'Friends', with overlords instead of 20-somethings
How the game works is basicly how each game previous has worked. You create a character, and throw them out onto a battlefield of enemies from opposing forces. However, instead of having to clear ALL of the enemies this time around you only need to collect a certain amount of points. Which certainly helps stop long agonizing battles... but you will find yourself playing through Makai Kingdom rather quickly.
NIS has kept the same sort of layout used in Phantom Brave. A free roaming map, and your characters are given a limited circle around them. They've also added the concept of buildings and vehicles, which will given stat boosts to whoever is within them. I actually never found myself to be dependant on these, and using my regular characters instead. Why bother with those, when your characters are powerhouses on their own? It's just extra work you really don't need to bother with, and sometimes doesn't fit in.
Long story short; It's complicated yet easy. Unlike previous games, you don't have to bother with indepth leveling up techniques anymore, just fight your way through.
NIS graphics are always a pleasure to look at. The characters are colorful, and always well animated... and if this were any other NIS game there would be nice backgrounds and maps... but they kind of went missing in this game. 95% of scenes at place with your characters floating in space... just floating. Constantly using the smallest sprites availiable for conversations... it really felt like NIS just didn't want to bother with making elaborate designs like they usually do. I call this "a rush job".
They really took a step back this time, because I've always loved watching the stories unfold in these games, but it's not as fun if your characters are little people hovering in space.
But a large shining point in this game is the sound. The soundtrack is a perfect fit for battles and story scenes, and the voice acting is wonderful. They did a great casting job on everyone within this game... and it might be where most of the budget went. I have to applaude the voice actress for Pram, since not many actors can "steal the show" in video games.
In conclusion, Makai Kingdom seems to be a hardcore NIS fan game, instead of reaching out to new players. It involves a great (Yet predictable) story and wonderful acting...
KEY WORDS: Rent before you buy