Natural Doctrine

NAtURAL DOCtRINE
Developer(s)	Kadokawa Games
Publisher(s)	JP: Kadokawa Games WW: NIS America
Director(s)	Atsushi Ii
Producer(s)	Kensuke Tanaka
Artist(s)	Atsushi Ikariya
Composer(s)	Noriyuki Asakura
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation Vita
Release	JP: April 3, 2014[3] NA: September 30, 2014[1][2] AU: October 2, 2014 EU: October 3, 2014[4]
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing

Natural Doctrine (Japanese: ナチュラル ドクトリン, Hepburn: Nachuraru Dokutorin) is a 2014 tactical role-playing game by Kadokawa Games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.^[5][6]

Gameplay

The game is a tactical role-playing game based along the concept of natural selection.^[7] The game features single and multiplayer modes with versus and co-operative play,^[8] and is cross-play and cross-save compatible.^[9]

The game storyline is shown from the perspective of Geoff, the main protagonist, who is accompanied by two women named Vasily and Anka.^[10][11] Combat is based on a turn-based battle system, and a primary concept of gameplay is to have large numbers of allies and enemies simultaneously on a large size battlefield.^[8] Time can be controlled dynamically, and units can be controlled in a single space. Units in combat against one another form encampments, where units are able to return to camp at the end of the turn as long as the encampment isn't destroyed. Units are also able to hide behind objects.^[11]

Outside of Feste, species such as minotaurs, goblins and orcs set up bases, and intend on attacking from them. The field is wide and arranged within grid limits. In multiplayer mode, players can play as non-human species.^[10]

The online mode features a card battle game, where players can compete against one another with their own formulated decks.^[12][13]

Setting

The setting is within a universe where humans fight other races with magic and swords.^[7] Within a world of chaos, humans built the fortress city Feste as their home, and fought against other species. The protagonist, Geoff, is a guard soldier set out to clear out goblin dens to grant access to resources important for humankind.^[10]

Development

The game was announced at the SCEJA Press Conference in September 2013. It is the first title that is solely developed by Kadokawa.^[14] The game was originally intended to be a release title for the PlayStation 4;^[15] however, it was delayed twice, to April 2014.^[16][17]

Atsushi Ii, previously known for directing Patapon, led the development team as director. Atsushi Ikariya, responsible for character designs for Fate/Zero, designed the characters alongside ufotable.^[8] The producers are Yoshimi Yasuda and Kensuke Tanaka.^[10] The game's soundtrack was composed by Noriyuki Asakura, with the ending theme song being an arrangement of "The Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.^[18][19]

The game was localised by NIS America for the North American and PAL regional release in Q3 2014.^[20][21]

A major update released on July 10, 2014 added an easy mode to the game, following initial complaints by players in Japan that the game is too difficult. In addition, a more detailed tutorial is introduced, each level has strategy hints included, and the number of save checkpoints has been increased. The player can also speed up the actions of enemies. Three additional online co-op missions were included for all platforms, plus a set of extra hard missions for PlayStation 4 players.^[22]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
	PS Vita	PS3	PS4
Metacritic	60/100[23]	60/100[24]	53/100[25]

Review scores

Publication	Score
	PS Vita	PS3	PS4
Destructoid	N/A	N/A	5/10[26]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	N/A	N/A	5/10[27]
Famitsu	30/40[28]	31/40[28]	31/40[28]
Game Informer	N/A	N/A	6.5/10[29]
GameRevolution	N/A	N/A	7/10[30]
GameSpot	N/A	N/A	4/10[31]
Hardcore Gamer	N/A	N/A	3/5[32]
IGN	N/A	N/A	2.8/10[33]
Jeuxvideo.com	13/20[34]	13/20[34]	13/20[34]
PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia	N/A	60%[35]	N/A
Push Square	N/A	N/A	7/10[36]
RPGamer	N/A	N/A	4/5[37]
RPGFan	N/A	N/A	75%[38]
The Digital Fix	N/A	N/A	7/10[39]

The game received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[23][24][25] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven and three eights for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions, and one six and three eights for the PlayStation Vita version.^[28]

Heath Hindman of PlayStation LifeStyle commented that although the mechanics of the Japanese PlayStation 4 import were interesting, the user interface and level design required additional improvement, and the pacing of the game felt slower than it should.^[40] Hardcore Gamer called it "punishing, unfair at times and hell-bent on funneling players through a narrow corridor that leaves little-to-no room for tactical experimentation."^[32]

The game sold relatively few units within the first week of release in Japan,^[41] with only 18,000 physical retail units sold across the three separate platforms that week.^[42] As of July 2014, the game sold over 50,000 units across the three platforms.^[22]

References

1. Romano, Sal (June 27, 2014). "Natural Doctrine release date set". Gematsu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
2. Cooper, Lee (August 1, 2014). "NAtURAL DOCtRINE and Fairy Fencer F Swap Release Dates". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
3. Casu, Daniele (March 12, 2014). "Natural Doctrine hits Japan on April 3". Gematsu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
4. Loo, Egan (September 2, 2014). "Natural Doctrine delayed 1 week in the west". Anime News Network.
5. Romano, Sal (September 9, 2013). "Kadokawa announces Natural Doctrine for PS4, PS3, PS Vita". Gematsu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
6. "【速報】角川ゲームススタジオ第1弾タイトル「NAtURAL DOCtRINE」がPS4/PS3/PS Vitaで登場。ジャンルはファンタジーSRPGに". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). September 9, 2013.
7. Romano, Sal (September 10, 2013). "Natural Doctrine first details and screenshots". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
8. Yip, Spencer (September 24, 2013). "Patapon Director Is Making PS4 Strategy RPG Natural Doctrine, ufotable Characters". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
9. Romano, Sal (September 11, 2013). "Famitsu tidbits: Yakuza: Ishin, Phantasy Star Nova, New Atelier Rorona, Natural Doctrine, and more". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
10. Romano, Sal (September 26, 2013). "Natural doctrine detailed in Famitsu". Gematsu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
11. Romano, Sal (September 24, 2013). "Natural Doctrine has story and multiplayer modes". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
12. Romano, Sal (March 31, 2014). "Form your own deck in Natural Doctrine's online mode". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
13. Yip, Spencer (March 31, 2014). "Natural Doctrine's Online Mode Is A Card Battling Game". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
14. Phillips, Tom (September 9, 2013). "Natural Doctrine announced for PlayStation 4". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
15. Yip, Spencer (September 20, 2013). "Kadokawa Games' Strategy RPG Has Giant Golems". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
16. Cowan, Danny (December 27, 2013). "Natural Doctrine to miss PS4 launch in Japan, now debuting in March". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
17. Yip, Spencer (February 25, 2014). "Report: Natural Doctrine Delayed Again, Now Scheduled For April". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
18. Reese, Zack (September 26, 2013). "Natural Doctrine gets more info and a trailer". RPG Site. Mist Network.
19. "角川ゲームスが「KADOKAWA GAME STUDIO MEDIA BRIEFING 2013 AUTUMN」を開催。「艦これ改（仮）」および「NAtURAL DOCtRINE」が正式発表された会場の模様をレポート". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). September 26, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
20. Romano, Sal (April 1, 2014). "Natural Doctrine coming west this fall". Gematsu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
21. Sahdev, Ishaan (April 1, 2014). "NIS America To Publish Natural Doctrine On PS3, PS4 And Vita". Siliconera. Gamurs. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
22. Yip, Spencer (July 6, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Levels Up With New Challenges For PS4". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
23. "Natural Doctrine for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
24. "Natural Doctrine for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
25. "Natural Doctrine for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
26. Burleson, Kyle MacGregor (October 6, 2014). "Review: Natural Doctrine (PS4)". Destructoid. Gamurs. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
27. Fitch, Andrew (October 4, 2014). "Natural Doctrine review (PS4)". EGMNow. EGM Media, LLC. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
28. Romano, Sal (April 1, 2014). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1322". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
29. Reeves, Ben (October 23, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4)". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
30. Peterson, Blake (October 21, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
31. Clark, Justin (September 22, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4)". GameSpot. Fandom. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
32. Halestorm, Bradly (September 16, 2014). "Review: Natural Doctrine (PS4)". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
33. Magee, Jake (October 16, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
34. Didjane01 (November 10, 2014). "Test: Natural Doctrine". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
35. "Natural Doctrine (PS3)". PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia. Future Australia. December 2014. p. 78.
36. Tarrant, Ben (November 6, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4)". Push Square. Gamer Network. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
37. Apps, Michael (September 23, 2014). "Natural Doctrine - Review (PS4)". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
38. Meyerink, Stephen (September 30, 2014). "NAtURAL DOCtRINE (PS4)". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
39. Shayler, Darrell (December 2, 2014). "Natural Doctrine (PS4)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
40. Hindman, Heath (May 7, 2014). "Natural Doctrine Review (PS4 Import)". PlayStation LifeStyle. Evolve Media. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
41. Romano, Sal (April 9, 2014). "Media Create Sales: 3/31/14 – 4/6/14". Gematsu. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
42. "【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】3DS『マリオパーティ アイランドツアー』が発売3週目で1位を獲得！（3月31日～4月6日）". Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. April 10, 2014.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official website (in English)
• Natural Doctrine at MobyGames