I'd like to thank Kemco for the review key to this title. I would also like to report that a display issue on low refresh rates was fixed due to a report I made, can confirm Kemco is as good as their word on implementing needed fixes.

Sometimes you just want a lightweight RPG. If you have a portable system or just want a quick and simple RPG to immersive yourself in for a bit during the day, then Spirit Valor should scratch that particular itch.

The plot starts as your hero is about to seal away a thought-dead demonic overlord. Due to things going badly, it escapes, your hero is nearly killed, and your party is scattered. Thankfully, the spirit you were working with to seal the demonic overlord manages to avoid being corrupted itself, but at the cost that it has to share a body with you and be you to the outside world for all intents and purposes. With this in mind, you need to get your strength back, get a new party, and finish what you started.

The usual trappings of the turn-based RPG genre are in place. Explore dungeons, find treasure, level up stats and get better equipment, fight monsters, and so on. Spirit Valor, however, has collectible spirits, or magical allies that can be "equipped" to provide new and different abilities. They can be summoned and recruited to help with battles. There are a wide variety of types, adding a collector-like aspect to the gameplay.

Graphically, this title aims for a 16-bit pixel art game style, reminiscent of an SNES-era RPG. While it doesn't have too much variety in set-piece design, it is well put together, and there are some secrets to be found in many areas. The only major demerit is that the aliasing (i.e, tearing) in the graphics gets really bad at times on 60Hz refresh rates on most monitors, making this game rather hard on the eyes. Animation is generally excellent when the aliasing does not distort your vision. 144Hz monitors do not suffer from this issue to my knowledge, or if so, it's barely noticeable.

Sounds and music are in 16-bit SNES chiptune style. They do a good job of setting the mood but are not very memorable. As for the controls, this title expects you to use a controller, as it is not very playable with a keyboard. There is no remapping of keys, but I found the stock controller setup pretty easy to get used to.

Stability is pretty good. This is not an overly demanding game, and it runs natively on Windows. It's not rated for the Steam Deck, but it does work out of the box on Linux and the Steam Deck via Steam Proton. There are two DLC to further boost EXP and Gold gain, but this game is already pretty easy, this will make it nearly effortless. And they do stack with ingame bonuses with similar effects.

Worth mentioning, this game has an inbuilt "pay in-universe and real currency" system integrated into the game menu to exchange for prizes and other benefits. This is a fairly easy game, so it seems a bit gratuitous. It's not badly done, paying real money isn't really needed, and it's not very hard to grind up the in-game currency you need anyway. Further, given the ability to grind at most dungeon save points, it's easy to speed level so you can blitz through the game in a day or so, as the plot is not overly long.

Morally, this has a few concerning elements.

Violence is RPG style "Give orders and watch it happen". This is fairly sterile, didn't notice much blood or gore despite the ratings claiming as much, save possibly some red-looking enemies.

The language of this game is also pretty clean, given it's modeled after the SNES American era of family friendliness. There is hardly any sexuality, as all female characters are wearing appropriate outfits. There is one male flirt, but this is presented comedically and is tasteful and G-rated.

The occult and supernatural plays a big role in the world of Spirit Valor. There are "spirits" and "demons". The former are helpful beings who are neutral or friendly to humanity. The latter are corrupted spirits deemed harmful. The main gameplay loop requires allying with the former and defeating the latter. Your main character is a fusion of a mortal body with a spirit host, done willingly so the spirit would not become a demon. While the in-universe morality has a fairly standard "good vs. evil" backdrop, it's worth noting that communing with supernatural beings is a prominent story element.

Morally, this game has a fairly straight-up classical heroic fantasy "defeat a great evil scourging the world" premise. There is an in-game gambling-like system in the menus that involves depositing tickets and other currency for a chance to win rare items, though its use is generally optional.

Overall, this isn't an overly hard RPG, though it's a competent one and provides some decent turn-based RPG for its price. Technically, the aliasing issue noted aside, not much to complain about. Morally, it's mostly fit for younger teenagers on up given the themes. You could find a lot better games, but this is a decent RPG with something to recommend if you just want quick fun regardless.