Given the fact that I regularly like to espouse the virtues of indie games that do things differently, I do wish to clarify that while deviating from the norm can produce great results sometimes, there’s no doubt that at least as often as there are successes there are failures. From game to game the degree of that up or down from the average will vary, with some taking bigger chances and having proportionally greater or worse outcomes. That’s just the way the world works. Manafinder certainly tries its hand at infusing a little variety into what’s otherwise a pretty traditional turn-based RPG adventure, but there’s no doubt it has a tendency to stumble more than it succeeds.

The thing is, I can understand the desire to try to do something just a bit differently in a genre sector that’s simply full of titles, before even getting to the proportion of them that range from just good to outstanding. While the Switch got off to a slow start with RPGs, they’ve been coming to the eShop pretty steadily for years now, making for plenty of competition. I suppose in that light I appreciate the somewhat odd things that Manafinder offers, which includes some unusual and slightly action-oriented moments like when you’re trying to flee a powerful monster early on. The fact that the game art when you’re in battle looks like it came from a completely different generation from what you’ll see while exploring the overworld I suppose is novel, but it’s also a little odd and jarring in the end.

The thing is, outside of some of those deviations from the expectations for the genre, which I’d say break even overall at best, in most areas it feels like it sticks to the typical formula. You can play with what sort of gear or elemental enhancements your characters will be able to work with, but if in the end the general results still look and feel the same more often than not the differences feel superficial at best. Without the story or characters particularly standing out either, this feels like there were some ideas to try to help the game set itself apart, but in general their execution just didn’t come together in a way that helps the game stand out in the crowd.