Japanese role playing games aren’t what they used to be. Often times, they don’t represent the “golden era” of the genre that players hold to standard. But every once in a while, a game will rear its head above the clouds of mediocrity. By achieving this status, that game will be remembered through the ages. I am Sesuna is the standing example of this.
I am Setsuna is a love letter to old school JRPGs. The creators at Tokyo RPG Factory embodies what it was to be a turn based adventure that feels copy pasted from the 90s age of gaming. Experiences like I am Setsuna remind us all that bouts of nostalgia are not only welcomed, but the doorway into a long lost gaming category that still has much life kicking around within it.
X-Cross move from in game battle system
Bringing back the fan favorite active time battle system, games like Chrono Trigger, earlier Final Fantasy titles, and Dragon Quest are direct inspirations for I am Setsuna. The combat utilizes a time bar that fills up and initiates your turn. With moves like “X-Cross,” a team up move that requires two of the characters can do, is lifted straight out of Chrono Trigger.
While developer Tokyo RPG Factory may be the new kids on the block, they teamed up with producers and genre veterans, Square Enix. I am Setsuna is powered by the Unity engine which displays some very simple yet beautiful graphics. Sure, they are not top of the line visuals, but the art style is awe inspiring and fitting of the overall resonance.
Through my 20 plus hours of I am Setsuna, I experienced a myriad of feelings and emotions. A solemn tone permeates through its entire run-time, and while there is little humor or cheerful moments, the sad story creates a worthwhile narrative that has you invested in the journey as well as the great cast of characters.
The world seems to be trapped in a constant winter. Don’t expect to go through the trope filled locations of volcano, forests, deserts, and other go to biomes. While it may bother some, the constant snow and lack of other environments never bothered me. The persistence of the weather adds to the themes and tones of sadness.
The characters embody a mixture of classic archetype homages as well as fresh new characterizations. The main character, Endir is used as a vessel for the player to experience the story. The player can choose dialog options that don’t seem to have any bearing on how the story unfolds. Endir is a mercenary that is hired to find Setsuna, a young maiden chosen to ritually sacrifice herself to keep the monsters of the land at bay. This story set up is what begins the heart tugging narrative as Ednir struggles with his mission to kill the girl or allow her to fulfill the ritual.
The 6 Characters from left to right: Aeterna, Julienne, Endir, Setsuna, Nidr, and Kir.
Nidr is another standout character among the cast of six. He is a veteran soldier who is familiar with the pilgrimage that young girls like Setsuna have to embark on. Nidr is a larger seasoned combatant who carries a enormous sword and his inside knowledge of the journey. Sound like a particular fan favorite from Final Fantasy X? Nidir acts as a source of information as he gives many of world building speeches that rounds out the world and solidifies himself as an unforgettable character. Nidr easily has one of the best character arcs in the game.
The most memorable aspect about this game is certainly the music. The tunes are all piano based and composed by Tomoki Miyoshi. He got his break from working on the music Soul Caliber V at the tender age of sixteen. Tomoki Miyoshi is also known for movie and anime soundtracks as well. However, this is his best work. The music is beautiful, sometimes even hauntingly so. I find myself often leaving the game running just so I can do chores around the house and has become easily one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time.
This is a must play for any JRPG fan, especially those who long for that golden era of the genre. We don’t get console experiences like this anymore. Sure, there are a plethora of great turn based experiences on handheld systems like Sony’s Vita and Nintendo’s 3DS. However, we just don’t get games that feel as good as this game does. From the great mechanics, to the amazing music, to the memorable characters, and the strong story. This is a perfectly packaged JRPG experience. If you long for the days of Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, look no further than I am Setsuna.
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Alas, the life of a Western fan of the “Tales of” series is a rather trying one. Some of the flagships of the Tales series (most notably Symphonia, Vesperia, and Abyss) have been ranked as some of the greatest RPGs ever made, and continue to gain popularity years after their initial release. Unfortunately, the series has not had the best track record for localization outside of Japan. The legendary RPG series has spawned fourteen mothership titles, and only half of those have been released internationally. However, the fifteenth anniversary has finally brought with it a new localization! Two years after its release in Japan, Tales of Xillia made its long-awaited North American debut earlier this month. Does this new title live up to the standards set by its critically acclaimed predecessors, or does it fall to the crippling cliches and development flaws present in many JRPGs today?
Tales of Xillia takes place in the mystical realm of Rieze Maxia, which contains a society built on the symbiotic relationship between mankind and spirits. In essence, humans rely on the power of spirits to use magic and “technology,” while spirits rely on the wishes and belief of mankind in order to sustain themselves. This symbiosis is one of the key elements of the plot, and is apparent from the very start of the game. Before the game begins, the player chooses one of two protagonists to follow through the story: a young medical student named Jude Mathis, and Milla Maxwell, a young woman who proclaims herself to be the lord of all spirits. Although both characters follow the same overall plot and are playable in both story lines, it is interesting to view the same story events from two unique perspectives. It is interesting to see how the same events affect the two protagonists in vastly different ways, which helps define the game’s overarching theme of unwavering convictions.
The game begins with the protagonists discovering a device known as the Lance of Kresnik, which is revealed to be a devastating war machine, the very existence of which is destroying the fabric of the natural world. As the nations of Rieze Maxia prepare for war, Jude, Milla, and the rest of the party embark on a quest to destroy the enigmatic weapon of mass destruction and thwart the plans of the power-hungry baddies!
The core party of six characters is certainly an interesting and diverse one. Throughout gameplay, you have the opportunity to view all sorts of fully voice-acted side conversations that help to develop their personalities and provide each character’s perspectives on various plot events. Unfortunately, the cast does fall into some vary obvious tropes, such as the young and socially isolated magic prodigy, the overenthusiastic childhood friend, and the shady wisecracking mercenary who has obvious treacherous intentions towards the party. The general lack of subtlety in character motivations and overall uniqueness was rather jarring, but despite this I found myself fully invested in each character’s development throughout the story. Despite the prevalence of stereotypes and tropes, the cast is certainly a well-written, entertaining, and rather heartwarming bunch.
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| Standard JRPG Protagonist Squad: ASSEMBLE |
One area where Tales of Xillia clearly excels is in its presentation. The game is run entirely in-engine, which allows for the smooth and quick loading of absolutely gorgeous environments. Graphically, the game does not set any new landmarks, but the landscapes and cities of Rieze Maxia are presented beautifully. The artistry of the world, combined with a wonderful score from famed composer Motoi Sakuraba, really helps bring the story to life.
Unfortunately, many of the trails between cities and dungeons are incredibly similar, and simply appear to be re-colored versions of the same map with different enemies and random item drops. This did not detract from the experience at first, but after 20 or so hours of gameplay, it became frustrating to have to walk a different version of the same trail over and over again.
Furthermore, many of the dungeons were rather linear, and did not provide much of a challenge or allow for a great deal of exploration. While the linearity did not approach the level of games such as Final Fantasy XIII, it was a stark contrast to previous Tales titles, which relied heavily on sprawling dungeons with engaging puzzle elements. Dungeons in the game were visually appealing, but lacked the challenge that is typically associated with the Tales series.
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| The beautifully rendered world of Rieze Maxia |
The combat system, however, kept me addicted to Tales of Xillia from start to finish. From the very first battle, you’re thrown into fast-paced and action packed combat, with the player controlling one character and the AI controlling three other party members. The strategy settings for the AI can be customized to the slightest detail, and the player can change characters and swap out party members at will. Each character also boasts an assortment unique special attacks, known as Artes, which can be chained into any variation of normal attacks to create devastating combos.
Furthermore, characters can also “link” together to guard each other in battle, double-team enemies, and unleash powerful special attacks known as “Linked Artes.” This linking system is new to the Tales series, and added an incredibly fun tactical layer to the standard combat system. I frequently controlled Milla in combat, and it was immensely satisfying to link with Jude and transition from one of Milla’s lightning spell attacks into a deadly combo attack in which Milla would launch lightning into the air, where Jude would catch it and throw it at the enemy. There are countless variations of linked artes, depending on which party member you’re linked with and which attack you use.
Although the combat system is innovative and addicting, it does seem to break the balance of the game, somewhat. I frequently found myself bored by many of the opponents I faced, and found myself increasing the game’s difficulty simply so I would feel challenged by some of the boss battles.
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| Milla and Jude unleashing a powerful “Final Gale” Linked Arte |
Tales of Xillia also allows for a great deal of customization with its level-up and equipment systems. Reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIII, the game utilizes a grid-based level system (known as the Lilium Orb), in which you use acquired points to acquire various skills, Artes, or stat-increases. This allows you to carefully tailor characters to fulfill certain roles in combat, but players who dislike the Lilium Orb may simply opt for their characters to auto-level.
Less appealing is the customization of equipment and shops throughout the game. Unlike most RPGs, in which each town’s various stores sell unique items, there simply exists a universal set of stores that sell the same wares at every single locale. The stock of items available depends solely on your investment into them, either by donating raw materials or acquired funds. Objectively, I can see why this system would be appealing to many players. If you wish to grind for raw materials and get the best equipment possible, you can do so at your leisure! However, with some incredibly rare exceptions, these stores are the only means to obtain new equipment, especially weapons and armor. If you choose not to invest in those stores, then you’ll have a great deal of difficulty facing enemies as you progress through the game. Furthermore, I rarely had the motivation to explore the rare stray paths in dungeons and find any extra loot, knowing that I’d only find random raw materials and occasionally some funds.
Lastly, perhaps the greatest weakness that Tales of Xillia faces is the uneven plot development and somewhat random pacing. Although the combat was addicting and kept me playing, I went through large stretches of the game in which very little actually happened to advance the plot. The entire first chapter seemed to be a pointless chain of events in which characters moved from town to town, while looking for the Lance of Kresnik. There were definitely high points later in the game that had me on the edge of my seat, spellbound by the events taking place and the emotional turmoil. However, these high points were often overshadowed by stretches of predictable tedium and an incredibly rushed final act that left me rather disoriented and disappointed at the conclusion.
Furthermore, the game is rather short (about 30-35 hours to complete the main story), and there’s little else to occupy the players attention. While there are a multitude of sub-quests, the vast majority of them involve backtracking to a random location to defeat a random enemy or obtain a random item, and in return you receive a generic amount of funds. Very few of them involve any actual character development, and they mostly felt like tedious chores. Unfortunately, side quests are the primary means of obtaining vital funds in the game, so if you want to purchase high-end equipment, you’re forced to take many of them on.
Overall, Tales of Xillia is a fun and engaging JRPG. While its innovative combat system, beautiful presentation, and diverse cast of characters can carry the show, the uneven and somewhat simplistic plot, linear and recycled environments, and lack of extra content do disappoint. When compared to previous entries in the Tales universe, Xillia simply falls short. I would recommend it as a great entry title for the series, but long-time Tales fans would have a better experience playing through Symphonia or Vesperia once more.
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It’s a very interesting time of development for the gaming industry. Nintendo released the Wii U last November, and after a somewhat lackluster release lineup, 2013 looks as though it could be the year that the Wii U really shows its potential. Not only that, but Sony recently debuted some of the technical specs and initial release lineup for the PS4, and Microsoft will most likely announce their next generation system at E3 in three months’ time.
You know what that means to this writer? Absolutely nothing, as of now. I may be one fancy individual with the grace and nobility of Daniel Day Lewis, but as I have not yet acquired any oil fields in the deep south, I do not own a swimming pool of money. And despite what some gamers might say, food is slightly more important than new gaming pursuits. So I have been spending my recent gaming time going through the great RPGs of past years; games with rich and compelling worlds, well-written characters, an engaging combat system, and a beautiful soundtrack. I’m certainly excited for the new horizon of the gaming industry, but there are some games that I will always hold close to my heart.
These RPGs are not major blockbusters like Final Fantasy XIII or Skyrim. They may have caught your eye once or twice, or were recommended to you by a wise friend, but you were too busy blasting halos with your gears of war to pay attention. So I thought I would share some of these wonderful games with you before the next generation systems are released and you spend all of your gaming time enjoying their 3D compatibility, super HD resolution, motion controls, six-layer axis controls, pineapple dongles, and other such things.
Lost Odyssey
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| Lost Odyssey (Or: Wow, Look at All the Steampunk) Platform: Xbox 360 |
Lost Odyssey was a game that I discovered shortly after I received my Xbox 360 and had been struggling to find a good RPG for the system. I enjoyed Halo as much as the next man, and Oblivion and Bioshock were wonderful, but my heart cried out for a traditional JRPG. After all, who doesn’t like scrawny characters with ridiculous hair who wield disproportionately massive swords and engage in hectic battles with twelve foot tall robots and small purple rodents? And so when I found Lost Odyssey on a discount shelf at Gamestop, I promptly took it home.
The game opens with a beautifully rendered cinematic, in which a large army of men in funny helmets starts fighting another large army of men in funny helmets. There are a bunch of ridiculous war machines running around and magic spells are flying. It seems as though neither side can gain the upper hand when suddenly, the protagonist of the game comes soaring into the fray, cutting apart the enemy army of men in funny hats (conveniently wearing black so you know that they are THE ENEMY) as if they were made of tissue paper.
After an introductory battle against some of the soldiers and an unnecessarily huge war machine, a giant meteor falls dramatically on to the battlefield, incinerating both armies. After the dust settles, the protagonist, Kaim, crawls out of the ground without so much as a scratch, gets his long black hair back in windswept position, and struts off into the sunset because no silly thing like the apocalypse is going to interrupt his schedule.
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| He’s clearly shielded from flaming death by his pure handsomeness |
From there, you learn that Kaim is a rare individual known as an Immortal (he’s been alive for an unspecified amount of time and cannot die) and has amnesia. Kaim is ordered to go investigate a mysterious happening at a magical research facility, on the basis that he’s immune to things like stabbings and being set on fire and meteor strikes and other such common hazards on the road. He is joined by another amnesiac Immortal (a girl named Seth) and a wise-cracking mortal named Jansen to form the introductory party on this great RPG adventure.
This is a game that immediately captures your interest with its grand design and absolutely gorgeous visuals. You quickly discover that Kaim has the personality of a dejected walnut (this does change dramatically once you complete about 15% of the game), but you don’t really care. The music and scenery and absolutely wonderful side characters keep you going, and the story only gets more enthralling as time goes on.
The combat can be rather lackluster at times, as it follows the simple turn-based mechanic of older Final Fantasy games. Each member of your party selects an attack or spell (most of which consume MP), the enemy does the same, and turn order is based on attack speed. However, this is not to assume that the game is easy or does not require specific effort. The boss battles are especially challenging, as even the early bosses can decimate your party in a few hits. Immortal characters do revive themselves with partial HP and MP after a few turns, but if each member of your party is knocked out at once, it’s game over.
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| Meanwhile, on Starship Troopers |
Another fun mechanic is the customizability of the Immortal characters. Mortal characters are simple: They fight, they gain experience, they level up, and they learn new skills. You just wind them up and watch them go. Immortals, on the other hand, do not learn any skills by themselves. Instead, they learn skills from mortals and accessories that they equip. This does mean that certain mortal characters might become less useful later in the game. One particular character solely exists for you to give his fancy unique weapon and armor equip skills to the Immortals in your party, and then you never use him again. It’s like bashing someone’s head with a crowbar in a dark alleyway and mugging them, except then you’re forced to drag the body around.
But why do I recommend this game overall? It doesn’t make any revolutionary breakthroughs in the JRPG formula, but Lost Odyssey stands apart as an Xbox 360 game with some of the best world building, music, visuals, and character development I have seen in any RPG to date. So, if you’re a 360 owner, put down your copy of call of modern warfare for a few hours, go hunt Lost Odyssey down in the bargain bin of your local game store, and enjoy.
Valkyria Chronicles
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| Valkyria Chronicles (Or: Peasants with Rifles vs. TOTALLY NOT!RUSSIAN ARMY with Machine Guns and Tanks) Platform: PS3 |
Anyone who knows me knows that I will line up for hours to get my hands on a new strategy RPG, and then I will throw copies of the game at people and bother them until they play it. This usually manifests itself as me making people play various incarnations of Fire Emblem and then receiving innumerable complaints of “but this game is so boring, Nine” and “why are the outfits so weird, Nine” and “but Nine, this pegasus knight keeps dying” and “you can’t spend three hours crying about fictional characters, Nine” and “when can I stop playing this, Nine?” (I personally prefer not to answer. It’s more fun to keep them guessing.) However, I found that Valkyria Chronicles has a greater degree of accessibility while still retaining the delightful challenge of strategy RPGs.
Do you like video games set in World War II? Of course you do! You’ve played Call of Duty 1 through 327! Fortunately for you, this is a very authentic WWII setting! Do you love trench warfare and tanks and snipers and grenades and having every single move count? Yes, I hear all three of you cry into the night! Do you love ancient races of super humans with ancient magical powers and weapons that fire ancient (totally not!Egyptian) laser beams? Capital, you’re interested! Let’s carry on.
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| World War II: Now with laser beams and breasts |
The game begins with some lovely cutscenes in Not!Eastern European nation of Gallia where a man drawing fish (Welkin) is arrested by the local village’s head baker, Alicia, who also happens to lead the local militia) for acting suspicious and taking an interest in nature. Before the inquiring gamer can question the validity of Alicia’s logic, the Not!Russian army starts invading, and Alicia hands Welkin a rifle and tells him to get to shooting. After failing to defend the local village from conquest, Welkin and Alicia join the army. Welkin is given command of a squad for virtue of being an experienced…a talented…okay, we don’t really know the qualifications, but he’s given a tank and sent off to war. Huzzah!
I adore Valkyria’s design and presentation, and the combat is nothing short of addicting. Each “chapter” in the game contains one or more battlefield missions. You form your squadron out of individual units of various classes. Each unit has his/her own unique character quirks, along with specific strengths and weaknesses. These skills are subtle, but a few tweaks to your combat roster could make all of the difference between victory and defeat. The primary classes are Scout (focused on mobility), Shocktrooper (offense and defense), Lancer (anti-tank/structure/anything you can hit), Engineer (repairing your tanks/removing mines), and Sniper (precision killing). A healthy balance is best, and you can customize your combat squad to each situation that you face.
Combat is turn based, and you have a specific number of Command Points (used to move units) during your turn. You can usually move your tank and each member of your squad once, or you can move the same unit multiple times if you need to reach an objective quickly or take down a certain enemy. The goals of combat missions vary. Sometimes it’s a game of capture the flag, and sometimes you might be forced to rout all of the enemies or defeat a boss. Strategy is naturally an integral part of Valkyria Chronicles, and every wrong move will be punished by enemy snipers, machine guns, and tanks.
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| My peasant bonnet shields me from mere tank turrets! |
The plot of the game takes some interesting turns after a few chapters, and the traditional JRPG story begins to shine through. This is far from a bad thing. The story, characters, and overall presentation are engaging, but what really sells you is the gameplay. If you love strategy and want a truly enjoyable challenge, Valkyria Chronicles is a fantastic choice.
If you want more RPGs of past years thrown at you, tune in for future installments of Great RPGs You Haven’t Played! (Next time, I’ll be pulling the Gamecube out of the recesses of your past and show you what happens when Namco Bandai’s development team takes too many hallucinogenic substances with their pancakes.)
If you like this article, check out more at AristoGamer.net!
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