Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE Review: Can the Manga Series Save the Gacha RPG?

Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE is a brand new gacha RPG that takes place in the same universe as the manga series. We weren’t particularly thrilled at having to review yet another entry in this bloated genre but …

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Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE is a brand new gacha RPG that takes place in the same universe as the manga series. We weren’t particularly thrilled at having to review yet another entry in this bloated genre but we have to say – Fist of the North Star’s entry left us pleasantly surprised.

While it’s generally just another gacha, there’s evidence of genuine effort to set it apart from the rest of them. The presentation alone is noteworthy, looking every bit as good as a console offering. The animations are particularly enjoyable to watch too.

Then there’s the combat system, which introduces a level of action. The result doesn’t really feel like a turn-based game, and that’s thanks to the series of taps and swipes you can perform to unleash combos and moves.

When a character initiates an attack, you’ll see what looks like a star chart appear on the screen. A star will make it from the left to the right of the chart and if you tap on the screen just as it reaches the end you’ll unleash a powerful combo attack.

The Combat Doesn’t Really Feel Turn-Based Thanks to the Series of Taps and Swipes You Can Perform

As you pull off combos you’ll build up a metre, which allows you to pull off a special attack that unleashes incredibly powerful attacks. You can trigger this with a swipe up.

Here’s the best part though: you can’t unleash these skills if you stick the game on automatic mode. That’s right – we actually have a gacha that not only includes actual gameplay but rewards you for using it.

It’s the perfect ploy. We found ourselves opting not to use autoplay because it was so much more fun – and faster – to pull off the attacks ourselves. That beats just removing the feature entirely and letting people who like using it suffer.

We also appreciate the two different camera angles that you can use in combat. There’s the traditional behind the action cam and a special camera that follows it. You can watch the action right up close and take in the awesome animations.

It also seems to make good use of the licence. We haven’t actually experienced Fist of the North Star before but this made us regret that. The story takes place during the events of the manga, so you witness it from a different perspective.

There Are Tons of Characters You Can Summon From the Series

There are a ton of characters to summon so we can only assume no one has been left behind. We also know that the design was looked over by original series artist Tetsuo Hara.

The rest of the experience is, rather sadly, your bog standard gacha RPG. You can summon using coins, the standard currency, and gems, the premium currency. You’ll get a few gems just for playing but you’ll have to put in some serious grind if you want to build the best team and upgrade them.

You can summon 10 at once for a bit of a discount as well, and you’ll level up your characters, their skills, rarity, and more. It feels a bit much, as usual, but that’s the nature of the game: overwhelm people into spending.

Overall, Fist of the North Star: Legends ReVIVE is well worth checking out for series fans, and it offers enough for fans of gacha games to check it out. You might even enjoy it if you’ve never played or dislike gacha games, as the combat system is very fun indeed.

The good

  • The action combat system puts you off autoplay
  • It's stunning visually
  • The animations are terrific

The bad

  • It's still your standard gacha
70 out of 100

Head of Editorial
Glen has over a decade's worth of experience in gaming journalism, writing for Pocket Gamer, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Life, and Gfinity. When he's not badgering everyone about the dangers of passive text, you can probably find him playing Wild Rift.