NOEL the Mortal Fate Switch Review – A Deal With a Devil

NOEL the Mortal Fate is an adventure title which started as a free game in 2016 and later spawned comics and novels. This version of the game has been remade for a console experience, with updated UI, story, and dialogue, and it follows the story from the prologue through Season 7 of the series where the real battle begins for Noel and her companions.

So how does the transition to the Nintendo Switch work? Is this the definitive version of the game? Let’s find out!

NOEL the Mortal Fate is a series of episodic stories that follow Noel Cerquetti, an upperclass woman who is mildly spurned from a piano title and sets in motion an insane series of events. Encouraged by someone who claims to have her best interest at heart, Noel decides that a deal with the devil is the only way to set things right, and if she think that was a great decision then she needs to seriously reevaluate her life.

Noel then teams up with the crow-like demon Caron, a devil who does not like people abusing the system, as Noel was tricked into this infernal pact. Through a series of amazing events, Noel will learn more about her city, the demon world below, and about what it truly means to decide between “right” and “wrong.”

Although NOEL the Mortal Fate can start off quite confusing, especially for new players, this is a masterfully written story with lots of fun elements and character development along the way. It is separated wonderfully between seven episodes/seasons, as well as some bonuses, that split things up nicely, and over the course of the roughly 12-hour campaign you will be thoroughly entertained by the eclectic mix of styles when it comes to how the story is told, how the game plays, and everything in between.

Gameplay is where things get a little less exciting, because NOEL the Mortal Fate is much more a narrative RPG that leans heavily on the narrative, meaning this is a lot more about the storytelling and character building than it is about gameplay, puzzles, and combat. When you are not scrolling through dialog text, you take control of Noel or Caron or others and solve mini-puzzles, fight enemies, avoid confrontation, and more, but these moments are so quick at times that they often feel like simple breaks from the storytelling. The gameplay is fine, overall, but it does leave much to be desired, as things are barely challenging for the most part.

Combat is limited to ramming into enemies, so no button-pressing is necessary. Attacking from behind will result in stronger attacks, and certain enemies will become desperate and glow at times, causing a bit more danger. An interesting tidbit is that you do unlock what are called Stances throughout the Seasons, and you can equip them to the appropriate character for a type of enhancement. This adds a little bit to the gameplay, but it is still mostly a quick romp through some rooms of enemies, puzzle areas, or bosses before you save again and move on to more dialog. Bosses do take a little more strategy, but overall they are still rather simplified combat sequences.

The graphics in NOEL the Mortal Fate are actually a fun combination of old-school RPG with the areas and playable character designs while the text boxes and the character art that goes with them are very reminiscent of titles like Persona and Blaz Blue. For a Japanese indie game, this is a beautiful combination that just works, and I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals all the way through. I especially love the anime-style opening, as the visuals and animation are crisp and lovely.

Finally, and this is absolutely worth noting, as it is probably the greatest area of the game, the soundtrack! Holy mackerel. Just when I thought the soundtrack couldn’t get better, it does. It is as if each passing Season/Episode improves in its audio, and that is really saying something, because from the start, the soundtrack is off-the-chain. This is some of the best RPG music I have listened to in a long time, and it always does an excellent job setting the tone for the situations at hand.

NOEL the Mortal Fate is a fantastic title is you are looking for a rather laid-back gaming experience that is chock-full of wonderful storytelling, beautiful graphics, and a phenomenal soundtrack. I went into this not knowing what to expect, but I could not stop playing. I fell in love with Noel and her story, and I wanted so badly to see it all the way through.

This is one of those titles that is going to take a lot of your time, but it is absolutely worth it. For a Japanese indie game, this is officially one of the best on the market and absolutely one of the best on the Nintendo Switch. Buy it now or add it to your wishlist, and get ready for a wild ride!

NOEL the Mortal Fate Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Playism, Vaka
Developer: KANAWO/Vaka Game Magazine
Release Date: February 10th, 2022
Price: $24.99, £19.79, €21,99
Game Size: 2.8 GB