The shortest way to describe Symphony of War is "Ogre Battle for the PC crowd". (See also: Fell Seal, our Final Fantasy Tactics.) It's a somewhat simplistic way to describe a long overdue return to this style of tactical RPG -- especially considering Symphony of War hits all the right notes for the genre.

World-threatening demonic evil? Check. Protagonists who learn Very Valuable Lessons™ as they become infused with divine power to battle said evil? Check. Romance-lite character options? Check, though as far as I could tell, it's purely a cosmetic choice -- no significant gameplay is altered by choosing who bonds with whom, though the ending story will change as appropriate.

The roughness around the edges of Symphony of War -- fluctuating difficulty levels, heavy reliance on named characters (seriously, Diana and Barnabas can tank most of the game by themselves), uneven writing -- can be forgiven by the clear amounts of love and effort put into making this tactical JRPG shine like it was ripped straight out of the 16-bit golden age. Heck, you could even argue the writing is a throwback to the oddball translations of the 1990s, intentionally or not.

This is a great game. Buy it and enjoy.

(Completed on Captain difficulty without permadeath enabled.)