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Platform: PSP
Introduction
Score: N/A
You start off as Adol Christin, a red-headed young hero washed ashore by the Great Vortex and into the land of Quatera Island. Adol must try to find his way back to the other side of the island and reunite with his comrades, but in order to succeed, he must trek through caves, dungeons, and ancient ruins, battling monsters with only three main swords (water, fire, and lightning elements) available throughout the entire game. As the game progresses, Adol must then face a bigger challenge and make sure that The Ark of Napishtim isn't resurrected, for in doing so, great power will be given to the one who succeeds. Our main hero will have to do everything to prevent this from happening and so begins the journey.
Storyline
Score: 4/10
Sad to say, I find the storyline lacking in a substantial manner. The game focused far too much on the battle-system and very little on the storyline and plot. The players can battle for hours, training and hacking away at monsters, leaving the storyline close to empty. The story is too basic and quite unoriginal, not to mention extremely short which doesn't even leave me hanging for more as the plot is poorly developed in the first place. In fact, I stopped caring about it altogether due to its almost non-existent presence in the game and focused more on upgrading my swords since that seemed a little more exciting. It doesn't even provide any detailed background to the Ark of Napishtim and isn't very promising in the end. Extremely disappointing, although I must say that they gave it a decent try. Just not that good enough, so don't expect much at all.
Characters
Score: 3/10
One of the weakest aspect of this game is that the main hero doesn't talk in the game at all. Now, I know that is not uncommon in a role-playing game, but I've always thought it doesn't help any RPG game at all - that's just personal opinion right there. This is no exception. With the main hero not talking or providing his thoughts for the players to see, the game overall takes a major downfall when the other characters and NPCs do not make up for it at all. In fact, they were fairly boring and again, disappointing comes to mind - for a very good reason. The character interaction is extremely short and the conversations seemed to be thrown in there just for the sake of idle conversation, which serves very little purpose, if at all. Whenever Adol talks to one of the characters, typically all we get is, "Adol tells Olha what has happened so far." That's it? Can't he provide any interesting feedbacks? It really makes me wonder how much laziness was involved when developing the game. Not only was our main hero poorly developed, but the script was poorly written as well, which is very unfortunate.
Gameplay
Score: 7/10
This is your typical hack and slash game, and surprisingly it turned out a lot better than I thought. A little too repetitive, but otherwise interesting and even satisfying as a whole. As you defeat monsters, you gain EXP, Gald, and Emelas, which you can expend to upgrade your swords. The key to defeating hard monsters (apart from leveling up) is to naturally upgrade your weapons every now and then, meaning you must battle A LOT before you can continue onward to a new area of the battlefield. It may be a little frustrating, but the challenge makes up a lot for what the game lacks overall. That's what kept me from quitting the game entirely - the challenge it provides for players. It can be a difficult game, but moreso overly annoying due to the confusing paths you must take as you enter a cave or dungeon and the hard enemies that lurks therein.
On top of that, you can only carry up to a total of nine amounts per item, so you better be prepared and not consume too much herbs as you would want to save those for the upcoming boss fight. Luckily though, your health is restored automatically every time you level up, which has saved my butt on more than a few occasions. It's also quite necessary to go back and forth from the cave or dungeon you are in to Port Rimorge, one of the two villages only available throughout the entire game. (Small world, I know). Re-stocking and upgrading becomes a natural hobby after awhile. There is also Sword Magic involved, but the magic overall is quite limited as they are attached on each swords. However, once you use it all up, the refill time doesn't take too long, which is a life-saver at times, especially when facing bosses. I am very pleased with the set-up of the battle-system, although it is very simple and basic.
Controls
Score: 4/10
Not too bad, but my only problem is the Dash Jump, which is more than a regular jump. It requires players to time the Dash Slash and hit the jump button a split second later, and typically it takes more than a few tries (and luck) for a success. If you fail and fall from the small platform you are trying to reach, the trip back is kinda long and while you're at it, I can guarantee that you'll be cursing the entire time, or at least be tempted to turn off your PSP.
Now here's the fun of it all. It requires you to press the square button as well while you're performing the move, but wait...wasn't the square button also used as a quick shortcut for when you want to restore Adol's HP? So put two and two together and typically you heal yourself in the process as you execute the command and find out that the jump fails to deliver anyway. I let out a few more strings of curses then as I'm very wary about using my limited herbs. At this point, I just load the game and typically start over. Luckily, you can set it up so that you can take out the restorative items out from your Tools box before you can do the Dash Jump so that it doesn't heal Adol when you press that square button. It's all just a matter of remembering when to do it.
Graphics
Score: 6/10
Your typical 2D environment which is still pretty nice to look at. Actually, compared to other 2D RPG games out there, this one is definitely up there. The art design is wonderful and the world is bright and sets the mood for an adventure any time of day. The houses are very detailed and looks quite homely, and most often I found myself looking forward to returning to Port Rimorge just so I can take the time and appreciate the environment once again. Very colorful and vibrant, the graphics are definitely very well done and the characters look fantastic too.
Sound
Score: 5/10
I noticed that the musical scores in this game are very upbeat and even catchy, which is kind of nice. Nothing extremely special but it's still pretty decent. The in-game field music has that adventure tune to it but sounds a little too flat for my taste after awhile. It certaily doesn't stay on my mind for far too long as it isn't meant to be an attention grabber. One thing I do like a lot though is the sound of the hack and slash effect as Adol swings the sword here and there. It gives a satisfying end to the battle. The boss battle music isn't very spectacular either, but it does give you that feeling of hurried anxiousness. Other than that, not too much can be expected from the music especially if you're looking for some heart-warming and grand tunes like Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy.
Unique/Extra Features
Score: 1/10
There's really no unique features in this game. Again, storyline and battle-system are pretty much basic and even boring at times. I'm having a hard time thinking of something that might even come across as "almost" unique, but there just isn't any. There is a trial-game called Alma's Trial and it's a short sidequest, but it's really nothing special either. This game is just too short to provide and extra meat overall, so again, don't expect too much.
Replay Value
Score: 2/10
I'm almost done with the game and I'm really just pushing it now. So the replay value is low as well since I honestly never want to look at this game again. It's one of those forgettable games that will collect dust on one of your shelves over the years and even though I quite like the battle-system, all in all it's really not worth replaying at all. Others may, but if you're really looking for a good RPG, you might as well look for something refreshing and non-repetitive. It just isn't as special and isn't very lively at all. Just save yourself the headache.
Overall Rating
Score: 4/10
Not too high of a score, but that to me is fair. The game really doesn't have anything much to offer and sometimes I feel that it was just a complete waste of time if it wasn't for the decent battle-system. Perhaps I am judging too harshly, but an even score of four sounds about right to me. Others may have had judged it higher, however, my experience with so much frustration and gritting teeth taken into consideration, it all just fails entirely. Not worth the money for what it's worth, I'll definitely say that. I felt that the game should have only cost me $5-10, so that's saying a lot.
Introduction
Score: N/A
You start off as Adol Christin, a red-headed young hero washed ashore by the Great Vortex and into the land of Quatera Island. Adol must try to find his way back to the other side of the island and reunite with his comrades, but in order to succeed, he must trek through caves, dungeons, and ancient ruins, battling monsters with only three main swords (water, fire, and lightning elements) available throughout the entire game. As the game progresses, Adol must then face a bigger challenge and make sure that The Ark of Napishtim isn't resurrected, for in doing so, great power will be given to the one who succeeds. Our main hero will have to do everything to prevent this from happening and so begins the journey.
Storyline
Score: 4/10
Sad to say, I find the storyline lacking in a substantial manner. The game focused far too much on the battle-system and very little on the storyline and plot. The players can battle for hours, training and hacking away at monsters, leaving the storyline close to empty. The story is too basic and quite unoriginal, not to mention extremely short which doesn't even leave me hanging for more as the plot is poorly developed in the first place. In fact, I stopped caring about it altogether due to its almost non-existent presence in the game and focused more on upgrading my swords since that seemed a little more exciting. It doesn't even provide any detailed background to the Ark of Napishtim and isn't very promising in the end. Extremely disappointing, although I must say that they gave it a decent try. Just not that good enough, so don't expect much at all.
Characters
Score: 3/10
One of the weakest aspect of this game is that the main hero doesn't talk in the game at all. Now, I know that is not uncommon in a role-playing game, but I've always thought it doesn't help any RPG game at all - that's just personal opinion right there. This is no exception. With the main hero not talking or providing his thoughts for the players to see, the game overall takes a major downfall when the other characters and NPCs do not make up for it at all. In fact, they were fairly boring and again, disappointing comes to mind - for a very good reason. The character interaction is extremely short and the conversations seemed to be thrown in there just for the sake of idle conversation, which serves very little purpose, if at all. Whenever Adol talks to one of the characters, typically all we get is, "Adol tells Olha what has happened so far." That's it? Can't he provide any interesting feedbacks? It really makes me wonder how much laziness was involved when developing the game. Not only was our main hero poorly developed, but the script was poorly written as well, which is very unfortunate.
Gameplay
Score: 7/10
This is your typical hack and slash game, and surprisingly it turned out a lot better than I thought. A little too repetitive, but otherwise interesting and even satisfying as a whole. As you defeat monsters, you gain EXP, Gald, and Emelas, which you can expend to upgrade your swords. The key to defeating hard monsters (apart from leveling up) is to naturally upgrade your weapons every now and then, meaning you must battle A LOT before you can continue onward to a new area of the battlefield. It may be a little frustrating, but the challenge makes up a lot for what the game lacks overall. That's what kept me from quitting the game entirely - the challenge it provides for players. It can be a difficult game, but moreso overly annoying due to the confusing paths you must take as you enter a cave or dungeon and the hard enemies that lurks therein.
On top of that, you can only carry up to a total of nine amounts per item, so you better be prepared and not consume too much herbs as you would want to save those for the upcoming boss fight. Luckily though, your health is restored automatically every time you level up, which has saved my butt on more than a few occasions. It's also quite necessary to go back and forth from the cave or dungeon you are in to Port Rimorge, one of the two villages only available throughout the entire game. (Small world, I know). Re-stocking and upgrading becomes a natural hobby after awhile. There is also Sword Magic involved, but the magic overall is quite limited as they are attached on each swords. However, once you use it all up, the refill time doesn't take too long, which is a life-saver at times, especially when facing bosses. I am very pleased with the set-up of the battle-system, although it is very simple and basic.
Controls
Score: 4/10
Not too bad, but my only problem is the Dash Jump, which is more than a regular jump. It requires players to time the Dash Slash and hit the jump button a split second later, and typically it takes more than a few tries (and luck) for a success. If you fail and fall from the small platform you are trying to reach, the trip back is kinda long and while you're at it, I can guarantee that you'll be cursing the entire time, or at least be tempted to turn off your PSP.
Now here's the fun of it all. It requires you to press the square button as well while you're performing the move, but wait...wasn't the square button also used as a quick shortcut for when you want to restore Adol's HP? So put two and two together and typically you heal yourself in the process as you execute the command and find out that the jump fails to deliver anyway. I let out a few more strings of curses then as I'm very wary about using my limited herbs. At this point, I just load the game and typically start over. Luckily, you can set it up so that you can take out the restorative items out from your Tools box before you can do the Dash Jump so that it doesn't heal Adol when you press that square button. It's all just a matter of remembering when to do it.
Graphics
Score: 6/10
Your typical 2D environment which is still pretty nice to look at. Actually, compared to other 2D RPG games out there, this one is definitely up there. The art design is wonderful and the world is bright and sets the mood for an adventure any time of day. The houses are very detailed and looks quite homely, and most often I found myself looking forward to returning to Port Rimorge just so I can take the time and appreciate the environment once again. Very colorful and vibrant, the graphics are definitely very well done and the characters look fantastic too.
Sound
Score: 5/10
I noticed that the musical scores in this game are very upbeat and even catchy, which is kind of nice. Nothing extremely special but it's still pretty decent. The in-game field music has that adventure tune to it but sounds a little too flat for my taste after awhile. It certaily doesn't stay on my mind for far too long as it isn't meant to be an attention grabber. One thing I do like a lot though is the sound of the hack and slash effect as Adol swings the sword here and there. It gives a satisfying end to the battle. The boss battle music isn't very spectacular either, but it does give you that feeling of hurried anxiousness. Other than that, not too much can be expected from the music especially if you're looking for some heart-warming and grand tunes like Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy.
Unique/Extra Features
Score: 1/10
There's really no unique features in this game. Again, storyline and battle-system are pretty much basic and even boring at times. I'm having a hard time thinking of something that might even come across as "almost" unique, but there just isn't any. There is a trial-game called Alma's Trial and it's a short sidequest, but it's really nothing special either. This game is just too short to provide and extra meat overall, so again, don't expect too much.
Replay Value
Score: 2/10
I'm almost done with the game and I'm really just pushing it now. So the replay value is low as well since I honestly never want to look at this game again. It's one of those forgettable games that will collect dust on one of your shelves over the years and even though I quite like the battle-system, all in all it's really not worth replaying at all. Others may, but if you're really looking for a good RPG, you might as well look for something refreshing and non-repetitive. It just isn't as special and isn't very lively at all. Just save yourself the headache.
Overall Rating
Score: 4/10
Not too high of a score, but that to me is fair. The game really doesn't have anything much to offer and sometimes I feel that it was just a complete waste of time if it wasn't for the decent battle-system. Perhaps I am judging too harshly, but an even score of four sounds about right to me. Others may have had judged it higher, however, my experience with so much frustration and gritting teeth taken into consideration, it all just fails entirely. Not worth the money for what it's worth, I'll definitely say that. I felt that the game should have only cost me $5-10, so that's saying a lot.