Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

Lore & Background

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga was developed by Dancing Dragon Games, with lead developer Phil Hamilton drawing inspiration from Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem. To differentiate the game from Fire Emblem, Hamilton increased the scope of battles while scaling back individual troop customization, focusing instead on squad-level decisions. The game was originally built in RPG Maker, but the engine was heavily customized to support its mechanics. Hamilton emphasized balance across all playstyles, playtesting with strategies such as all-mage or all-archer squads. The game was published by indie.io on June 10, 2022, with potential ports to other platforms mentioned as a possibility.

Reader's Guide

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga received positive reviews on Metacritic. A Rock Paper Shotgun reviewer initially found it good 'for an RPG Maker game' but later considered it one of the year's best games. PC Gamer criticized the story writing as melodramatic but concluded, 'Novel tactical mechanics make this indie a contender for the best strategy RPG this year.' RPGSite praised the game's quality and professionalism as 'astonishing' given its RPG Maker origins, though they criticized the combination of chibi artwork with more realistic portraits. RPGFan noted that it 'draws from classic heavyweights of the genre, but it also has more than enough substance to stand on its own.' RPGamer selected it as the runner-up for best tactical RPG of 2022, recommending it to fans of Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem. The game's significance lies in its successful fusion of classic tactical RPG elements with modern auto-battler mechanics, earning recognition as a standout indie title in the genre.

Did You Know?

• Players control squads of up to nine units that engage in battle automatically, similar to auto battlers.
• Characters can form bonds with each other, including romances.