Children of Zodiarcs

About Children of Zodiarcs

Children of Zodiarcs is a story-driven tactical RPG released by Cardboard Utopia and published by Square Enix Collective back in July 2017. You can find it on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Mac. The team built this single-player experience to merge classic grid-based strategy with physical board game elements like dice crafting and collectible cards. Set inside a corrupt empire, you lead a group of young thieves trying to survive against city guards and cannibals in the underworld. It feels like a love letter to Final Fantasy Tactics and Shining Force but adds a layer of randomness that keeps every battle feeling fresh. This is not a mass-market title but a niche project for people who enjoy crunching numbers while managing dice stats on a tabletop.

Gameplay

Each session plays out as a turn-based tactical skirmish where you move characters across a grid to attack or flank enemies. The core loop involves managing your party's health and positioning while rolling custom dice to determine damage, movement range, and special abilities. You spend in-game currency to craft new dice with different faces or buy cards that trigger unique effects during combat. A typical match requires careful planning because the outcome of a single roll can shift the entire battle. Controls are straightforward on any platform, letting you select units, move them, and execute attacks without complicated button mashing. You must balance risk since high-damage dice often have low accuracy rates. This mechanical depth forces you to adapt your strategy every turn rather than relying on a fixed build.

What Players Think

Critics and players gave this game strong marks with a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100 and an IGDB rating of 79.4 based on twelve reviews. The community vibe suggests fans appreciate the unique dice mechanics despite some learning curve hurdles. Achievement data shows 40 total trophies exist, but only 16% unlock on average. This indicates a steep difficulty spike or complex requirements that keep most players from seeing everything. The rarest trophy "I'm guessing you like dice?" has an unlock rate of just 1.10%, proving it demands significant dedication. Players who stick with the game seem to enjoy the tactical depth, though the low completion rates suggest many abandon it before mastering the crafting systems or finishing the campaign.

PlayPile's Take

This title is worth your time if you want a strategic RPG that breaks away from standard formulae. The price is reasonable for the amount of content provided by an indie studio. Expect to spend over 20 hours to see all story paths and unlock most achievements. The community data confirms this game rewards patience more than speed. You will face moments where dice rolls decide your fate, creating high stakes in every encounter. Finish the campaign to get the full narrative payoff or stick around for the challenge of hunting down that elusive 1% achievement. It is a solid choice for tactical fans who crave variable outcomes rather than predictable combat scripts.

Storyline

At the heart of an evil empire, a group of young outsiders rebel against the corrupt system that holds them down. Professional thieves on the trail of an ancient relic, the group infiltrates the glittering halls of a corrupt noble’s private chambers in pursuit of their target, narrowly escaping the wrath of the city guards at every turn. Desperate to find an escape, they seek refuge in the city’s seamy slums and brave the sunless pits of the underworld. Out to get them are heavily armed city guards, rival gangs and psychotic families of subterranean cannibals. Abandoned by the system and used by selfish criminals, these young companions will be forced to come to terms with their own reality. But be warned - in the world of Children of Zodiarcs, no one escapes unscathed!