You probably haven’t had a challenge like this before. Think you’re a good strategist? Put that claim to the test in NAtURAL DOCtRINE! Developed by Kadokawa Games and published by NIS America, NAtURAL DOCtRINE is a tactical turn-based strategy game where players get to explore to their heart’s content.

The graphics in NAtURAL DOCtRINE are pretty good, but they're not the best I've ever seen. Characters and the environment are animated to look more realistic as opposed to the anime feel we get from the usual NIS America games, but the characters have features that still have that anime vibe, such as the character Geoff’s hair. The environments around characters have that same realistic feel, and I think it really adds to the atmosphere. In most of the areas, especially caves, players can open doors and chests or use levers. It’s a nice mechanic to go along with the whole exploration thing. Sometimes doors and the like are locked, so a certain character will have to try to open it in order to pick the lock. This does keep the player from just randomly opening doors as sometimes you may get ambushed and put into a bad situation. Well, that could still happen, but try not to let that happen.

Similar to the graphics, the soundtrack of the game strays from the upbeat Japanese pop you’d typically find in NIS America’s other games. Instead, the soundtrack is more melodic and orchestral, matching the mood of the environments you’re in. Caves play ominous and foreboding music, while forests or castle grounds have a more regal sound to them. It's not the best music I've ever heard, but it fits your situation. In addition to the music, sound effects are done very well. Sword strokes and gun shots also have a very realistic sound to them and flow well with the rest of the atmosphere in the game. After all, having cartoony sounds for attacks would be very out of place in this game.

Natural Doctrine features voice acting for story dialogue between the characters and in game battle cries. Usually, story dialogue is fleshed out once the player returns the World Map, and you’ll often hear it in a story related dungeon. The voice acting sounds good and on point, especially with Kyle Hebert’s voice on the main character. Nothing better than having Gohan’s voice a main character in a game, you know? Hopefully you all catch that reference, because if you don’t I’ll feel dumb.

Players experience much of NAtURAL DOCtRINE’s gameplay through battles, and that’s pretty much all. Players first select an area on the World Map where they wish to travel and then confirm with the (X) Button. After that, you’re thrust into a battle. Players issue commands to their characters in order to advance through an area and fulfill the conditions for victory. Usually, this involves saving someone or killing enemies. To do this, players use the (Left Stick) to move their unit to a certain space, up to two spaces from their current location. Be aware of the number of units you move to a space as you can only have a max of four units in a space. Players then use the D-pad to select an action and the (Right Stick) to select a target. Additionally, players may use the (Triangle) Button to automatically cycle through targets. Using the (R1) Button, players may switch the view perspective between close top down, far top down, and third person. Each has its own advantages, so make sure to check with each view before making a move, especially when you’re about to attack.

The display shown in battle is pretty standard. In the top, there’s the turn order which shows who will move next. This can change at any time in battle based on who uses Link turns and how they’re used. For example, Geoff could be taking his turn and Vasily could have a turn much later on, but if Geoff sets up a Link condition, then Vasily could move next to keep the Link going. As a result, a whole slew of your characters could be up to decimate the enemy team. Under the turn order is the list of commands. To the bottom left is the current character's status, which shows current hit points and experience points, as well as the character’s name and level.

In battle, players may select from a list of commands to use for their turn, as stated before. Commands vary between characters and new commands open up once you unlock them in the Skill Tree. Usually, characters will have some type of Attack Command and characters with shields have a Guard Command. The Commands themselves aren’t so special, but the way you use them is. Most skills have a Link condition, which allows characters to form a Tactical Link and gain bonuses. Bonuses range from increased defense from combined Guard Commands to critical chance and damage percentage increases with Attack Commands. It’s imperative that you use Links to increase your damage output and wipe out enemies before they get to you. Links save lives folks, remember that.

Each of the player’s characters gain experience during battle. Experience, of course, allows a character to level up once they accumulate a certain amount. Once a character levels up, they will be surrounded with a glow, regain full health, and gain a skill point, except for Geoff, the lucky duck who gets two. With skill points, players are able to unlock new skills in the Skill Tree of a character. These vary based on the character. In the Skill Tree, each skill requires a certain level to unlock, so players should keep this in mind when deciding what skill to unlock and how it will help in the future. Always be sure to check for and spend your skill points after a battle, to keep yourself at a slight advantage.

NAtURAL DOCtRINE allows players to choose a difficulty level from Easy, Normal, Hard and Lethal. In addition, exploration areas have a difficulty rating which is signified by a letter, usually C or higher. It may just be that I’m terrible at strategy games, which I am, but this game seemed profoundly difficult. I played on Easy and died quite often in most areas, except the first, of course. I’m not THAT bad, but after that first area, I just had trouble getting through without dying and, of course, that led to minor raging. As stated, you do get a Game Over if even one member of your group dies and you’ll have to start over from a certain point in the dungeon, which usually means the beginning. For more seasoned strategy game players, the challenge will be a welcome sight. Experts will probably laugh at the game’s difficulty and make me feel like an even bigger novice.

In battle, players must use the combat system to their full advantage or else things may not go your way. This is done by using the Link System to your full advantage, through the Initiative System. Initiative refers to the turn order, in a sense. Characters may take an action, which leads to multiple characters forming actions if they’re doing Link requirements. This is known as Consecutive Initiative and is devastating if the player preforms it correctly. Consecutive Initiatives do have requirements, however. The player must kill the enemy who had Next Initiative and then the ally who is to link must have Next Initiative. Initiative is extremely important as it not only allows the player’s team to wreck shop on opponents, the opponents may also use it to get many attacks off on you. Always be on the lookout to gain Initiative.

NAtURAL DOCtRINE does offer a good bit of customization. Players are able to change their character’s weapons and accessories, with some characters also being able to use a second slot for something like a shield. You’ll generally find most of your items by exploring dungeons and looting the treasure chests you find inside. Customization isn’t limited to just your weapons and accessories though, but also includes the Skill Tree. The Skill Tree allows you to place points gained from leveling up skills of your choice, but it also allows you to take the point of the skill and put it in something else at your leisure. This allows players to adapt to dungeons with new skills if their current setup just isn’t cutting it.

NAtURAL DOCtRINE is an interesting little strategy dungeon crawler for sure, but the difficulty of the game will make it hard for less experienced players to get into the game, such as myself. For more veteran fans of the genre, this will definitely make a nice addition to your collection and keep you entertained for a good while until the next big thing comes out. While less experienced players may be able to pick up the game and enjoy it, I’d recommend that they go elsewhere for their strategy game fix.