This game is quite the fan darling. And for good reason! I almost missed out on playing this. Not only was this never released in Europe, it had a very limited release, from what I recall. My dad managed to get me one of the last copies of this game from PlayAsia for Christmas a couple of years ago. It was such a nice gift.
RADIANT HISTORIA
I know for a fact that most people here are familiar with this game, so this will probably be pretty short. This game is an amazing throwback to SNES-era RPGs. Its time-travel story is phenomenally well-written, the character artwork is stunning, and the battle system is very engaging and strategic, as each attack you use moves the enemies around the field in one way or another, making you really think things through when you battle. Ooh, and you get to play around with turn order. That’s always fun. And also, one of the central themes is love (or as I like to refer to it, the four loves, borrowing from Lewis, just so you guys don’t get the impression that I’m talking solely about romantic love here) yet again. See a pattern yet?
Yes, the world map is pretty small. Yes, there is a lot of backtracking. Yes, you often need to replay scenes making it very repetitive. But really, with a story and setting this consistent and well-executed, it doesn’t matter. Your characters and the plot more than make up for any of the story’s shortcomings.
Ooh boy, don't ebem get me sarted on how much I love her
The music is nothing short of amazing, which is to be expected, considering it’s Yoko Shimomura we’re talking about. Though smaller and more subdued than some of her best-known works, the soundtrack certainly does a great job in helping create an unforgettable experience.
Now, the story does little to really take the genre off its rails and revolutionize JRPG story tropes. But I think, as I believe Jesu Otaku put it when describing Vision of Escaflowne, there’s something to be said when a story does nothing new but does what it does so well that it really does leave you immensely satisfied. Radiant Historia may not be the most revolutionary RPG ever. But damn, if it isn’t a beautiful one.
