First Summoner – A Devilish Strategy RPG Where You Summon Monsters

Pacts with the devil never tend to go down well. Rachel should know have known better, but the ability to summon monsters of darkness to fight alongside her was too tempting to refuse. The price? Her soul, nothing less. Such is the premise of Line Games’ strategy RPG First Summoner. This game is already available for Android and iOS devices and you can download it for free using the links in the video description.

I must stress this right from the start: First Summoner isn’t an idle game. It’s not something that you watch – there is no auto mode, manual controls are all that you get to experience Rachel’s dancing with the devil adventures.

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First Summoner is playable vertically, in Portrait mode, expressively designed for comfortable one-handed play. You tap on the cards to summon the monsters and on the enemies to select a target. Moving around is intuitive and you’ll learn the core mechanics in no time, thanks to a top-down perspective that plainly shows what you are up against.

While Rachel can do some damage with her bow and arrow, she’s a sitting duck if left alone to fend for herself. First Summoner is all about creating a balanced deck of creatures and spells to help you in battle. Each card summon consumes mana, so you must resist the urge to have a deck exclusively comprised of the strongest monsters. Having a couple of spells is highly advised, since these could turn the tide of battle if used at the right time.

You only get to pick six cards for each stage, from a total of over 50 cards for now. With 150 different stages to conquer, you need to strategize and iterate, promptly reacting to the way that some powerful creatures ultimately amount to nothing when countered by the proper card. Mana slowly increases as you go, but a tight timer makes sure that you don’t have the luxury of waiting for it. You can, however, earn more mana by breaking vases or opening chests – occasionally you’ll stumble upon a prisoner that will gladly join you if you are kind enough to set him free.

Cards come in common, uncommon, rare, epic and legendary varieties. You have your melee and ranged units, along with others such as healers. It’s an intricate web of skills and resource management without an auto mode to spare you the trouble – the outcome is entirely dependent on your skills. Of course, you can upgrade the cards if you have the in-game currency and necessary number of identical cards. This is crucial, since a reliable deck will quickly prove worthless against new adversaries – I still remember the first time that I met the all-crushing ogres, it was devastating.

Progress will earn you some cool gear to upgrade your stats. You can get a nice new bow, a cool hood, a pair of comfy boots, a pretty necklace and a shiny new ring. Every piece of gear can be upgraded by consuming unwanted materials, and Rachel also increases her experience level as she goes. Regular trips to the workshop are advised to craft new gear, modify it and dismantle older items.

When Rachel reaches certain levels, she will be put to the ultimate trial: facing a darker version of herself. If you win, Rachel awakens, becoming stronger and getting a cool new costume in the process. Now that I mention costumes, First Summoner tempts you with a handful of different outfits for Rachel to wear: Teacher, French Maid, Cupid, Heaven’s Queen and Black Raven. I bet that you don’t mind some immersion breaking when the costumes look this good.

First Summoner has several activities to divert you from the campaign, which includes some interesting cutscenes detailing your journey into darkness. There’s an Infinite Chaos hardcore dungeon mode consisting of 12 floors, where your cards remain the same for the entire duration and you risk losing your loot if you die – it’s a risk versus reward kind of thing. Snake's Battlefield is a PvP mode and there are many events in rotation, such as Patrol, where you can send some of your cards in an expedition for loot.

You can also earn keys to unlock trial chests with cards and currency if you complete missions under specific conditions. For example, using cards above a certain amount of mana, or winning with few casualties for your team.

NPCs will offer you missions in a regular basis and I suggest you always accept them – if you’re lucky, these are things that you end up doing anyway, such as using a certain card for a number of times.

First Summoner was a great surprise. Not only it’s a strategy RPG that you can truly play, its core mechanics are fairly original, and it looks really good. While the fantasy theme is familiar, it is designed with gusto and it’s a joy to behold, from the largest characters to the tiniest blobs of evil dark matter.

If you’re looking for a good RPG, First Summoner is a great choice. Download the game by clicking the link in the video description and have fun saving Rachel’s soul – if you can.