Clockwise, from the bottom: Andrias, Waltaquin, Fredret, and Iscarion
The DioField Chronicle is a Real-Time Strategy game co-developed by Square Enix and LANCARSE Ltd., released for eighth- and ninth-generation consoles and PC on September 22, 2022.
Tropes:
- Aerith and Bob: Named characters include Andrias, Fredret, and Iscarion, as well as comparatively more contemporarily-named William and Lorraine.
- Arbitrary Headcount Limit: Only four characters can be fielded for each battle, with each also allowed an "adjutant" to boost their skills and gain a portion of the experience their partner earns in battle.
- Arbitrary Mission Restriction: Most missions have various bonus objectives, such as killing every enemy or preventing any ally deaths, that are tied to rewards such as SP and bonus guld. Each reward can only be claimed once, though after completing the first few missions, you can retry any battle for a chance to gain bonuses you missed the first time.
- The Bad Guy Wins: At the end of the game it's revealed that Andrias was a secret agent sent by the Empire to undermine and topple the Alletain government. After killing Fredret, who was posing as King Levantia Shaytham, he then enters the now abandoned Elm Camp that once housed the elite Blue Foxes, dressed as the new General of the Empire, implying that the Empire succeeded in taking over DioField and gaining complete access to its Jade.
- Book Ends: The penultimate mission of the game takes place where Andrias and Fredret first met as children.
- Boring, but Practical: The Bahamut Magilumic is the first one you get in the game. It only needs one TP, covers a wide area, and does only pure damage. With upgrades, it can hit harder and cover a wider zone, and do Burn damage.
- Elite Army: The Blue Foxes have around 600 active mercenaries in its ranks where the Alletainian government and the Empire have tens of thousands of troops. Despite the number differences, the Blue Foxes are known for their exploits in battle due to their members being stronger. When the Empire first attempts its invasion of DioField, the Blue Foxes are the only group able to successfully push back the Empire against all odds, and even though the Empire ultimately succeeds in invading, the Blue Foxes still become well regarded after that, and are even officially promoted to knights.
- Fictional Currency: The setting's main currency is "guld", which is phonetically identical to "gold".
- Good Republic, Evil Empire: The main continent of DioField has been embroiled in war between the Empire and the Alliance, while the comparatively more peaceful Kingdom that the protagonists initially work for are more concerned with eliminating bandits and protecting their own citizens.
- The Great Offscreen War: The war between the Empire and Alliance is the reason both sides are turning their eyes to the Kingdom of Alletain on the island of Diofield; both sides are angling for the resources on the island.
- Green Rocks: A mineral called Jade is a key component in the setting's magic system, and the largest deposits are on the island.
- Headbutting Heroes: Andrias, Fredret, Iscarion, and Waltaquin start off on favorable terms when first established as the joint leaders of the Blue Foxes. As they continue to work with each other however, it becomes clear that differences among the members makes it become increasingly difficult to work together. Waltaquin is a selfish woman who's focused on making time for her magical experiments and over the course of the story, becomes increasingly unhinged, nearly destroying the Blue Foxes' reputation with her complete disregard for human life. Iscarion, being all for protecting the weak and finding equality, latches onto the growing idea of democracy as it gains some traction among the Alletain citizens but Fredret vehemently opposes the ideology as it tends to lead to looting and he believe that the people need a king to rule over them. After some time, Iscarion also starts to clash with Andrias, who's just a bit too ruthless about accomplishing his goals. Once Fredret goes forward with his plan to ascend the throne as Levantia Shaytham, the group very quickly falls apart. Waltaquin leaves immediately upon hearing the announcement, disgusted with the ridiculousness of it and Iscarion leaves shortly after Fredret ascends the throne, realizing they'll never reconcile their differences and decides to fly solo once more.
- Interface Spoiler: The player can spend SP at their base to upgrade various weapon skills, with each skill having an accompanying clip of it being used in combat to demonstrate its effects. This includes weapons used by characters that the player will not have met by the time that this upgrade menu is first available, spoiling potential future recruits.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Lady Waltaquin's robes are a snow-white uniform with a wealth of golden accents and metal buckles to add to the elegance and nobility of it all, likely from her time in the Church. This is, however, combat-ready armor, and while you still won't want her up close taking hits, she is perfectly capable of utterly devastating vast swathes of the battlefield or making hell for individual targets with her elemental skills.
- The Place: "DioField" is the island, divided into lesser territories such as South Field, that the game is set on.
- Private Military Contractors: The Blue Foxes are technically the personally-raised mercenary squadron of a Kingdom Duke. They can take jobs from the citizenry, but in the words of the unit's noble advisor, the Duke's requests always take priority.
- Rewatch Bonus: A lot of scenes in the earlier game have a darker twist after finishing the game and learn that Andrias was an agent for the Empire.
- Summon Magic: Through Magilumic Orbs, the player can cast various spells in battle, up to and including summoning a powerful beast for an area-of-effect attack or heal, with each orb having its own unique summon.
- Time Skip: The tutorial mission depicts Andrias and two of his friends, mere freelance mercenaries at the time, saving a Kingdom noble's carriage from bandits and being offered a job as a reward. The game then skips ahead a whole month in order for the mercenaries to earn enough trust with the Kingdom to be offered frontline missions.
