Developed by Max Entertainment and published – in Japan only – by Yanoman in 1994, Feda: The Emblem of Justice is a tactical JRPG that features two central characters who are fighting against the corrupted empire they used to serve. A fan translation makes the game playable in English.
The game features two play modes: real-time exploration and turn-based battles. When in exploration mode you can enter towns and visit shops and other dwellings. When in combat mode the game switches to a turn-based movement system and battles begin when two competing units occupy the same area. There are also scripted battles too, at certain points in the story.
The player can decide which alignment they wish to side with – Law or Chaos – depending on how they finish a battle. Killing everyone will align them to Chaos, but finding an alternative, peaceful resolution will align them with Law. So you’re basically choosing whether to be “good” or “bad” with your approach to the game. Non-Player Characters who join your party can also be aligned to Law or Chaos, and might leave the party if you change sides. There are also neutral NPCs who will stay with you, regardless of your alignment. The alignment system is depicted by the use of ranked emblems, which is where the title of the game stems from.
Battles take place on a square grid and each character (and enemy) has a certain amount of health and movement points (shown as “H” and “M” respectively). When opponents clash, the fight is shown as a first-person animation and the player watches as the damage dealt is described.
The presentation in Feda: The Emblem of Justice is decent, but not outstanding. The colour palette in particular is relatively subdued, but the characters and animations are good, as is the gameplay in general.
While Feda: The Emblem of Justice isn’t a classic, it is still very much worth playing if you’re a fan of this type of game. It has some humour, and is also quite challenging.
More: Feda: The Emblem of Justice on Wikipedia
More: Feda: The Emblem of Justice on romhacking.net
