Sting's mechanic-laden gameplay turned even more convoluted with Yggdra Union, a return to tactical-RPG but obscured by Riviera's techniques. This time their ambitious ideas - once again underlined by long tutorials, found a battle format that (compared to traditional turn-based) was more varied and hence better suited for complex systems, besides eliminating the grind aspect. Past the debut's influence (e.g. pre-battle selection, super gauge for allies contrasting with the enemy's rage meter) and genre norms (troop classes, RPS interactions, terrain) is their upgraded skill system, represented by cards whose attributes govern not only the abilities but also the collective move distance for the player's phase. Contested on small, topdown world maps, their fights demand careful placement of units (since movement can't be rolled back once set), resources (cards are finite much like Lost Kingdoms, de facto setting a turn limit for each stage) and offense (only one unit attacks each turn), contributing to gameplay that's not very user-friendly but certainly as tense and detailed as the best tactics games.

Further evidence of that is the way they complicate even the most basic of features, reimagining almost everything from encounters (segmented, troop-based auto-battling a la Ogre Battle, although with skill activation and a few strategic options) to meter gain (one strategy builds meter by relenting during cut-ins, and vice-versa for the other), from unison attacks (the centerpiece and perhaps the most difficult to grasp, creating quasi-gauntlets out of specific formations) to stats (notably GEN, which affects many unrelated parts of combat), not to mention healing (via collectibles that could also function as equipment) and so forth. Sting's repertoire can be heavy on the atmosphere like Baroque, or in systems (such as Treasure Hunter G and - of course, Riviera: The Promised Land), and this work clearly belongs to the latter mode, but now the result is simply overwhelming - like any Matsuno-directed game, albeit the kind that inspires more curiosity than intimidation. Mechanically packed but not bloated, and with some of their best characters yet, this release stands as an essay on how to forge a personal style in a crowded and aging genre.