Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Heroine Anthem – The Elect of Wassernixe delivers a unique blend of side-scrolling exploration and real-time/turn-based combat that keeps players constantly engaged. The game’s navigation occurs from a third-person perspective, guiding Edda through sunken ruins, kelp forests, and forbidding enemy outposts. As you traverse these environments, you’ll encounter enemies roaming the landscape; contact with them triggers dynamic battles that play out on a separate battlefield screen.

Combat is where the title truly shines. While the engine remains fundamentally turn-based, there’s a frantic real-time component: foes relentlessly attack, and you must quickly queue actions for Edda and her allies before their assault lands. This system rewards both strategic planning and nimble decision-making—failing to assign commands in time can leave your party open to devastating combos, while skilled multitasking allows you to unleash powerful chain attacks.

Beyond the main battle system, Heroine Anthem offers a variety of side activities to break up the fight-heavy pace. Underwater puzzles showcase Edda’s new mermaid abilities, such as sonar bursts that reveal hidden pathways, and directional currents you can manipulate to reach secret treasures. A minimalist crafting system lets you fuse shells, coral shards, and other finds into consumables and minor equipment upgrades, adding another layer of depth to the gameplay loop.

Graphics

The game’s art style is heavily influenced by Japanese anime, resulting in colorful, expressive character designs and fluid animations that bring Edda’s underwater journey to life. Every mermaid transformation sequence is rendered with special care: billowing hair, sparkling scales, and rippling water particles all contribute to a sense of wonder each time you witness the metamorphosis.

Environmental details are equally impressive. The small northern village where Edda begins her adventure feels lived-in, with snow-dusted rooftops and flickering torchlight setting a cozy, nostalgic tone. Contrast that with the dark, claustrophobic confines of the slave ship, where creaking wood and dim lantern glow heighten the sense of dread. Once you descend beneath the waves, vibrant coral reefs and bioluminescent caverns emerge in stunning detail, reinforced by dynamic lighting and realistic water shaders.

On the technical side, performance remains stable on most modern hardware. Framerates in battle stay smooth even when multiple special effects light up the screen, and loading times between areas are brief. While the occasional pop-in of distant background objects may occur, it rarely detracts from the overall visual splendor of this Scandinavian-inspired fantasy world.

Story

At its heart, Heroine Anthem tells a deeply personal tale of loss, transformation, and perseverance. Edda begins as one half of a childhood duo alongside Hulen, sharing dreams of exploring their remote northern homeland. Their peaceful existence shatters when raiders attack their village and haul Edda aboard a slave ship—only for fate to intervene when a monstrous sea creature crashes the vessel.

Drenched and unconscious at the bottom of the sea, Edda emerges not only alive but changed: she is reborn as a mermaid. Stranded in an alien underwater realm, she confronts her own despair before finding hope in Bedin, a resourceful lobster who vows to guide her. Their interactions provide moments of genuine warmth and comic relief, balancing the darker themes of captivity and vengeance.

As the narrative unfolds, Edda’s quest expands beyond pure survival. She becomes enmeshed in the politics of merfolk clans, cryptic prophecies tied to the Elect of Wassernixe, and the very identity of the creature that saved her life. Side quests flesh out the world’s mythology, revealing connections to Scandinavian legends while preserving a uniquely eastern RPG sensibility in character-driven storytelling.

Overall Experience

Heroine Anthem – The Elect of Wassernixe stands out among Chinese-made RPGs for its bold choice to draw from Scandinavian mythology rather than historical China. This fresh setting, combined with anime-inspired visuals and a hybrid combat system, offers an experience that feels both familiar to JRPG fans and refreshingly novel in its narrative foundations.

Newcomers may need a short adjustment period to master the real-time command windows during battle, but the game eases you in with optional tutorials and gradually increasing difficulty. Exploration segments and character interactions are well-paced, ensuring the story never drags while still allowing ample time to discover hidden lore and optional bosses.

Ultimately, The Elect of Wassernixe is a compelling adventure that balances emotional storytelling with engaging gameplay mechanics. Whether you’re drawn to its mermaid-themed world, its tactical combat, or its heartfelt narrative, this title delivers an immersive journey that will resonate long after the credits roll. For players seeking a crossover between anime aesthetics, deep RPG systems, and mythic oceanscapes, Heroine Anthem is a must-play.

Retro Replay Score

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