Genre: RPG Developer: SquareEnix System: DS
0000000 Ya, so, this review will be short. This game was terrible, even if it was rather difficult. The story was
hard to follow-- I watched the end and I didn't really bother hurting my brain enough to try and figure out just what the hell was going on.
Something about crystals and immortality. I don't know.
0000000 Anyway, the thing that made this game difficult was not the fighting (the game is not a true RPG as the
combat is done in real time and is done by walking up to the enemy and attacking rather than navigating through menus--I see this is a negative),
but the solving of in-dungeon puzzles. Early in the game there is a dungeon (it's actually in 'the library') where you need to move a large bookshelf
and it's unclear that this is what you need to do. I almost gave up the game right there and I'm sure others really did seeing the game as not worth
their time. Casting magic was cumbersome. While you could cast more powerful spells by learning "techniques" such as "stack 4"-- in practice I never
figured out how to stack more than 2 spells (there was one blizzaga I got off because of the passive AI that controls your other players casting a spell)
-- and I doubt it was even possible. Speaking of the passive AI that controls your other characters, this too was very aggravating as it led to things
like large bookcases that you're trying to move landing on the other member's head, or otherwise getting in the way, which screws up the puzzle you're
trying to solve. There are also (not very many) a few puzzles where you are expected to use them to stand on a switch while you do something else, except
it is stupid because they always follow you, no matter what "AI" you choose for them in the menu. So getting them to stay standing on the switch is just
about impossible.
0000000 It was not all terrible. The thing I liked most about this game was the equipment variety and the socketing
system. You can customize equipment by attaching different gems, which was innovative (and I must admit this is the type of thing I am trying to strongly
feature in my own game I am currently developing). The game was too easy and too short to really bother messing with this enough to get the best stuff,
as getting the best stuff did require tedious grinding that just wasn't needed as the game wasn't that difficult to require it. Finally I should say
something about SquareEnix. First, I'll say I wish SquareEnix was Squaresoft and Enix, two separate companies competing with each other. I think that
would improve the quality of RPGs, as right now SquareEnix is basically the only company that makes RPGs nowadays (maybe I'm wrong on this). Second,
shame on SquareEnix on making this game. I know Square is now not one company, but like Activision many different companies, but that's part of the
problem. They've gotten too big.
~ Adam Henderson
Game Difficulty Rating:
7/10 HARD
40% Terrible "3D" very low poly.
38% For an RPG I would expect better.
55% Gem socketing was fun.
20% I just wanted the damn game to be over...
3% 28 hours.
25% They tried...but it was impossible to follow.
OVERALL SCORE = 24%
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