KEMCO has revealed that its fantasy RPG Bonds of the Skies is headed to the Switch. Pre-purchase options for the game are set to go live on the eShop tomorrow.
In this game, you'll follow the story of Eil, who begins the adventure in the middle of his coming-of-age ceremony. During this event, his town is attacked by a demon and fully engulfed in flames, forcing Eil to partner up with Nogard (the little blue dragon) in order to save the day.
Bonds of the Skies actually launched on 3DS just a couple of years ago and releases on the PlayStation store today (hence the trailer above). We don't have a release date or pricing for the Switch version just yet, but hopefully this information from the game's press release will tide you over until then:
Form Partnerships with Grimoas!
Through your adventure, you will come across different Grimoas. By partnering with Grimoas, Eil and his friends can use hidden powers. Strengthen the bonds with them to be victorious in battles!Synchro Gauge and Special Skills
You can set up to five mastered skills, so long as the total costs of the skills do not exceed the characters' cost limit. In addition, when the Synchro Gauge with the Grimoas reaches 100%, you can use special skills, more powerful than normal!Other Features
- Turn-based battles with a pixelated dot animation
- A vast variety of skills to master
- Collect all the Grimoas and unleash the Synchro Skills!
- A wide range of achievements, including quests to complete and items to collect
The pre-purchase period, set to begin tomorrow, will offer players the chance to get 10% off the full asking price. If you're interested, make sure to keep an eye out for it appearing on the eShop tomorrow.
Did you play this one on 3DS? Ready to give it a chance on Switch? As ever, let us know in the comments.
Comments 44
You lost me at KEMCO.
@BenAV That's how it goes.
Does anyone remember Data Design Interactive? In the Wii era they released a whole bunch of 3D platformers in quick succession, all of them using the same engine reskinned and none of them very good. Not even Ninjabread Man.
KEMCO are Data Design Interactive but with JRPGs.
As much as I like the SNES era... It gets boring! I really like the new approaches like Octopath! But just riding on the retro wave makes me loose interest pretty quick.
Kemco? No Thanks. I advise anyone who is a non-casual RPG player to steer clear of their dreadful rpg-maker conversions.
Not only do they have god-awful dialogue, but even the battle systems feel like something out of the early dragon quest titles, and not in a good way.
@Balladeer I'd actually take Data-designs games over Kemco's titles. At least they had SOME variation. Kemco's games look like they just took a clone of their first game and replaced some of the assets and called it a day.
I’m starting to be thankful I didn’t buy Kemco’s most recent Limited Run Game release but regretting that I bought every one prior to that...
I haven't seen anyone disputing all the negative comments about this company, so I really have no reason to doubt it.
Screams RPG maker and asset packs
I’m pretty sure there’s Flash games with more unique JRPG gameplay than this.
@Heavyarms55 there's nothing to dispute - just fans incriminating their boredom. I Am Setsuna gets the same kind of flak and has nothing to do with Kemco.
As someone with the experience of quite a few old JRPGs, including relatively obscure stuff like Legend of the Ghost Lion (incidentally, guess who made it), I certainly have zero aversion to these games - many of them go to my wishlist and Chronus Arc is a double-dip candidate from 3DS. Making them a priority in my queue is another matter, but that matter testifies to the appeal of other games (including those from the franchises I've been binging or itching to try) rather than necessarily to the lack of it in Kemco stuff.
EDIT: turns out this game would be a double-dip as well, I knew the name sounded familiar. Got it in a Kemco mobile HB some time ago. XD
Another Kemco RPG. Never a fan of saturation, especially of low quality. But hey... fills a market for people that want flash-created, mock-old school RPGs. I'm just not one of them.
They didnt show how the battle system works, also just looks like just another JRPG
In my opinion, if you haven't played the classic JRPGs of the 8-32 bit eras, go play those before you play a fake old school RPG.
This game is free on Android by the way. If you reeeally want to play this then just download for your phone.
But honestly there is better alternatives out there, like Octopath and Romancing Saga 2.
And Kemco is at it again, like clockwork.
looks average at best, with final fantasy 9 im currently playing, final fantasy 7 on the way and final fantasy 10/10-2 I have no need for average
Looks like a cheaply made rpg maker game, in a very saturated genre. There are too many good games to bother with something like this anymore, to be honest.
@nhSnork I am Setsuna remains one of the only games to date I have bought on Switch and was honestly disappointed with. Nothing about it struck me as bad, but nothing about it drew me in either. In the end all I even remember about it, is how underwhelmed I felt.
@Balladeer kemco has a way longer history than that.
So sick of seeing more Kemco trash filling up the eShop.
I'd say Kemco has fallen from grace... but they ported Lagoon to SNES? If anything, this is an improvement.
How did I miss this on 3DS?! I might actually go buy it on there depending on the price. Either way, whatever system it ends up being, I’m buying this. It actually looks like it’s done very well. But it seems like a game that would do very well with good voice acting instead of reading everything.
EDIT: ouch.... im reading the comments above and I’m not so sure now. It LOOKS good! I guess I’ll wait for a review or go find some from 3DS.
If it's 10 bucks or less maybe, but I have a feeling this is not. Maybe the video shows price, but i'm at work and can't view videos here .
Wish this was Skies of Arcadia. Never played that game but really really want to.
I was kinda happy to see this until I saw that it's from Kemco and then had to rethink about this.
y is KEMCO not liked? ive never really played anything they've made...
I actually love retro JRPGs like Dragon Warrior 1. I also like some well done RPG Maker games. I like Homebrew JRPGs like Pier Solar. I like modern takes on retro JRPGs like Octopath. I like indie JRPGs like Cosmic Star Heroine.
But something about Kemco JRPGs always feel off. I can't really put my finger on it, but they feel cheap, and they aren't fun at all.
This game looks beautiful, like something I would jump on, if it was from another publisher. But with the Kemco name on it, Im really afraid to get burned again.
Not even worth the $7 on iPhone. Give Cosmic Star Heroine a try before this.
My eyes saw SKIES in the title and filled in OF ARCADIA.
Now I am disappoint.
@lnrts99 I was thinking same thing, the name seemed like it was going to be a spiritual successor of sorts. But instead it’s not and it’s a pass. Sky of Arcadia on the other hand is awesome.
Yeah looks like it was basically made on RPG Maker in someone's bedroom. It probably was.
@Balladeer You just summed up why no one should get this game in the best possible way. My days on the Wii was plagued with those cheap shovelware crap. And I won't let them haunt my Nintendo Switch.
ive been playing this on 3ds on nights when i can't get to sleep to help me get to sleep. thats about all its good for.
Thank you for starting the article with the word Kemco. Really saves a guy a lot of time.
I'm a lover of JRPG's - they seem to be all I am filling my switch up with.
Played a couple of these in droughts of the past and found them passable if not forgettable.
Now I have more games to play than I have time or money for.
Lost me at kemco
Honestly I feel like Kemco should do New a PS2 style Jrpg like ShadowHearts, and see how that goes.
If we stop buying Kemco games, they'll either stop making them or make better games.
It's a win-win.
Kemco is my 16-bit oldschool JRPG fix. All their games are super solid and many of them feel like lost SNES classics. I don't get the hate at all.
What are the bad Kemco JRPGs you lot talk about? I think I have missed all of them entirely.
The hate for kemco knows no limit here 😁. Anyway thanks for the advice.
Kemco nooooooooooooo thank you
@derty Basically it's just a matter of how many games they make with essentially the same RPG Maker engine. Their assets are bland and the battle systems are not particularly interesting. They don't have engaging stories and it can be hard to pick them apart in a crowd, but on the other hand they're certainly playable and some people dig that RPG Maker niche. If you liked "Cthulhu Saves the World," chances are you might like a Kemco game.
They claim to be 16-bit throwbacks, but have none of the aesthetic chops that made the best games of the type memorable. Also, like Kairosoft, they keep re-releasing mobile games on consoles at a significant markup.
@SKTTR I don't understand it either. They're mostly solid to great budget JRPG's. Also the ridiculousness that people are spewing about KEMCO being shovelware is just sad. If they think KEMCO JRPG's are shovelware they must have a really tiny and sad collection of AAA game/s...
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