses, Obsidian, Sunstone, and Pyrocite on the Resource Exchange! It is automatically unlocked at the Chapter 5 Home Base.
• There is no net loss or fee for using the exchange, you have total freedom and flexibility to invest your resources however you want without risk.
• Exchange rate is the same regardless of which direction you're trading.
• The "fire and hire merc to gain resources" meta was never intended as a primary source of upgrade materials. Now, new Mercenaries will no longer come with resources, but rather, there will be no resource cost for the class they start as. This is exactly how the new Apprentice conscripts work in that they don't cost Gems
• You can also exchange arena tokens for other tiers of arena token

[...]

Leeroy Gaming checked out the tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony of War The Nephilim Saga Review: A Fantasy Tactical RPG Gem

Henriquejr spotted patch v1.01 for the strategy RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

V1.01 Patch Notes

Version 1.01 brings a huge haul of UI/UX upgrades, fixes, adjustments to balance/economy, and some graphical updates as well! Thanks for hanging in there as we develop and test these updates to make the process as seamless as possible for both your in progress saves and your name games.

We're happy to announce that your Bond relationships with the main character matter more. Every possible pairing now triggers a special cutscene in the "good" epilogue between just your hero and that character, and each one is different. There is even a consideration for a situation in which you did not pair the hero with anyone. As a follow up to this change, a very difficult decision was made to remove the "bad ending" from the game. The reasoning here is several fold - it presents a disjointed story continuity, especially in regards to the future, is kind of depressing, it cannot involve multiple outcomes based on how the main character's Bond relationship as the good ending now does, and the way to trigger it is not an impactful or meaningful gameplay mechanic. We hope the new epilogues more than make up for it!

We were not able to implement and properly test the new "Endurance" game mode for this patch. We will include the feature in Version 1.02, along with Lunatic difficulty.

Highlights

• Item attack type resistance fixes, artifact evasion formula fixes and improvements
• Changes to a key late game cutscene depending on the Relationship status of the Hero to better reflect the reactions and feelings of the in-game events
• Each "Bond" relationship with the main character now has a special cutscene after the ending credits of the game to properly wrap up that part of the Epilogue. There is also one in case the Hero did not Bond with anyone.
• "Bad Ending" entirely removed, see reasons above

Many bug fixes and balance changes, details below

[...]

Uncanny Games has reviewed the tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga - 3 min review - Tactical Story Based RPG

TIMESTAMPS
0:09 - Overview
0:22 - Art & Visuals
0:32 - Sound Design
0:45 - Gameplay
2:28 - Story & Setting

Siliconera checked out the tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Review: Tactical RPG Symphony of War Shines Through Its Systems

Increased enthusiasm for tactical role-playing games in recent years is leading to a wealth of fun indie experiences in the genre. Dancing Dragon Games, a small JRPG developer, partnered with Dark Deity publisher Freedom Games for its own entry, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. It isn’t just an homage, though, offering overlaid tactical systems that make it feel mechanically distinct. The scrappy release isn’t much of a looker (though there’s some nice sprite work!), but the gameplay is what matters, and there’s a lot of thought to it.

The tactical mechanics of Symphony of War are inspired by a lot of classic games, primarily Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem. Instead of individual fighters on the grid-based map, you form squads of up to nine warriors operating as one. These squads essentially auto-battle based on how they’re arranged, so putting together teams that work well is key. There are ranged units, magic units, firearms and more, each with gameplay implications. Squads also have movement based on their aggregate capabilities, like the increased range of cavalry or the minimized terrain penalties of light infantry.

[...]

Appreciating Symphony of War takes some adjustment to its production values, but our 50 hours with the game were largely a joy. It’s built for those who delight in fiddling with systems and tweaking squad builds, and its combination of ideas offers a distinct tactical experience.

Score: 7/10

MiAh The King checked out Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga:

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga First Impressions Review!!!

 

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A game that looks and feels a lot like Fire Emblem but it's done in a completely different way. Is it good? Is it worth it? Well let's find out together!

The tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga has been released:

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga 

A Shadow looms over Tahnra

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At the turn of the millennium, the world of Tahnra is headed for a reckoning. The long and bloody conflict of Veridian Succession left the Empire of Veridia scarred, its people subject to brutal hardships. Under the reign of Empress Florina, the vicious cycle seemed to be broken, until a rogue General abducted her from the capital, mustering his own armies and raising the flag of rebellion. You, a young academy graduate, will command an expedition against these forces… a conflict that will set off a chain of events and shake the very foundations of the world.

• 2D Turn-based Strategy RPG
• Squad-based player army
• Story-rich 30-40 hour Campaign with huge replay value
• 50+ Character classes for your troops
• Massive depth of tactics you will learn through natural play
• Limitless possibilities for how to build your characters and squads

Tactics win Battles

The gameplay focuses on grand-scale operations, outwitting and out-planning the opponent, while individual battles are carried out automatically and are thrilling to watch unfold.

• Maneuver squads of up to 9 soldiers across battlefields and seize the advantage by grabbing high ground, holding chokepoints, ambushing from the woods, and more
• Pay attention to the weather, or fall prey to a sudden blizzard or heat wave
• Liberate towns and capture resources to bolster your reputation and sustain your armies
• Break the enemy's morale, while maintaining your own
• Eliminate enemy squad leaders to shatter their chain of command

Strategy wins Wars

Tactics win engagements. Logistics win wars. Once the dust settles, it's time to collect the wounded, rally the troops, and prepare for another battle in the long march to peace on Tahnra.

• Assemble squads from more than 50 unit classes, including heavy infantry, archers, shock cavalry, medics, arquebusiers, dragons, battle mages, and more
• Outfit squads with equipment and artifacts obtained through looting and victory
• Nurture your conscripts into elite warriors, or hire mercenaries to instantly boost your army's fighting prowess
• Research upgrades through your faction’s tech tree across a multitude of classes to specialize or generalize your troops for the job

Gather Heroes, build an Army

The graduates of the Imperial War Academy were sent to quickly contain a rebellion, but became embroiled in a vicious plot far beyond what they could imagine.

• Meet friends, heroes, allies, and rivals from the many different factions across the world
• Manage a dynamic relationship system, unlocking iconic conversations, unbreakable bonds, and powerful bonuses between your characters
• Experience an epic tale brimming with malice, treachery, and ambitions, as the fragile peace of Tahnra unravels