Erinyes (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an ancient Greek historical drama-style SRPG created with SRPG Studio.
The story is set around the time of the Peloponnesian War and is full of the kind of charm you'd expect from a work based on military history.
Previously, the second workEumenidesI enjoyed playing the first game in the series, so even though it's out of order, I wanted to play this first game as well.

My completion time on Normal mode was approximately 4 hours.

Game Overview

This game is an SRPG (Strategy Role-Playing Game) where you play as Demosthenes, an Athenian geographer and soldier, and fight your way through 17 chapters.
The game begins a little before the Peloponnesian War, which took place from 431 to 404 BC, and ends after a certain battle during the war.
(The politician Demosthenes, who was active a little later during the reign of Philip II, is a different person with the same name.)

At the start of the game, you can choose from three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
I played on normal difficulty, and I felt it was somewhere between "normal" and "slightly difficult."
If you want to enjoy the game casually and focus on the story, choosing the Easy difficulty setting might be a good idea.

One of the game's distinguishing features is its well-balanced combat system.
Each unit is positioned as a squad, not as an individual.
Both enemy and friendly infantry units have a fixed durability of 100, and ships have a fixed durability of 200, and their main weapons are the same.
Of course, unit stats may vary slightly, but the game isn't balanced in a way that allows one unit to dominate the game.
Therefore, a simple strategy of minimizing damage from the opponent while maximizing damage from our side becomes crucial.
When attacking, make sure to attack in a way that avoids counterattacks, and when being attacked, use characters that can counterattack as much as possible. This steady approach will be the shortest path to victory.

The only way to restore lost durability is to use certain items such as "medical supplies" or "deploying reserve forces."
If you use those things too much, you'll run out of money, so it's important to be frugal and only use them when you really need them.
Furthermore, since the amount of recovery is not large, it will take several turns to fully recover the lost durability.
Since the game ends if even one person is defeated, you need to fight in a way that prevents the damage from concentrating on one person.

They are also very strict when it comes to purchasing items.
You earn money and bonus points each time you defeat an enemy, but you don't accumulate very much.
It's best to conserve powerful weapons and healing items rather than overusing them.
There are situations where using powerful weapons to quickly defeat the enemy ultimately reduces our own losses, so I think it's important to be able to judge when that is the right approach.

Furthermore, in this game, the characters deployed in each stage are completely fixed.
Since the unit growth rate is generally slow in this game, I think the starting situation for players doesn't vary much.
Perhaps because of this, it feels like it's difficult to get stuck unless you're severely depleted of weapons and healing items.
Since there's little need to think about character development, I think the game design allows you to purely focus on achieving the objective of clearing the game.

Review (no spoilers)

I had a lot of fun playing it and finished it in one go.
The next work isEumenidesThe article about "[the game]" was published in November 2018, so it had been a full three years since I actually got to play it.

Based on pre-release information from reviews and other sources, I was warned that "wasting resources could lead to a dead end," so I played while being moderately frugal.
Ultimately, I didn't end up in a dead end, but I did realize that excessive spending could certainly lead to a dead end.
However, under normal circumstances, I get the impression that you probably don't need to be particularly conscious of saving money.

I chose world history as a subject during my school days, but I wasn't very good at it.
When it comes to Chinese or Greek history, my mental timeline is a jumbled mess, and I'm not even sure who lived at the same time as whom.
However, playing these kinds of games sparks an interest in the historical period in which they are set, stimulating intellectual curiosity.
That feeling of having become somehow wiser, which I always get when playing works based on historical events, is quite a nice feeling.

One difference from "Eumenides" is that there were fewer maps where you fought in coordination with allied forces.
While many maps feature allied forces, they mostly serve as a "living wall" and don't participate in the main battles.
This game primarily focuses on the game board controlled by the player, and players often have to achieve their goals on their own.
In "Eumenides," there are many scenes where you fight alongside many other allied forces, and it's possible to get by by just pretending to fight, which adds another layer of enjoyment.

Another difference is that the battlegrounds change to various locations.
The protagonist of this story, Demosthenes, is a soldier of the city-state of Athens, and he travels to various places according to the decisions of the council.
Sometimes there are wars I'm not keen on, and other times there are wars I actively support.
However, sometimes, when soldiers go to provide reinforcements out of obligation, they are met with great gratitude from the enemy, and friendships develop as a result.
These depictions resonated with my own work experiences, and I personally found them very relatable.
(An anecdote like this: You become close with people from other companies who are in a similar position at a place you went to help out at on company orders, and then when you coincidentally meet them again on a completely unrelated matter, it makes working together much easier.)
The next work, "Eumenides," doesn't jump between scenes; instead, it depicts a continuous journey, making the story more direct and easier to understand.

In this game, "Erinyes," the units you deploy are fixed and there's less freedom in terms of training, but on the other hand, I think it's designed so that you can focus on watching the story and clearing stages.
I think I was able to enjoy it more because I wasn't distracted by unnecessary things and could concentrate on following the story.

Playing this game made me realize for the first time that quite a few of the characters from the previous game also appear in the next installment.
If you enjoyed "Erinyes," you'll definitely enjoy "Eumenides" as well.
This is especially true for fans of Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga "Historie".

Strategy Notes - Normal Mode (Spoiler Warning)

Important information regarding how to complete this game is summarized in the text file included with the game files.
Be mindful of and utilize the support effects provided by different troop types.
When attacking an enemy armed with a bow, using a javelin will prevent them from retaliating, thus minimizing casualties.
I think you'll be able to beat the game by reading that, but I've written down some notes about the two maps I struggled with.

Chapter 14: The Battle of Akarnania

The objective is to defeat Blasidas within 15 turns.
We have a fair amount of time, so let's lure the enemies in little by little, defeat them, and then move on.
The enemy will not move towards you unless you enter their attack range.
They will move if you enter Brasidas's attack range, but it is difficult to lure them out alone.
Start by gradually eliminating the enemies in front of you, and once you've recovered some of your health, lure them in and launch a concentrated attack.
Since Brahsidas is a formidable enemy with high attack and defense, it's safer to wear him down by dealing a fixed damage of 12 with spear-throwing equipment.
If the Brasidas start to move, retreat for a moment to avoid attracting any unnecessary enemies.

Chapter 15: The Battle of Spateria

This map requires you to withstand Spartan attacks until turn 10.
Now is the time to use up all the assets and resources you've accumulated.
Position Eurymedon, Ramachus, and Gryllus, equipped with defensive formations and medical supplies, on the city walls to withstand the attack.
The units in the rear will carry reserve forces and extra medical supplies to cover the units acting as a shield.
Attacking from our side would be completely pointless, so let's refrain from taking any actions that would cause us unnecessary damage.
You might get attacked with fire by the Brahsidas, but you can ignore them.
If you have only one or two turns remaining, you can save some healing items by swapping in a unit from the back row.

QA1 Thermopylae Exercise

Basically, it's best to position heavily armed infantry in a defensive formation on the castle walls, similar to how it was done in the Battle of Spacteria.
Placing units behind heavily armored troops will draw enemy attacks from a distance, allowing your front line to last longer.
Two cavalry units will appear from behind on the enemy's 10th turn, so deal with them using your rear guard.
However, after the battle, he comments that he can't say he won, so if he manages to defeat Timeshios, his comments might be different.

QA2 Aitria's Exercise

Since we can't stand a chance against the enemy forces in a direct confrontation, we'll move our entire army towards the upper right where Timeshios is located.
Timeshios is quite tough, so it's important to equip every unit that can carry a javelin with one.
We will approach while positioning as many heavily armed infantry as possible on the left flank, where the enemy attack is most intense.
You don't need to fight the enemy soldiers head-on, but if they have some free time before attacking Timeshios, you can attack them. Even if you don't defeat them, you can force them to retreat, thus minimizing your own casualties.
Heskua and Lacase are highly mobile and can easily use their javelins, but their defenses are weak, so try to stay close to the forest and avoid taking damage as much as possible.

The main role of hoplites is to protect units that use javelins, so move them in a defensive formation or with reserve forces.
If you try a few times, you'll probably figure out a good strategy for advancing your troops.