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| Riviera: The Promised Land (PSP & GBA); One of the best portable RPGs. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 20 2010, 10:39 AM (3,149 Views) | |
| Mr. Fievel | Jul 20 2010, 10:39 AM Post #1 |
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Shaken, not stirred.
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Why should console games get all the love? For this review, we shall focus on a game that takes an interesting approach to the RPG genre. I've only played the PSP version, but I've heard that there are few differences between the GBA and PSP version. If there are significant differences, then this one is for the PSP version.![]() ________________ Gameplay: ________________ I will start off the gameplay section by explaining exactly what makes the game unique. First of all, there's the all-important combat system, which, along with the plot, forms the cornerstone of what practically makes the game. Now, there's the standard features of combat, your characters all have the standard stats such as attack, speed, HP, defense and whatnot, but in addition to that, there are items/equipment that you can carry into battle. Normally, many RPGs allow items to be used in combat, but this game handles the whole item system differently than most games. For one thing, you can only take a limited number of items in your inventory into combat, and that includes your weaponry. Second, every item, including your weapons, has a limited number of uses before they become essentially nonexistent, and lastly, the only way to improve your characters' stats is to make frequent use of any item a particular character is capable of using effectively (some items/weapons have additional power/effects if used by certain characters). While items do have limited uses, and they must be used to strengthen your characters, the game allows for a way around wasting your equipment in insignificant fights by allowing "Training Mode," which allows you to choose from three sets of enemies and gives your equipment unlimited uses so you can train without wasting equipment that you may prefer to use on bosses or more annoying enemies. Every item in your inventory, as stated before, can be used by anyone, but certain characters can use certain items in different ways, allowing for more freedom in deciding what items to bring by making the choices less difficult. While one character may use a staff to cast magic, which is essentially attacking, another character may use it to heal another character or the party. Other, less weapon-oriented, items can also serve multiple purposes, with some items traditionally used for healing purposes also serving as an additional method of attack/magic for some characters, preventing you from heading into despair if you run out of uses for a certain character's weapon. Fortunately, at least one item in the game is completely indestructible, and it is practically the first item you get in the game, so you never have to worry about not having a method of attack, though, unfortunately, the other characters can barely use it. After a character has used a weapon a sufficient number of times (enough for a stat boost from the item), that character unlocks a secondary ability (called an OverSkill) for that weapon that is usually more powerful and useful than the original use the item had. And fortunately, even if you do come face to face with an enemy who you feel unprepared to fight against (excluding bosses, of course), you are usually given the option to retreat from the enemy to explore more of the world in case you were hoping to find another item lingering around somewhere. Also, should you get a Game Over, the game gives you the option to fight the enemy/enemies again with lowered stats. ![]() Exploring the world is also an interesting experience. Instead of simply walking around aimlessly in circles with the directional pads, you are forced to explore the world with a "Point System." Basically, depending on how well you defeat enemies outside of training mode, you are awarded points, the more points you have, the more you are able to explore, meaning you can obtain more items or access hidden areas in the game. If you run out of points, however, you are basically forced to move forward and continue the story, effectively making you plan out your actions and either use logic or luck to enter specific areas or acquire certain items. Also, if you are familiar with the "Dating Sim" type of game, this game has some elements of that, as certain actions you take and things you say will affect how the other characters see you, though that doesn't really impact gameplay too much. Overall, the game can prove to be quite the challenge if one doesn't take the time to utilize "Training Mode" effectively, but otherwise the gameplay is solid, and provides a highly enjoyable, if challenging, experience, and never be afraid to use your points exploring. Sure, there are some instances in the game where you can use one of your "Trigger Points," as they're called in the game, and receive nothing in return, but the reward typically outweighs the cost. If you want to succeed in this game, you have to be willing to gamble a bit and throw the dice onto the table to see how your luck turns out (Gambling Joke. Hurr.). ________________ Graphics: ________________ I don't know why, I think it's probably the direction your characters and the enemies are facing during combat, but I always think of Super Mario RPG whenever I play this game, though there are really no similarities between the two other than that. Anyway, the art style for the game is something I really enjoy; the character art in particular happens to have one of my favorite styles, with only the sequel and Kingdom Hearts/ The World Ends With You being around the same rank in my eyes (at least for video game character art), and all the main characters have some fairly interesting costumes, at least in my opinion. The scenery for the game is also really pleasant to look at, with lighting and other color effects being used rather appropriately and with great effect instead of just being a nuisance, as it happens to be in quite a few game I've played. While the in game character and enemy sprites aren't very detailed, I feel that adds to part of the charm of the game. The sprites don't contrast with the detailed backgrounds and scenery, and that is what matters, and really, all of the differing types of video game art (sprites, detailed backgrounds, and manga-style character art) seem to come together naturally during combat. ![]() ________________ Music/Sound: ________________ The music for the game breaches a wide variety of musical genres, but seems to favor orchestral or somewhat electronic pieces, or a blend between the two, with some of the orchestrated compositions in the game reminding me of Final Fantasy Tactics (which has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time), and the electronic/rock pieces often made me think of the Star Ocean series or Tales of Symphonia. The music is fairly memorable and while it does seem similar to works in other games, it always manages to differentiate itself from those other, similar-sounding, games with a style it can call its own. The music never detracts from the atmosphere or takes away from the plot by being overzealous or unfitting, and the battle themes (especially the regular boss theme), at least in my opinion, come out as musically superior to the ones listed earlier, except maybe one from both Star Ocean 3 and Tales Of Symphonia. The PSP version of the game features full voice acting, while the GBA version only has limited voice acting from what I hear. The character's voices are likable and fitting, and no character had a voice that irritated me in the slightest, except maybe the fairies, but I may just be confusing them with another game. I'm pretty sure the faries had very high-pitched voices, though. The sound design is also respectable and doesn't detract from the gameplay as well, which is always a good thing. Overall, the music, sound design, and voice acting is great for the game, especially when considering the fact that's its a portable game, and the fact that portable games aren't really as focused on in the music department by game development companies, at least from what I've heard in all my years playing portable games. ![]() ________________ Story: ________________ The story, while making use of a rather overused cliche, also manages to be quite superb for a portable game. You start the game out as a Grim Angel (essentially an angel-turned-reaper) named Ein, accompanied by fellow Grim Angel Ledah, and you are initially presented with the task of preventing Heaven from being corrupted by the increasing presence of demons by activating the Retribution, which would purify the land of Riviera of demons while destroying it in the process, enabling it to be rebuilt anew. Unfortunately, something occurs and Ein is left without his memory (one of the cliches) and accompanies his new friends as they travel to defeat the evil creatures who threaten to destroy the land, creatures known as the Accursed. While that is not nearly half the story, I'd rather not spoil anything else. The story itself draws from many different mythologies, with Norse being the most prominent if you pay attention to character, item, and location names, and while you may have heard many of the names before (Yggdrasil and Ragnarok, to name a couple), the game manages to deviate itself from other significant titles that have used similar subjects to create its very own, unique, story. This RPG is also rather unusual due to its very small (at least to me) number of main characters (only nine or ten characters have significant impact on the story, and half of those are the characters you control), and due to that, the characters' personalities are very well developed (especially if you trigger specific events with your Trigger Points), and character motivations are not very difficult to understand. ________________ Overall/Lifetime: ________________ Due to things such as alternate endings and miss-able items, the game does have some replay value, and when I first played this game about a year or two ago, it was practically the only game I played for the entire two weeks I spent playing it. The game never really felt boring, and due to several factors, such as the limited number of uses for items and the limited number of Trigger Points, I always felt a rush of joy when a gamble managed to pay off or when I finally overcame a powerful foe. In some areas where you also have a limited number of time, I reveled when I noticed just how much I had improved, planning-wise, when it came to the game. Overall, the game is a delightful experience, and is most certainly one of the best portable RPGs out there, and due to the fact that it is portable, it is also cheaper than most console RPGs, so the game is a really great deal for it's price. I would strongly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys RPGs and owned a PSP or a GBA. ![]() Gameplay: 4/5 Graphics: 4/5 Music/Sound: 4/5 Story: 4/5 Overall: 4/5 |
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| Arayvenn | Jul 21 2010, 11:05 AM Post #2 |
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Stirred, not shaken.
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PSP and GBA? Seems like it would be on the DS around then. Anyways. I really want this game now. I've been looking for a decent RPG for some time now, and I've never played let alone heard of this one. I'll see if I can get my hands on it, thanks for the review. |
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| Mr. Fievel | Jul 21 2010, 11:12 AM Post #3 |
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Shaken, not stirred.
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The PSP version is an update of the GBA version, which is an update of the Wonderswan Color version, which was the original, but I didn't include that in the review because there are supposedly significant differences in terms of artwork, music, and design. Anyway, it's a pretty solid RPG. I think it was done well, but I've heard people complain about the difficulty of every game in the series. I personally didn't find it that hard, so long as you remember to train whenever possible. |
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2:25 PM Jul 11