Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first thing to understand about Basted is that its RPG-looking exterior is a bit of a feint. You move through a medieval fantasy world, visit towns, head into dungeons, speak with characters, and progress from one story objective to the next. But there is no leveling treadmill waiting underneath it. No equipment hunt, no money management, and no required inventory routine slows things down. If you like the pace of action games more than the maintenance of RPGs, that is a real strength.

Combat is the center of the experience, with battles moved onto separate screens and usually triggered by the story. You can often choose between Ryeza and Anita, and the difference is practical rather than cosmetic: Ryeza can jump, while Anita has a long-ranged fire attack. That gives you a useful reason to switch your approach depending on what a battle asks of you. Anita should suit anyone who prefers keeping danger at a distance; Ryeza offers a more direct option with mobility that Anita lacks.

There is more to attacking than simply mashing. Regular attacks can be strengthened by striking when the attack-power meter is full, and both characters can charge up for two devastating special attacks apiece. Dashing attacks also deal extra damage. The combat sounds at its best when you are actively watching that meter, deciding whether to press in with a dash or hold out for a charged move, instead of treating every encounter as a mandatory interruption.

Its biggest limitation is also built into its structure. Most battles are plot dictated, so this is not a game for someone looking to roam freely and pick fights at will. Optional battles do exist, but the campaign is clearly leading you along a prepared route. Go in wanting a directed action adventure, and the lack of RPG busywork feels refreshing rather than thin.

Graphics

Basted uses a top-down world view for its towns, forests, and dungeon travel, then shifts battles to their own screens. The most prominent visual material is its large supply of fully voiced anime-style cutscenes, which put Ryeza, Anita, and the larger conflict at the front of the experience.

Story

Ryeza and Anita begin as bounty huntresses in a village repeatedly threatened by monsters. A routine monster problem in the nearby forest turns into something larger when a masked man tells Ryeza that she possesses the power of the sacred jewel Basted. It is an immediate escalation from local monster trouble to a wider fantasy conflict.

From there, the pair joins a princess living in exile and fights to restore a throne to its rightful owners. The enemy is the ruthless Empire and its allies, giving the story a clean, old-school rebellion framework. There is no ambiguity about the direction of the journey: the women are drawn into a political struggle that reaches beyond their home village.

The volume of voiced anime-style scenes makes story progression a major part of the package rather than a brief excuse between fights. That is worth knowing before you start. If you enjoy stopping for character scenes and a steadily unfolding fantasy plot, the campaign has more to offer than a sequence of combat stages. If you only want uninterrupted action, those scenes will occupy a meaningful share of your time.

Overall Experience

Basted is most appealing when you meet it on its own terms: a story-led fantasy action game wearing RPG clothing. The town-and-dungeon framework creates a sense of adventure, while the absence of levels, gear, and currency keeps the focus firmly on Ryeza and Anita’s fighting tools. That is a pleasantly decisive design choice.

The dual-character setup is the reason to stick with it. A jumper and a ranged fire attacker give you a tangible choice, and the powered attacks, charged specials, and damaging dash attacks add enough texture to make battles feel more deliberate than basic action. The payoff is not character-building depth; it is learning which heroine and which attack commitment fits the moment.

Give it a chance if you want a compact, directed anime fantasy adventure with voiced scenes and action at its core. Skip it if the fantasy-RPG look is what drew you in and you expect stat growth, shopping, equipment, or broad player-led exploration. For the right mood, its refusal to pad itself with those systems is exactly what makes it stand out.

Retro Replay Score

7/10