Posted on: July 8, 2018
MotherKojiro
Verified ownerGames: 481 Reviews: 196
Not Just Nostalgia!
JRPGs are in quite a rut these days, but this harkens back to the classics. It's not good because it apes the 16-bit era of JRPGs, though; it could've been released back then with little altered and fit in just fine as an instant classic. You'll hear plenty of comparisons to Chrono Trigger, and the art and animation are similar, but that's where it ends. The battle system is wholly unique, allowing you 8 different moves at a time, which are used up, but can be refreshed, though it costs a turn. Combined with a gauge that tells you when everyone's next attacks are going to be, this becomes surprisingly strategic. Couple this with weapons and accessories that all have different perks, shields that basically act as equippable warrior classes, and a pretty large cast of characters, and the possibilities are endless. The game can be a bit challenging, too, if you put it on the higher difficulties. It's been a very long time since I've played a JRPG that's been this engaging, and even longer since I've had any kind of a challenge from one; aside from SaGa Frontier, probably since the NES days. The visuals are neat, ranging from alien jungle planets to a dystopian cyberpunk city with a splash of film noir, and the character designs are creative. I especially like characters' facial expressions; I wish I had an emoticon of the protagonist's smirk to use anywhere. The enemies are pretty weird, too; very creative, and bosses have an appropriately large scale. Characters are generally very likeable, too. Except Dave; Dave's the requisite dork. There are gratuitous cutscenes throughout the game, just like back when the technology was new, but it all plays into the overall silly tone, so it's forgivable. The story's nothing special, but it's not actively bad, either; plenty of fun to be had here, so long as you turn your brain off. The soundtrack is excellent; I will be pursuing a copy of my own.
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