Rance VI: Collapse of Zeth

 To fill the void that Sengoku Rance left as i settled all of past my scores, i have been marathoning other Rance Titles over past two weeks. Among three Rance games that i played, i spent most of my time with Rance VI and this one no doubt left the deepest impression to me. In Rance 6 , the brutal warrior Rance landed himself in the Magic Nation Zeth which is rife with discrimination toward non-magic user and such situation certainly calls for Heroic intervention from Rance.

Urza Pranaice

 Prior to Fall of Zeth my only knowledge of the game is from Sengoku Rance as you had options to call for Reinforcements from the Magic Nation which consist of Rance VI Main Heroines and of all, Urza catches my attention the most which became my primary drive to play Rance VI. Fall of Zeth is probably the first significant Modern Rance title to be released post Kichikuou as Rance is going to score some Major Heroic Feat in this one after saving Leazas from former Demon Lord in Rance 3.

 In terms of gameplay, Rance VI leans more to traditional exploration RPG like Wizardry and it was probably considered to be very good at its time but doesn't age really well. But if you expect some heavy-duty story like Sengoku Rance, Rance VI will not disappoint because this game showcase the depth of Ranceverse lore could get. The first half of Rance VI really shines for me as it deals the topic of social inequality through Fantasy setting quite well and then the second half boiled down to Epic showdown with Demon Army to prove Rance worthy the title of Hero.

My gripe for Fall of Zeth would be that it is a nightmare for perfectionist as you are not able to backtrack most of the dungeon once its related story is done as even the Post-Game part does not remedy this issue. As for the story i feel that the second half part have some pacing issues as it is rather rushed that some part of the earlier plot are not even properly concluded. I thought Alicesoft could have fixed these issues if they wanted since the Mangagamer translation came out more than a decade after the game was released.

  Surprisingly while I played Rance VI for Urza, I ended up staying for Magic and Rizna instead. Urza herself is perfectly crafted Heroine but it was somewhat weird that a Main Heroine of Rance series does not actually fall for Rance. 

 When it comes to gameplay, Sengoku Rance wins ahead Rance VI as it offers fun experience and  good replayability whereas Fall of Zeth is one-single trip kind of game. However the Complex and Rich storyline easily makes Fall of Zeth worth a visit as it expands the Epic Setting of Ranceverse even further. My favorite part in Rance VI is either the moment when Rance effortlessly persuade Queen of Leazas to call off her invasion and aid Zeth instead or how he brags that he had relationship with Gele when he had his way with Camilla.

 Completing my Backlog on Rance series actually makes me crave for the series even more and while waiting for Rance Quest, i guess i have make do with another VN title to fill the gap first. I am mostly done with Rance VI save for unlocking the final CG due to stupid blunder on Character Clear. I may attempt for a redo but it takes 3 days worth of effort. If you are planning to play Rance VI here is couple of tips from me.

-Shizuka is the best mainstay magic-user in Rance VI - Prioritize to unlock her Controlled Earthquake spell and make it 1-Turn Spell with her FR Bonus

- Maria provides some good utility for the Party with her Support Attack and Smokescreen skill

- Sanakia might be a weak a fighter at first and requires plenty of H to increase her level Cap but she is able to provide very good starting buff like Urza's with her Art of War skill which you unlock from the Training Forest event. She also hits quite hard once you get her S-Rank Weapon

-Do not spend to much Red Coupons for Orbs as you are able to gather even Eagle Orbs eventually with Adventurer Points in Italia map