Rance IX is an incredible title, I absolutely love this game. The story is captivating from start to finish, with extremely well-written and fleshed-out characters. Unlike most Rance entries, there isn’t much traditional combat; battles are short and simple, especially during the main story.
The gameplay revolves around a turn-based strategy system with an initiative mechanic, where you control miniature versions of the characters from an isometric view. It’s fun, engaging, and has plenty of optional challenges that actually require planning and smart play, especially if you’re aiming for all item rewards.
You’ll need at least two playthroughs for all endings and the true ending, and probably three to see every HCG. Unfortunately, the New Game+ system is pretty bad. Monkey Orbs don’t transfer to your second playthrough, which means you can’t view all endings in a single run. Some are also one-time rewards from optional battles, so once you claim them in World 1, you can’t reclaim them in World 2.
On top of that, challenge enemies have their HP and damage doubled in NG+, making many World 1 challenges practically impossible if you didn’t beat them earlier. I was lucky I cleared everything on my first playthrough. In World 2, if you finish a new challenge but fail the conditional reward, the boss’s HP becomes permanently doubled, forcing you to reload a save instead of retrying.
Despite these quirks, the gameplay is still very enjoyable. It’s actually one of the least grindy entries in the series. I did most challenges smoothly, with only minor late-game farming for the hardest content.
Where the game truly shines is the story. It’s rich, immersive, and more serious than many other entries. While the overall tone isn’t similar to Rance 03, the pacing and storyline structure definitely are. There aren’t many new characters just a handful of major additions, but the main team is composed of beloved characters from earlier games, and their interactions throughout the story are fantastic.
The CGs are excellent. Almost all character H-scenes are surprisingly romantic, passionate, and wholesome. There are multiple major romantic developments, and they’re very reminiscent of Evenicle, they were fantastic and enjoyable. The scenes are extremely long some lasting up to an hour, with most around 30-50 minutes, which is a huge jump compared to Rance Quest, where H-scenes are usually just a few minutes. Because of this, I was frustrated that you can’t pursue all characters in one playthrough.
However, most heroines in new game plus also have bad endings, and they’re brutal, gruesome, and honestly hard to watch. They fit the wartime setting, but they clash with the wholesome development in the main routes and can feel immersion-breaking.
The OST is very good, fitting, atmospheric, and excellent at setting the tone, as always for the series. This one unlike previous titles introduces many new top tier tracks.
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