Turn-based strategy RPG Banner of the Maid from CE-Asia and Azure Flame Studio is an alternative take on the French Revolution. Learn more in our Banner of the Maid review!

 

Banner of the Maid from CE-Asia and Azure Flame Studio is a turn-based strategy RPG that presents to players an alternative take on the events of the French Revolution. It’s the end of the 18th century, and with the fall of the House of Bourbon, Louis XVI sets out to escape from his country. You will take on the role of Pauline Bonaparte, a young female officer who will work her way up through the ranks. If the name didn’t clue you into things, she’s Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister. Yes, she most certainly was real.

The story presents a “what if?” sort of scenario surrounding the battles and events of the French Revolution, which has allowed developer Azure Flame Studio to do its own thing in a very fun turn-based strategy RPG with a dash of sim elements here and there. You’ll have to deal with the ongoing conflicts between the different factions in Banner of the Maid, in order to gain a better political standing, which could lead to you obtaining the funds needed to upgrade your troops’ equipment to win the next battle.

 

The fantasy element of this release is the concept of the Maids. Pauline Bonaparte is part of this exclusive group of women who are said to possess great, mysterious powers that can be used to turn the tide of battle. You will need to make the most of these powerful skills, and of the great expertise of the dozens of characters you can add to your army. Each one of them will have a distinct background story, and a variety of abilities that will greatly complement each other. Improve their stats and help them learn new skills, in order to be able to survive the more than 30 maps that will serve as the different battlefields on your journey.

Speaking of the maps on which you will battle, you will need to make the most of the terrain elements available in each of them. The terrain can be used to your advantage if you play things right, but you also need to know that your opponents will try to do the same! On top of this, you need to be aware of how the overall situation can change by way of special conditions that will have an effect over the battlefield. Battling with clear skies is definitely not the same as taking on an army during a storm.

 

There are three difficulty options to choose from. There’s Story Mode, which is the lowest difficulty setting, which allows you to focus on the game’s storytelling. You can take on Officer Mode, which is the equivalent of a normal difficulty setting, in which you will start with a small amount of funds and reputation, you will be able to save at any time during battles, and you can retreat with no penalty. And then, there’s General Mode, in which you can only save once in each battle, retreating from battle will have you incur in a penalty, and you won’t be starting your journey with any extra funds or a boost to reputation. If you end up going with General Mode and feel overwhelmed, you can change to Officer Mode after starting the game, but you won’t be able to go back to the higher difficulty if you change your mind.

Since this is a turn-based strategy RPG, you will be moving a cursor on the screen to select the unit you will be move on the battlefield. Once you’re close to an opponent, you can select to attack it, or might instead decide to use an item to aid you. Skills and abilities will also come into play, and you will need to take into consideration its area of effect to make the most of their potential. As you attack enemies, you will gain more morale. Once you have enough, you’ll be able to unleash a Heroic attack, which will have a higher hit chance and deal more damage. You will also be rewarded with extra experience points. Experience points are very important, since they will allow your characters to level up. By leveling up, a character’s stats will increase, and it will also be able to use more powerful equipment.

As you progress through Banner of the Maid, you’ll be able to unlock achievements for your efforts, which will, in turn, reward you with a variety of items. The objectives to complete include having 10 Commanders under your orders, boosting your relationship with all factions to level 2, spending 5,000 or more at the stores, discovering a secret journal of the Maid, or for completing specific quests, to name some examples. There are, for instance, precious antiques that can be sold yo merchants to earn some extra coins, a medal to boost morale and dodge, or a special cup to increase defense and armor.

Banner of the Maid is a solid turn-based strategy RPG that is a lot of fun to play on Nintendo Switch. It offers a ton of content to enjoy at home or on the go, looking great on the TV screen and on the Nintendo Switch’s screen. It’s an easy one to recommend to fans of the genre since it’s available for a respectable $16.99 asking price, and offers more than enough content to justify the price tag.

Disclaimer
This Banner of the Maid review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by CE-Asia.