While I was attending Momocon, I got to try out a few indie games, and some really caught my attention. WinterSong is a game that features turn-based tactical combat similar to what’s found in titles like Fire Emblem. You can already see what caught my eye right away, so I wasted no time trying out the demo and have a lot of fun things to say about it.

The demo featured a map of what is likely the story campaign to really show off the gameplay mechanics. You have a party of characters on the map, and like Fire Emblem, you can move them up to a certain number of steps and perform various actions. You can attack, use items, and use skills to turn the tide of battle in your favor. Unlike a lot of tactical games like this, you can use skills and attacks from the same character on the same turn. This allowed a lot of versatility in the gameplay. I found myself using buffs and debuffs prior to specific strategies and found many clever ways to have my units work in sync with one another. Like many RPGs, skills use MP, so it’s a resource that runs out over time. It’s an element I’m used to in a lot of RPGs, but not as much here, and it was a fun new way to enjoy the gameplay I’ve grown to love so much.

The game also features exploration between levels, and this is something I’m really wanting to learn more about as development continues. It wasn’t an element of the game I spent a lot of time on, but it was easy to follow, and I really enjoyed the visuals for it.

The art style is a beautiful throwback to the pixel days of the Game Boy Advance. It gave incredible feelings of nostalgia while also having its own unique vibe to the visuals that separated it as its own thing. Where most games like this are set in a more medieval-type setting, this one feels very modernized, further separating it from what fans of this genre are used to seeing.

Combat, for the most part, played as I would expect, as you had your turns and your enemies had theirs. What took me by surprise was that after dropping the boss’s health to zero, he immediately powered up, the music changed, and I found myself instantly at a disadvantage. It was a genuinely tough map that went way differently than what I expected and forced me to constantly adapt on the fly. This made for an incredibly hook as I was glued to the screen till I eventually found a way to win.

I like this game a lot, and I think if you’re a fan of tactical RPG games, you will too. It has all of the elements I love from this style of gameplay, with several unique additions that make it stand out. If you want to learn more about the game, make sure to follow it and the developer, Anthony, on Twitter/X.