Rise of the Third Power Critic Reviews

Ignore the retro RPG trappings of Rise of the Third Power; this is a great game regardless of whether you’re approaching it for nostalgic purposes. Its story is just fresh enough, its turn-based combat unique enough, to keep you firmly planted in 2022, not 1992.

Stegosoft has made another excellent step towards capturing the nostalgia of SNES-era RPGs, while not clinging too heavily to the mechanics and constraints of yesteryear that no longer feel fun in an indie RPG. For those who jumped into Ara Fell Enhance Edition, Third Power feels like a natural progression forward, with improvements in every aspect of the game, while cutting out a chunk of the tedious bits. For those craving a JRPG that feels like it’s right at home on a Super Nintendo, while seamlessly melding in modern conveniences like adjustable difficulty level and crafting characters based on what makes the most interesting party for the player, Rise of the Third Power is a prime example of a true throwback gem, and I can’t wait to see what the team has in store next.

A solid "JRPG-esque" adventure from the team behind Ara Fell, Rise of the Third Power manages to send the player back to the golden Super Nintendo age, even with some not equally great dialogues.

By grounding its setting and keeping the scope of its story more personal (albeit with major consequences), Rise of the Third Power gets to really focus on each of its eight main characters. The nature of the plot means things are always moving, and as such the time just seems to fly away while playing. Its mechanics aren’t quite as impressive, but the combat system does seem to have had a lot of thought put into it in terms of trying not to waste the player’s time. Basically, this is more of a game for those looking to get into a good tale than those who want to crunch on some chewy, innovative mechanics. If you’re okay with that, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

Rise of the Third Power, whether in 2022 or 1992, will still slot into the middle of the pack for SNES-inspired RPGs. The combat and overarching story are clear highlights, but there's undeniable bloat that hurts the pacing and the character portraits, for the most part, would be better left on the cutting room floor. While a babystep up from Ara Fell, which I awarded a 7 out of 10 in 2020, Rise of the Third Power doesn't quite do enough to earn a full-throated recommendation. That said, it's still a fairly enjoyable classic RPG experience with interesting characters, a simple but fun battle system, and some humorous dialogue.

While it has it's shortcomings, Rise of the Third Power is still a wonderful JRPG with great gameplay and music that Switch fans, JRPG fans and quite frankly - History fans, will definitely enjoy.