[h3]Those Who Rule – A Hidden Gem That Kept Me Coming Back[/h3]
I rarely replay tactical RPGs immediately after finishing them. Yet after completing Those Who Rule, I jumped straight into a second playthrough on Veteran, and now I'm already planning a third on Brutal.
After nearly 90 hours, I still wanted more.
The game is incredibly addictive. Every playthrough teaches you something new, and understanding its mechanics completely changes how you approach future runs.
[h3]Your First Playthrough Is the Hardest[/h3]
Ironically, my first playthrough was harder than Veteran.
Not because Veteran is easy, but because I simply didn't understand how many systems the game hides from the player.
I didn't realize how important recruiting every available character was, especially Melanie, who completely transformed my economy during my second playthrough.
On my first run I barely had enough money to upgrade my weapons.
On Veteran, thanks to Melanie's ability to generate gold, I could finally invest in upgrading unique weapons instead of constantly struggling for money.
She is easily one of the strongest utility characters in the game.
[h3]Don't Start With Permadeath[/h3]
I strongly recommend not enabling permadeath for your first playthrough.
The game has many hidden mechanics, class interactions, and progression systems that take time to understand.
Once you learn how the economy works, which classes synergize well, and which upgrades are worth investing in, higher difficulties become far more enjoyable.
[h3]Money Is More Valuable Than You Think[/h3]
At first I assumed gold would mainly be used for buying equipment.
Instead, most of it went into upgrading unique weapons and purchasing Whetstones and Refinements.
Even while maximizing Melanie's income, I still couldn't afford every upgrade I wanted.
Even the Traitor Prince's Sword remains relevant throughout the campaign if you continue investing in it.
A properly upgraded weapon often provides a larger power increase than several character level-ups combined.
[h3]Recruit Everyone[/h3]
Even if you don't plan on using every character, recruit them anyway.
Many arrive with equipment that can strengthen your main team or be sold for extra money.
Likewise, always complete side objectives.
Many optional rewards include unique equipment that can significantly improve your builds.
[h3]Slow Down[/h3]
One mistake I kept making early on was rushing objectives.
Unlike many tactical RPGs, most chapters don't impose strict turn limits.
Once I realized I could slowly clear maps one enemy at a time, the game became much more manageable.
This also opens opportunities to farm extra money with Melanie and train weaker characters on elite enemies that barely move.
[h3]Character Builds Matter[/h3]
One of the game's biggest strengths is the variety of classes and build options.
However, many skills, passives, and status effects aren't explained particularly well.
Often you only discover what an ability actually does after you've already committed to a promotion.
Because of this, I recommend exploring every character's promotion tree before attempting Veteran or Brutal.
[h3]The UI Needs Significant Improvements[/h3]
The gameplay itself is excellent, but the UI creates unnecessary micromanagement.
Managing equipment often requires opening multiple menus when a dedicated Forge screen would solve the problem.
Removing Refinements and upgrading weapons involves too many unnecessary steps.
Inventory weight also behaves oddly.
The Scabbard, which reduces your heaviest weapon's weight to zero, only recalculates after the weapon is equipped, forcing you to rearrange equipment in a specific order.
[h3]Dialogue Skipping Can Cause Problems[/h3]
If you quickly skip dialogue using Enter, the game can automatically choose dialogue options for you.
This can accidentally prevent recruiting characters, as happened to me with Quincy.
Skipping dialogue should only skip text, never make decisions.
I'd also appreciate the option to bind dialogue progression to Spacebar instead of relying on the mouse.
[h3]Some Passives Feel Poorly Balanced[/h3]
Illyana's passive, Aptitude, sounds excellent on paper.
Unfortunately, without heavy grinding you'll only gain a very small bonus by the end of the game.
Meanwhile, Shiva joins much later with high weapon mastery already unlocked and gains stronger combat bonuses with far less effort.
[h3]Recruiting Characters Isn't Always Clear[/h3]
The game explains that some enemies can be recruited through conversations, but the rules aren't consistent.
Sometimes any character can recruit them, other times a specific unit is required with no indication beforehand.
Even after multiple playthroughs I still missed recruits simply because the game doesn't clearly communicate the requirements.
[h3]Conclusion[/h3]
Those Who Rule completely surprised me.
Despite its rough edges, it became one of the most addictive tactical RPGs I've played in years.
The combat is rewarding, character progression is satisfying, weapon upgrades feel meaningful, and every new playthrough reveals mechanics you likely missed before.
Its biggest weaknesses are the UI, unclear mechanics, dialogue skipping affecting choices, and obscure recruitment requirements.
Even with those issues, I spent nearly 90 hours with the game, immediately started another playthrough, and I'm already preparing for Brutal difficulty.
That alone says more than any score could.
