THQ Nordic is back to its tactical RPG franchise with Expeditions: Samurai. The new game takes players to the Far East and development team Campfire Cabal is testing waters for it with an Early Access release on Steam.
On the Other Side of the Seas
Expeditions: Samurai tells the story of Flynn, an English seafarer who was charged for piracy against the Crown. Now on board of the Dutch frigate De Albatros, their job is to escort Lord Walsingham to try to establish a trade agreement with Japan despite the head start of the Spanish and Portuguese forces.
The game starts with the team almost reaching their objective but facing a variety of small crises. Amidst exhaustion, rationed resources and deaths, Flynn and the crew find themselves facing strong opposition from the Portuguese and the Japanese.
After a series of events, it’s up to the player now to command the privateer crew and try to find their way through the complex political climate of this new land. Whether trying to complete the original task or just find a way for the crew to survive and go back home, it'll be impossible to simply turn back with the frigate.
May Your Heart Be Your Compass
As an RPG, a big part of the experience in Expeditions: Samurai is about your choices. There are side quests that can be found by interacting with NPCs and what Flynn opts to do and say affects his standing with the crew. During many situations, there's no right choice; some allies will be aggravated by what the player does while others will applaud it.
There are also specific interactions that will only be available if the player has the right skill to do it. Be it persuasion, manipulation or authority, there are invaluable options to changing people’s minds about their stances. Skills can also be helpful for a variety of other tasks, like gathering food with Survival or opening locked objects with Skullduggery.
While exploring the map, the player will occasionally find spots with events that ask for specific skills, which can be handled by the protagonist or other allies. There are also spots for camping, letting the player talk to allies and handle additional quests for them. Interactions with the characters show a fascinating cast, each with their own stories that can be fascinating, like the priest looking for an old friend of his and the medic who has a blood curse.
Before entering an area, the player can select a group of followers, up to three companions, to accompany Flynn. It’s possible to alternate between them to do a variety of tasks on the field using their special traits, but key dialogue events can only be triggered by the protagonist.
Talking with Your Fists and Weapons
Not everything can be solved by talking, however, and the turn-based combat is the other big central aspect of the gameplay. Different members of the crew will each have their own initial tendencies according to their classes, either being more fitting for the vanguard or to take enemies from afar with their bows and firearms.
One curious point to this is the ability to move around using stealthy tactics and take down enemies preemptively. Moving without being detected and killing targets with a hit before they can observe you is a cathartic experience and pulling it off can make some fights much easier.
When stealth fails or a target resists a quick execution, it’s time for battle. There are also specific story moments in which avoiding combat is not even an option to begin with. In any of these cases, the player will control a small group of the crew.
Combat takes place in a hex grid, letting players move around and use techniques according to their equipment and perks. Each character has some Move and Action points, and it'll make a significant difference to understand their individual potential and use them well.
A character may get bonuses for moving into a specific panel, the environment may provide cover points that keep characters protected from ranged enemies and higher altitude vantage points may benefit archers. One key aspect to this is flanking enemies, which makes it so hits don’t glance, hitting targets at full force. Getting too close also comes with the caveat that the enemy may use this chance for an Attack of Opportunity.
Moving without being detected and killing targets with a hit before they can observe you is a cathartic experience and pulling it off can make some fights much easier.
Beyond positioning and careful evaluation of the power of an attack, skills may have specific traits to keep in mind, like causing bleeding or hitting enemies who are side by side. Morale is also a factor, making some enemies act erratically right after seeing their comrades dead.
An Experience in Active Development
With all these factors, Expeditions: Samurai’s combat provides a lot of elements for players to keep in mind. While there’s a lot of depth, some aspects of the game feel like they could be clearer and more robust. For instance, during a specific sidequest, it was necessary to take down two individuals and carry their bodies out of the area. Carrying someone, however, makes an ally useless in combat.
Dropping the body is an option, but it often doesn’t appear while moving around, and it should be a simple choice during battle too, but it didn't seem to be available. Other aspects, like conditions to keep enemies alive, are unclear, and the camera can be a big issue at times. These are aspects that hopefully can be fixed with some time and the Early Access release is a perfect chance to make the game even better using the strong foundation it has in its mechanics.
In this early state, Expeditions: Samurai is already looking to be an enjoyable experience for fans of RPGs and historical tales. Even so, there are clear points to improve when it comes to player feedback, unclear systems and other small details that players may not get. With the solid pillars of the gameplay and the story populated with some vivid characters, the potential for a stellar game is all there, and it’s now up to the developers to keep it flourishing until the 1.0 release.