Fernz Gate review for PS Vita, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

Looking back at the other Kemco games I?ve reviewed, it?s not hard to see a common thread emerge:

• • Dragon Sinker: “a slightly above average, generic JRPG”
  • Antiqua Lost: “a generic-looking RPG”
  • Revenant Saga: “generic-looking RPG”
  • Asdivine Hearts: “Enjoyable generic”

This should tell you two things. First, I really need to move beyond the word ?generic” when describing these games. Second, even without knowing anything about Fernz Gate beyond its publisher, you should have a pretty good idea of what?s in store should you decide to play it.

And, unsurprisingly, that?s exactly what you get here. A group of high school students brought together to save the world — or, in this case, ?Fernland,” which is helpfully described very early on for you, in multiple conversations, as a world between worlds.” A bunch of monsters that you fight as a team in turn-based battles. Graphics that come straight out of the NES/SNES era of Final Fantasy and Zelda games.

It?s not all bad, mind you. Even if everything else about them tends towards the generic, Kemco RPGs will sometimes feature protagonists who are, if not likeable, then at least tolerable. That?s the case here, too, with a main character who?s surprisingly polite, occasionally funny, and not prone to too much drama, and who interacts with the world around him in a way that makes him seem like a reasonable human being.

To be sure, none of that lifts Fernz Gate too much about the standard set by every other Kemco RPG. But, like its predecessors, it also means that it achieves a certain level of quality that isn?t too bad, all things considered. It?s not going to wow you by any stretch, but if you want a pleasant RPG to help you pass the time, it?ll do in a pinch.

Kemco provided us with a Fernz Gate PS Vita code for review purposes.