When I first saw the trailer for Rainbow Legends, I was immediately interested. A tactical roguelite deckbuilder, it seemed like the game that would get me into the genre. When I got to play it, however, I found myself of two minds about the game.
Rainbow Legends has a lot of potential, with the different playable armies and numerous build options that allow for a variety of play styles, and can be thought of as similar to Slay the Spire but revolving around tactical battles over who can cover more ground with a specific colour. It is actually pretty interesting for a twist on the formula, and really helps do something different.
However, we then get into the gameplay where things get a bit mixed. There is a great amount of enemy variety and the character designs are well done, but the gameplay is incredibly unbalanced. Some armies are far more powerful than others, and some do not offer enough to make them viable. This can utterly break battles and especially boss fights and render the experience next to impossible depending on your choice.
That was bad enough, but Rainbow Legends is also full of bugs that keep interfering with the experience, such as being unable to move your deck randomly. The translation is also rather poorly done and while some can be understood, the lackluster and incomplete translation also means the cards in Rainbow Legends are not explained well. For a deckbuilder game, this is a disaster as it runs the core of the gameplay.
I will also note that the game uses a Gacha system for character unlocks, which may not be to everyone’s liking. But that is honestly the least of the issues that I have seen with the game, as mentioned. So Rainbow Legends is a disaster and move on, right?
Well, no. The developers have been responding and fixing many bugs that have been reported and have promised more tweaks to the gameplay. Ideally, we will see a re-balancing of the difficulty and a new, proper translation that helps explain the game and its mechanics properly. Additionally, it may be helpful if the developers looked into tweaking the Gacha mechanics, which have been off-putting to those not expecting it.
Rainbow Legends has so much going for it, with great visuals and designs and excellent music and a brilliant take on the genre that offers something different. It is a shame that it launched in the state that it did, because it could really be one of the best takes on the roguelite deckbuilder formula. If Unpixel Cloud Cedar Studio and Light Up Games can fix these issues, then Rainbow Legends will be a game I see myself coming back to again and again.
I would not recommend Rainbow Legends in the state it is in now, but I will be keeping my eye on the game as it is patched. If the developers address the issues and let the game live up to its full potential, I will gladly shout their praises in a future re-review. I just hope that ends up happening.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided