Aldo, the protagonist of Sword of Elpisia, initially appears cold and stubborn but soon warms up to Alice, a lonely young girl yearning for a normal life. Aldo works as a repairman, specializing in Magitools, such as the swords known as Magiswords, which a mysterious force is transforming humans into.

You might anticipate where this is heading, and you'd be right: Aldo will harness and enhance Alice's transformation into a Magisword to turn her into the legendary Sword of Elpisia. Encountering new foes and allies is engaging, especially when you join forces with a warrior named Ariel, who seeks redemption, and a carefree wanderer named Nate, who is trying to resurrect his lover, now a Magisword. Naturally, some individuals desire the Magiswords for malicious purposes. The cast is undoubtedly intriguing and diverse.

Fortunately, the character artwork is exceptional, and the same goes for the sprites, which are animated from eight different angles and come alive as you dash around. They also look fantastic in combat, with weapons matching their current gear and satisfying movements for attacking foes.

Despite all this, most of the dungeons feature bland textures and palettes that quickly become tiresome, although the battle scenes appear much more impressive. The standout feature in the dungeons encouraging exploration is the easily noticeable false walls.

The combat system in Sword of Elpisia is simple and intuitive, but there are a few elements that make battles surprisingly enjoyable. You can start by casting various MP-consuming spells and AP-requiring skills that need a turn to charge.

All of that is quite straightforward, but when you introduce summonable dogs that are utterly adorable and attack enemies while providing bonuses, you have a formula that is incredibly enjoyable. Additionally, Alice may occasionally rush in randomly to heal or boost your party, which is charming, and her victory animation is the cherry on top. The overall result is an entertaining battle system.

Sword of Elpisia keeps things simple regarding party setup since you only need to optimize your gear and occasionally equip new pets if you wish. It generally takes two steps to optimize your weapons and armor: first, equip the best gear, and second, combine surplus equipment pieces to enhance them. This process can be quite rewarding, especially when you level up a competent sword to +78 or so to significantly boost its attack power.