Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast on the Nintendo Switch delivers an ok tactical RPG experience. It does provide a somewhat familiar experience to fans of the anime and light novel series but is also flawed in several key aspects. It had high and low moments, but let’s discuss how it ultimately fell short of my expectations.
Developer & Publisher // APOLLOSOFT Inc.,Mebius / Bushiroad Inc.
Platforms // Nintendo Switch, PC
MSRP & Release Date // $49.99 (Standard) $69.99 (Collector’s Edition), November 15th, 2024
Reviewed On // Nintendo Switch
Story and Atmosphere
Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast centers around a character named “Guild Master.” Her father died, so she has to take over his role as the head of an adventurer guild. She reconnects with some friends of old and other powerful allies. Then she eventually finds an artifact rumored to possess the power to resurrect the dead. This puts the party in the middle of some very powerful and dangerous groups seeking to control it. It ties to the anime by core themes like the relentless goblin threat and alliances with other adventurers. Key figures, such as goblins, remain significant enemies, and the game’s narrative tone resonates with the grim reality adventurers face in the original Goblin Slayer series.
One of the big things I enjoy most about games is a compelling story. Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast expands on the Goblin Slayer universe. This game offers a side story that introduces new characters and scenarios while staying true to the dark, gritty tone of the original series. Personally, as a fan of the anime, I was hoping to have “Goblin Slayer” as the main character. You do get to use him and his party, but I would have preferred him as the game’s main focus. Players don’t get to see him until about story/chapter 4. While not groundbreaking, the narrative captures the essence of the Goblin Slayer world. I got to experience some gruesome goblin battles, and a bleak atmosphere, with a focus on survival.
Shallow Story and Characters
However, for players unfamiliar with the series, the story might feel shallow. It relies heavily on prior knowledge of the franchise for emotional impact. Besides the anime characters, the rest seem less developed and basic. Some character designs alone allow them to stand out, like Goblin Slayer’s silver-looking armor and his dialogue alone provides the context of how much he hates goblins. Goblin Slayer also has a red eye shown through the helmet at times to indicate his anger or bloodlust. You have people named “Wise Man” and “Prevailing Curiosity” and they don’t have any story. Can’t even tell who they are at first by their names without looking at their equipment. Nothing about Prevailing Curiosity is shouting a ranged character that throws daggers. Both seemed to die a lot when I used them for the short time I did.
The main story arc feels very linear and predictable which doesn’t align with the expectations set by the complex and morally gray world of Goblin Slayer. For example, each mission moves the story forward, focusing on goals that lead to the next part of the plot, without allowing for significant deviation from the main narrative path. Even as players make tactical choices during battles, these choices are limited to combat outcomes rather than influencing the overarching storyline.
After initial quests establishing her role, challenges arise related to the artifact, pushing the “Guild Master” and co into conflict with new and escalating threats, all funneling toward a predetermined confrontation. Then you have battles and quests that tend to follow the same pattern, lacking the narrative twists or deeper choices players may expect from a story-driven RPG.
Gameplay & Mechanics of Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast
Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast blends action RPG elements with tactical combat. You command a party of adventurers in strategic, grid-based battles, which can be both engaging and frustrating. The combat system has a decent level of depth, allowing players to experiment with different party configurations and strategies, but it lacks the polish of other tactical RPGs.
The difficulty spikes during encounters can feel unfair at times, leading to more frustration than challenge. For example, there was one quest where it seemed like the enemy all kept casting something to cause confusion and make my party attack each other while they were pretty bunched up without fail. The game also doesn’t prepare players for spikes in strategic requirements, and some of these times mid-game resources can be limited.
A bright spot here to try to add some depth is the set-up for the battles. You have access to setting up your strategy with items like healing and restorative potions. But there are also the “Fate and Chance” abilities which give you access to different abilities that allow you to set up five for battle. The success is determined by a dice roll. You could do increased damage, nullify elemental damage and status conditions, and even if an ally goes down there is one ability that brings them back with some hit points.
Additionally, the controls and interface can be a bit clunky, especially in handheld mode. Navigating through menus and executing commands feels slow, and the Switch’s hardware limitations show during more intense moments of battle. Another thing that is slightly annoying is the fact that to end your turn you have to press the (-) button on the switch which means you are hitting the joystick multiple times.
Running a Guild
Anyone who is a fan of the anime series Goblin Slayer knows the is a big focus around an “Adventurer Guild System” which is how people get their quests. In Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast without spoiling anything you are running an adventurer’s guild for a specific reason. Through this system, you recruit more random characters as they show up with different “jobs or classes.” So each of them should be able to provide something different for battle. Going through the game, you accrue so many that it gets frustrating having no form of filter to help you search for the ones you want to use. As you gain experience from battles and level up you can increase their ranks which allows access to more skills and abilities.
The classes however aren’t named, so you have to kind of tell by the weapons and abilities they have equipped. I will say the Guild Master and Blood Priestess stick out, because of their unique abilities you can get early on which are powerful. Then Goblin Slayer and his party members seem to be the most unique and powerful among the other two. I was never worried when Goblin Slayer would be surrounded, because was able to handle himself and take enemies out fairly easily in most situations. Then everyone else didn’t feel unique or different from other characters that they were similar to really outside some dialogue.
Workshop and Items
There is a pretty basic Workshop which is where you can buy weapons, armor, and accessories. You can also use the workshop to provide minor enhancements to your equipment. Either you’re increasing the strength and defense or adding some element to your gear which can be useful. The item shop is where you can buy your potions and traps. I will say they do have a little bit of variety when it comes to traps which was a breath of fresh air. After each story mission, if there was near gear I would try to pick up the main ten characters I was using. Usually, anything to increase their strength and defense. Then for accessories, I went to Health, Attack, and Defense increase.
Some quests did provide a chance for gear. I would prioritize anything that I thought the Guild Master, Blood Priestess, or other characters I was using might be able to use. However, you don’t get to look at the items and gear before finishing the quest and acquiring them. So you might think something is one thing, but ends up turning out to be something you didn’t expect. I wouldn’t say it was loot chasing as you have to do a couple of quests before unlocking the next main story quest, but some of the weapons and gear you get can be useful. Unfortunately, the lack of quest diversity dented the fun element of the game.
Lack of Quest Variety in Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast
When playing through the quests in Goblin Slayer: Another Adventure I enjoyed the majority of the story quests. However, after each story quest you have to do a couple of quests to “unlock” the next story quest and those seemed repetitive. Save a prisoner from bandits, protect this person, among other similar ones. Then the training quests which you can do an infinite number of times are the same map layout. Enemies are different and there may be traps on the battlefield, but the map is essentially the same which is a bummer.
I grinded a lot to have the 10 characters you would normally use for a story quest reach recommended levels. It did get boring at times as some characters gained more experience faster than others. So I would find myself doing the same training quests that unlock as you level up over and over. It isn’t required to do them, but it makes sure you aren’t caught off guard by the potential difficulty spikes. You do get some money each time you do it, but the map doesn’t really change as I mentioned, so it was super repetitive. When you do finish the non-training quests you can get some good gear or materials to help enhance your adventures.
Graphics and Performance
The visuals and aesthetics are another important thing for me in video games. Let me say that visually, Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast falls into the average category for a Switch game. The art style aligns well with the dark fantasy setting, but the textures and character models lack the detail seen in higher-budget titles. Some animations, particularly during combat, feel stiff and repetitive. There were moments when Guild Master and Blood Priestess used their unique abilities and got a small scene that looked great. The game’s performance is stable for the most part. Though there are occasional frame rate dips when the screen becomes crowded during large-scale battles.
There were a few battles too where the level design was an issue. I would try to get a better view of the map by rotating the camera, but no matter than angle I rotated there were times when I couldn’t see the character or the tile they were standing on while trying to issue a command. It wasn’t a detrimental situation at the time, but depending on the enemy if I selected the wrong command it could have been.
Sound Design
The sound effects and music are serviceable but not memorable. The soundtrack tries to amplify the dark and tense atmosphere of the world but ends up feeling generic. Voice acting is present in key scenes, but it’s often overshadowed by mediocre writing and stilted dialogue delivery. Even though the Japanese voice acting is great, I’m a person who doesn’t like to read a lot of subtitles. Being that there wasn’t English audio and an ungodly and I mean ungodly amount of reading it was a little bit of a turn-off for me.
Replayability
The game offers a decent amount of content for those who enjoy tactical combat and world-building. You can approach battles differently and enjoy the different characters you can recruit. But once the main story is completed, there’s little incentive to return. The lack of significant side content or post-game challenges limits replayability.
Final Thoughts on Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast
When it comes to Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast it started as a weird experience. It took a while before I felt anything for the game, and that doesn’t usually happen for me. I didn’t start feeling anything till about two or so hours in about anything. However, it does offer a moderately enjoyable experience, especially for fans of the series. But it doesn’t stand out in the crowded RPG landscape. Its tactical gameplay can be fun but is hindered by clunky mechanics and uneven difficulty. While it captures the essence of the Goblin Slayer universe, the game ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to deliver something truly memorable.
Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast Final Score: 6.7/10
Pros
- Faithful to Source Material
- Tactical Combat
- Stable Performance
- Atmosphere
- Character Interactions
Cons
- Clunky Controls and Interface
- Unpolished Combat Mechanics
- Limited Story Depth for Newcomers
- No English Audio
- Lack of Replayability
- Map Design Issues
- Unremarkable Sound Design
- Mediocre Graphics
- A Lot of Reading
