You wake up and you are engaged to the local master, she tells you that you can’t fully marry her until you are more than a student of her craft. She sends you on your way to complete your training, no this isn’t a Jedi training mission. You venture forth to meet your master and pass your trial but something happens, the ground shakes beneath your feet and you have to find your way back to your house to make sure your fiancée is OK. You get there and she is captured by the local bully. Welcome to the world of Spark, this is our Masters of Anima review.
Developed by PASSTECH Games, and published by Focus Home Interactive, Masters of Anima brings you into a world of magic and intrigue. You are a character named Otto who starts out as a Shaper student. Shapers are people who have learned how to harness the power of Anima, and also the ones who trapped the evil Golems in a magical construct known as the Heart Shield. Shapers also are the only ones who can wield powerful beings known as Guardians to protect the land from the Golems. Armed with your Shaper Staff and the power of Anima you set out to rescue your would-be wife from a mysterious villain named Zahr. He used the power of a sunder spell to capture your fiancée and you are set on a quest to save her and the world of Spark from his evil, as well as the Golems.
The Xbox One X version plays very smoothly and with high-quality graphics. There was very little to no loss of frame rate and there were no delays in the controller buttons when you are using your talents. You will learn many things as you begin the game including, but not limited to, creating guardians of all shapes and sizes, commanding these guardians to protect the world and save your fiancée. You will also learn skills for your own character like rolling out of the way to avoid danger, and then, of course, your guardians can be upgraded as well so that they become faster, stronger, more resilient to the things they will be soon facing.
This game is out as of April 10, 2018, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It will be listed at 19.99 but if you get the code digitally for PC or Switch you get 10% off for a total of 17.99. In this humble reviewer’s opinion, this game is worth more than 19.99 and is a steal for someone who likes a Diablo style game with intuitive gaming controls. Join others around the world as they learn to control their guardians in groups of up to one hundred units while you destroy the Golems and defeat Zahr. The world of Spark awaits you.
Note: Our copy was reviewed on Xbox One X with a code provided by PR.
Masters of Anima Review Score: 9/10
PROS:
- Intuitive Character Controls
- Easy to learn skills
- Command massive armies of Guardians up to 100 units
- Intriguing Story
CONS:
- Some Enemies seem overly difficult
- Even with good strategy prepare for time-consuming Golem Fights
