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WhileReynatismay not be the hardest game to have ever existed, it does have a number of unique mechanics and odd quirks that aren’t present in many other games. This includes a strange version of the Witch Time mechanic seen in Bayonetta, and an opaque “malice” mechanic.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through all of these strange elements and explain how to best navigate the multiple systems present in Reynatis. You’ll be shredding through enemies, and using your party to the fullest, in no time.
The Burst Liberation Is The Cornerstone Of Combat
Your Burst Liberation is absolutely the central mechanic in Reynatis. It is as important to the combat as the parry is inSekiro. While throwing out the odd attack is fine, more often than not, you will want to be in your suppression mode waiting to react to an enemy’s attack. Not only does filling your magic circle recover your stamina, but it will also freeze time, and lead intobigdamage.
This isespeciallyimportant in boss battles. Every boss will have big, telegraphed attacks. Being hit by them is bad news bears, so an emphasis on defense is key (especially since it leads to more offense). Just make sure they aren’t glowing when they use their attack, as you’re able to’t Burst Liberation those.
Ultimately, once you have a good feel for an enemy’s wind-up attack animations, you will be able to slip a few quick strikes in before swapping to the suppression mode in time to Burst Liberation their attack.
Be Mindful Of Non-Absorbable Attacks
While a big part of the combat engine is the Burst Liberation’s ability to absorb attacks, not all attacks are absorbable. Early in the game, there are only a handful of attacks that can cause a problem in this regard, but they do become more common as the game progresses.
So, in summary,you will need to dodge attacks where the enemy is glowing, or attacks that have a radius associated with them. That means actually using your reactions instead of waiting for that freeze-frame. Projectiles, on the other hand, will be dodged in a similar way to the Burst Liberation, freeze-frame and all, but instead of filling the Magical Circle, you will simply press the dodge button.
When a boss sends a volley of projectiles your way, after you dodge the first one, you can just start rapidly tapping the dodge button to evade the rest.
The Oddities Of EXP Scaling In Reynatis
As you progress in the game, you will find that weak enemies still proliferate in the streets of Shibuya. Some of these encounters will conclude in a single attack.However, despite the incredible ease of these encounters, they are still worth a decent chunk of EXP.So, if you are looking to level up, I wouldn’t skip these encounters.
That being said, if you are finding the game to be relatively easy, know that you are more than capable of slugging it out with bosses that you are under-leveled for. Especially if you have a healthy supply of healing items.So, running past encounters on the way to a boss won’t ruin your chances of claiming victory if you are in a rush.
The Ins And Outs Of The Party Swapping Mechanic
While you can swap between team members, you aren’t able to do so without restrictions.Every character has a cooldown timer, and you won’t be able to swap them back in again until that meter has filled up. So, you will want to be somewhat thoughtful about how you tag members in and out. Bearing that in mind, there are a few notable aspects that make team swapping a highly potent tool.
First and foremost,when you swap a party member out, the character you were using will stay in the battle. They will be invincible as long as they stay in.Additionally, if you swap members, their MP will be refilled when they come back in. So, you can drain your MP, and then swap party members to keep your offense going. This is especially useful during a Burst Liberation, as it allows you to use all your spells without consideration of their MP cost.
Utilizing Your Team Members Effectively
Not every character is quite as capable when in the lead position. Moa, as an example, does a ton of damage, but she is alsoveryslow, which makes her terrible at leading the charge. However, as we discussed already,if you swap her out, she will stick around a while longer. This means that she will be dishing out huge damage alongside the character you are using.
Meanwhile,Ukai’s ranged attacks are ideal for taking out the flying Brute-type of enemies that bombard you from above with spells.These are some of the most obnoxious enemies in the game, so having a concrete answer for them is great. Ukai’s spells are also great, though he isn’t nearly as effective at pressing forward as most of the other characters, so I mainly used him to drain all his MP, dish out damage, and then swap in a character better at going toe-to-toe.
The Trending Rank System
Trending Rank in Reynatis works a lot like the Wanted mechanic inGrand Theft Auto. Before you start combat, look at your map and figure out where the nearest Safe Spot is (these will appear as an eye on your map). You can push the battle closer to it, making it easier to wash away the sin once the battle concludes. When combatdoesend, don’t just sit around, start sprinting for that eye icon. There is a head start of sorts after combat, aspeople won’t start reporting you when your stats from the battle are still on the screen.
This headstart doesn’t apply if you were already trending when you entered into battle.
That being said, if you are too far away from a shelter, or from the next area,remember that you can pull up your map and quick travel. In a pinch, quick travel will get you out of having to battle the all-powerful M.E.A.If you are looking to scrap with M.E.A. you can do so, but you need to be fairly leveled up if you want any chance of winning.
The Utility Of The Fast Travel System
As we already stated, the Fast Travel mechanic is great for getting out of sticky situations with the M.E.A. However, it is also extremely useful for completing quests effectively.Once you start tracking a quest, an insignia with a foot will appear beside the location on the map screen.
Additionally, an exclamation marker will appear for your main quests, which means youshouldnever get lost wandering the streets of Shibuya. Typically, once you are in the right part of Shibuya, you will be able to run toward the marker on the screen. However,this doesn’t apply to a select few quests that task you with finding posters, stickers, or locations.
Malice And Wizarts
The game does technically explain this, but since I got lost with this one, I’m going to give a tidy explanation here. Your malice is always present in the bottom-right corner of the screen - next to your minimap. You’ll begin the game at 100, and with every quest you complete, your malice will decrease.As far as I can see, nothing will ever make your malice increase.
The primary benefit of lower malice is that it will allow you to access more Wizarts. When you encounter a Wizart that requires lower malice, it will be grayed out.
Malice is different from stress. Stress builds as you talk to certain NPCs.The more stressed you are, the higher your attack, but the lower your defense. you’re able to decrease stress by petting cats.
Where To Stock Up On Healing Items
For the first half of the game, the only way to obtain healing items is through completing quests. You will be able to purchase chills and such from the Babushka Magic Shop, but that doesn’t open up until the end of Chapter 14.you may, however, head to restaurants and get meals to go. These will help you heal outside of battles, which can be useful while inAnother.
Never eat at the restaurant.A save point heals you to full health, so there is never a reason to waste your money this way. Just go to a save point.
Once the Magic Shop becomes available, make sure you stock up on antispellants. Nearly every status effect you will encounter is something you can shake off, however,there is a curse that will disable your Burst Liberation, which is devastating, as that is the primary combat mechanic. Thankfully,antispellants will cure that curse and keep you in the fight.
