Okay so after a few hours playing this some impressions.
The battle system is good and quite tactical. You've got two types of damage, scratch (which can be gained back over time) and direct (which is permanent). If you build up scratch damage and then hit it with any sort of direct damage it takes a big chunk off of the enemies health.
You also have hero attacks, which is basically you running across the battlefield delievering numerous attacks in that time. These are limited by the number of hexes at the bottom of the HUD and can be gotten back by killing enemies, but if you run out you enter critical mode. Here you cower in fear, can't use hero attacks and are basically sitting ducks. If you die you can retry, but retrying costs money so you may lose a fair chunk if you don't get the hang of it.
The story... well there isn't much of one so far. You're three guns for hire, Vashyron (voiced by Nolan North, the voice of Nathan Drake), Zephyr and Leanne. It's clear Leanne has only just joined the group but not much more has been explained to date (up to chapter 4). You basically go from mission to mission, picked up at the guild in the main town, collecting money and other bits and bobs that can be used to buy upgrades for your guns and new clothes for your party.
The world map is an overview of the city and you move a pointer around to tell them where to go. But to get around you'll need energy hexes. These are dropped by enemies or given as rewards and you use them to unlock new areas of the map. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, the tutorials aren't very helpful but check through the manual and play about and you'll get it.
Graphics are very reminiscent of Valkyrie Profiles, so are parts of the gameplay but a big seller for this would be the customisation. You can customise a lot, from eye colour to gun straps, and from a red dot sight to larger magazines there's a lot of options.
Voicework is good, Nolan North will haunt my dreams soon he's been in tons of games i've played lately, and there are some good exchanges between the main three. The aristocrats who are your main employers are all very eccentric and over the top, but there's always some nutters in a Tri-Ace game. The only downside is the repetitive nature of some of the quips before battles, learning Leanne goes both ways is funny at first but after the 40th time it can grate.
Overall it's a good game, mainly based on fetch missions but the battle system is easy to learn hard to master and with all the customisation it'll keep you occupied if you give it a chance.
I'd give it a 7 out of 10. The repetitve missions may turn you away, but it's a very solid game that's definitely worth a look. Rent first just in case.
