I can't wait to hear your opinions on FFIX and P3P.
I can't wait to hear your opinions on FFIX and P3P.
I can already tell you I adore Final Fantasy IX (this is going to be like my 12th playthrough or so) but it is my first time playing any Persona game thanks to Fynn pushing it on meOriginally Posted by FFIX Choco Boy
He's like a drug pusher but with Persona
Number...Number 1? YOU'RE GOOD PEOPLE!
Story:
The Guided Fate Paradox is the story of a young boy named Renya who becomes God by drawing the winning ticket at a mall lottery. There he meets some Angels in a place called Celestia, where he is told about the Fate Revolution Circuit. The Fate Revolution Circuit is a powerful device that allows God to grant wishes chosen by his Angels. The Circuit can cross in to different dimensions, and once the wish has been chosen, Renya will have to grant the wishes of believers such as Cinderella, a zombie, a mermaid, and many others. What if he just wants to quit and go back to normal life? He will be devoured.
Gameplay:
There are 10 chapters in this game, and most of the gameplay takes place inside of the Fate Revolution Circuit. Each chapter brings you to a new battle map, and each map has a different gimmick to it. Whether it be that you're on platforms that move every few turns, or in a level where you need to shoot yourself out of cannons to move around. Because of this, the battle maps are very diverse. Each area contains 10 floors to go through, with the boss fight being on the 10th floor.
When on the battle map, you move Renya by square. When he moves or acts, so do the enemies. They will not move or act if he does not. You attack enemies in front of you by pressing X. As you go through levels, you will gain battle equipment. Not only does this improve your stats, but it also affects which skills can be used. Each equipment type comes with one skill that can be used only while it is equipped. Using the equipment will build up its "Bust" meter. One a piece of equipment is in "Burst" status, it will no longer be as effective unless upgraded at a shop. So the best thing to do is switch to a new piece of battle equipment.
During battle you have to keep track of HP, which is your health, SP, which allows the use of skills, and EN, which is your energy. Energy is depleted by moving and taking certain actions and once depleted your HP will begin to drain. You also have your guardian angel, Liliel, accompany you in dungeons, except for during boss fights. Later on you can use other angels. Levels are not retained once you leave a dungeon, meaning you start back at level 1 each time, but you do gain stat increases from every level gained, meaning you will be a stronger level 1. You also gain access to a way to increase your character stats by placing panels on a board. If you lose in a dungeon, you will lose all items and half of your money and have to start over from the 1st floor of the dungeon. Note that you cannot leave the dungeon without a certain item called an "Exit" or by dying until the 10 levels are complete. The exceptions are the beginning chapters where they give you a break halfway through.
World:
The main area is rather small, although pretty, but the different battle maps (where most of the game is spent) are very diverse. Each area brings something new to the table to challenge players and keep things fresh. Each area has a different gimmick and a whole different environment that makes things more exciting. When not in battle, you can buy items, put some funds in the bank, do some special things with equipment, talk to the angels, upgrade your stats, and a few other things in your headquarters of Celestia.
Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite
fKuxsXq.pngLiliel: Renya's personal guardian angel who will accompany you for a lot of the game. She is a rookie angel who often consults her handy dandy manual to better serve Renya. Fiercely loyal and sweet.
4TSIulQ.pngKuroiel: Another new angel, she is very good at cooking and makes some excellent tea. But she worries she doesn't contribute much. She's spunky and kind.
Pmme035.pngRenya: The hero of our story, he was chosen to be God after picking a winning ticket at a mall lottery. A bit clueless but he works his hardest for the people who's fates he guides to fulfill their wishes.
dWltn1L.pngCheriel: A former devil who became an angel. She is very sexual and makes inappropriate remarks quite often, but she's an intelligent woman who knows what's going on.
VMx2Gbx.pngNeliel: A shut in angel who doesn't leave her room, she works very well with computers and does a lot behind the scenes.
rvuIOdH.pngGaltion: One of the two male angels, he's very welcoming and helpful to Renya when he needs to be.
YAecuLf.pngRakiel: One of the strongest angels, he is very cold and distant due to some events in his past.
jEc8mcl.pngLanael: A sweet looking girl with a dark side, she makes up many fake second names for herself and switches personalities when it suits her.
Overall:
I'm going to start by saying that this game is hard. Really hard. It was a bit too difficult for my liking, but if you like a challenge it might be right up your alley. The story is interesting, there are some great scenes, and I loved seeing what the newest world would look like and who the new believer would be. With that being said, some dialogue was cringe-worthy and uncomfortable, and I found my interest waning the further in I got. It also has a sense of humour to it, but the overall story takes a more serious turn. If you like this game, it now has a sequel called The Awakened Fate Ultimatum! Overall I had fun and there were some great characters, something I really enjoy. It very was fun, but very challenging.
Verdict:
LIKED IT
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club comes in two flavours. The original and the westernized versions. Both are in English, but the Westernized version changes the names to English names, as well as some Japanese references. You can play the game both ways and use the same save files, so feel free to try out both versions and see what you think.
Our hero, Mairu/Miley (Japanese and Westernized names respectively), wants to start a Comedy Club at her High School. She is quite the comedy lover! She has herself and her best friend Hoemi/Harriet all signed up to go, and she's pumped. But her old friend/current rival brings her some bad news. Official clubs need AT LEAST 5 members to receive funding and be recognized. And this all needs to be complete by May 1st. And it's the end of March!
The goal of the game is to get at least 3 people to join your comedy group of the 6 potential recruits. How do you do that? By spending time with them and discussing different topics! The days in this game are broken up in to 3 sections: morning, afternoon, and evening. After a little while you'll be returning to school and your days will be lunch hour, after school, and evenings. Certain actions will move the day to the next section. During spring break, mornings and afternoons can be spent talking to potential recruits, shopping, exploring, doing homework, and improving skills. Afternoons can also be spent cleaning the shrine for some extra pocket money. Once school starts you can spend your lunches improving certain skills or chit chatting with some recruits. Evenings are the only time you can save, and you do so by speaking to Hoemi/Harriet in your dorm room. You can also make jewelry for extra money, read magazines you've purchased for a skill boost, resting to refresh yourself, do homework, or call recruits to chat for extra points once you've reached level 2 friendship and they've given you their number. A recruit must be at level 5 to join your club!
Skills are what you talk to recruits about for big friendship boosts. Each character will have things they like (or even love) discussing and things that make for awkward conversation. Make sure to pay attention so you don't end up wasting time! Skills can be improved a number of ways. One is by buying a magazine and reading it in the evening. You can also read magazines in the school library. You can watch a movie, find random magazines on the ground, go to an art exhibit, among other things to increase your skills. The higher the skill the more points will go towards the friendship when discussed.
Another aspect to the game is managing your energy and homework. Energy is pretty easy to manage if you don't push yourself and can be replenished by going to bed early, using items, or by giving it time as long as you don't keep pushing yourself. You'll also have several homework assignments to do, represented by little pencils on your status screen. By opening the menu (press X on your keyboard) you can see more info about your recruits and check your skill levels and items. Certain days will also have special scenes to them and when a friendship level increases you'll get a scene with that particular character.
Skills carry over to a new game, so if you want you can spend one playthrough improving skills and the next working to recruit the characters. Remember, you need at least 3, but the bold player can try and get all 6!
Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite:
TAOCa6S.pngHoemi/Harriet: Mairu/Miley's best friend and roommate at the dorm. She's very sweet and kind, she's good at cooking, she's selfless and attractive, and everyone seems to notice what a stand up lady she is except for Mairu/Miley!
nBDuXkl.pngAmane/May: A sweet young girl who is a lot on the naive side. But she's a hard worker and helps work at the candy store her grandparents own to help out with some family financial troubles. A childhood friend of Mairu/Miley.
GUGipHY.pngYoriko/Sara: A transfer student who stays at the same dorm as Mairu/Miley and Hoemi/Harriet. She's very shy and soft spoken. She's not sure what she wants to do yet and is trying to figure it out. She has a pet dog whom she loves.
Jpl36Q4.pngMiley/Mairu: Heroine to the story and comedy lover. She's very outgoing and jokes around with everyone about everything. This can make her seem immature, but she has some hidden layers to her.
1sFlkQI.pngRavian/Vivian: In the original she is a transfer student from Canada. In the Westernized version she is from Sweden. Very bubbly and enthusiastic.
3FsdK7Q.pngShinnosuke/Curtis: Son of a famous comedian and popular with the ladies. He acts aloof and like he doesn't care about comedy, but his words and actions say otherwise!
R0vKPe4.pngHaru/Cindy: Childhood friend of Mairu/Miley. She turned punk and is now in a band and has a very aggressive attitude which scares some. She's having some hard times at home.
C668tsv.pngYoshiki/Tyler: Obsessed with celebrities, he keeps files and records on every girl in town in case she becomes famous one day!
There are a few other characters, but I wanted to focus on the main two and our recruits!
Overall I was really excited about this game when I first got it. It has a few elements I like such as a more laid back environment, a large cast of female characters, and a fun sense of humour. And while I can say those things are big points for the game, overall I found myself disappointed. It's rather short, which is actually a positive thing because it's not that fun. It gets boring and repetitive very quickly and it just isn't all that engaging. I did like the protagonist and a lot of the characters, but there wasn't enough done with them to keep me excited about the game. Still, it's worth it if you're looking for something along the lines of a dating sim and you want something short and sweet.
Verdict:
MEH
Note to self: Read this review when I'm a little more sober. It looks really interesting. Also: Thank you, Pumpkin, for introducing me to a lot of good games I wouldn't know otherwise.
Love it, don't know how I missed this. Characters are one of my favorite parts of a game too.
Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!! (PlayStation 3)
Note that I did not add the extra 5 exclamation points out of excitement, it's actually in the title!
Arcana Heart 3: Love Max!!!!! is an all-female 2D fighting game with 23 total playable characters. There is a story, but being a fighting game, it isn't the main focus. The story revolves around an institute called the Drexler Institute, an evil organization disguising themselves as something different. Dimensional rifts are being opened all across Japan and suddenly there's a giant robot trying to destroy Japan, an obsessive brainwashed girl, and a whole bunch of ladies being dispatched to figure out what the heck is going on and stop it.
There are several different play modes in this game. The first is 'Story' where you guide a character through their version of the happenings, always ending with fighting the giant robot boss and destroying it's 5 crystals in 60 seconds. 'After Story' is a secondary story mode following the characters searching for a mysterious hot spring connected to some even more mysterious gems. In 'Survival Score Attack' you will try to defeat each character with your health carrying over each fight. 'Time Attack' has you trying to defeat your opponents in the least amount of time possible. 'Trial' mode gives you specific tasks to accomplish each mission.
You can also play against other players in 'Versus' or sign in to the PlayStation Network for online combat. There is also 'Training' to practice your fighting skills, and a 'Gallery' mode. In gallery mode, you can watch through individual character stories and sub-stories to learn more about them. They play out largely visual novel style, and sometimes you'll be prompted to make decisions, but occasionally you'll have to fight. Gallery stories can be unlocked by playing different sections of the game.
Since this is a fighting game, the main focus is on fighting. The game offers you 19 colour swaps for each character and the option to turn on link animations. Link animations give your characters on the side panels more variety and movement, whereas if the link animation is off, they will mostly stay the regular portraits with few exceptions. This doesn't make a big difference in gameplay, just a personal preference. The game also gives you several difficulty settings, available in options, for different play styles. You can also add or remove rounds to a fight (meaning you can fight only once per fight, or do two rounds, or more) and you can increase or decrease the available time limit.
The player also has an option for controls, either 'Normal' or 'Simple'. In both modes, the X button results in homing, or moving in on the opponent. In normal mode, the square button is used for a weak attack, the triangle button for a medium attack, the O for a strong attack, with the R1 used for an arcana attack. In simple mode, square is a regular attack, triangle is a special attack, O is an arcana attack, and R2 results in the huge arcana attack. Regular mode generally allows for more combos while simple mode makes it easier to use more complicated attacks. I prefer simple mode, but it's personal preference.
In this game, on top of 23 playable characters, you have 23 arcana to choose from. Arcana will determine what type of arcana attacks can be used (either through R1 in normal mode or O in simple mode). Most are separated by element and in simple mode, you will always be stuck with their default arcana. In regular mode however, you can choose whichever arcana you'd like. You also have a Force Gauge and an Arcana Guage which will allow you to perform special moves.
Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite:
7w9gwOl.pngKonoha: A young ninja who became the retainer of Kamui, a woman she highly respects, admires, and loves. She is a swift character and her default arcana is the arcana of nature.
0KTx6tO.pngEko: A girl with mysterious powers, one of her drawings came to life and his name is Kazu and he is quite the gentleman. Eko is generally carefree and fights mainly using Kazu. Her default arcana is the arcana of luck.
hnyRgfT.pngFiona: A girl who was sucked in to the spirit plane by accident and wants to become a human again. She uses a giant sword and is very slow, but hits hard. She is quite the crybaby, she apologizes a lot, and her default arcana is the arcana of metal.
3qDoVwm.pngKamui: Known as the Millennial Guardian, she awakens whenever the regular and spirit worlds are in trouble and goes back to sleep afterwards. Konoha has been made her retainer and she loves the young girl quite a bit. She uses a sword in battle and has a lot of counter strikes. She's serious, but kind and her default arcana is the arcana of time.
ndQMswi.pngPetra: One of the heads of the Celestial Union, she's dedicated to stoping the Drexler Institute. She's very serious, hard working, and doesn't often let her guard down. She fights with what seem to be laser guns and her default arcana is the holy arcana.
LhTbMO0.pngHeart: The character the series is named after, she is incredibly kind hearted, loving, caring, upbeat, and positive. She believes in helping all those in need. She has a lot of heart based attacks, a heart cowlick, and her default arcana is the arcana of love.
e88Evq6.pngCatherine: A genius girl who built herself a giant robot which she fights with, she wears her heart on her sleeve, she's playful, and she likes to tease. She's a heavy hitter and a huge target and her default arcana is the arcana of magnetism.
uR5gYQh.pngClarice: A demon nun with horrible mood swings and desperate crush on Elsa, she's very self-focused. She has a variety of attacks and is a well rounded character. Her default arcana is the arcana of sin.
hB2oYur.pngMaori: A shrine maiden whose family has been dealing with the spiritual plane for generations. She's kind and sweet and level-headed. In battle she uses a yo-yo and can also summon her sisters to aid her. Her default arcana is the arcana of earth.
zKRPgWn.pngElsa: A hard working nun who works under Petra in the celestial union, she's friendly and outgoing, but also a hard worker. She fights with a cross in battle and her default arcana is the arcana of punishment.
PmgxYIC.pngAkane: Smothering older sister to Nazuna, whose family aids the Mellennial Guardian. She's very carefree and lazy, but loves her sister very much. She has a lot of energy, she uses a lot of kicks, and her default arcana is the arcana of sound.
eYEWrzV.pngDorothy: A young magician, she's always upbeat and cheerful, but a hard worker as well. She has a lot of tricks up her sleeves in battle and can use giant cards against her opponent. Her default arcana is the arcana of mirrors.
t8999Hx.pngAngelia: A girl from the spiritual plane, she's very cranky, snarky, and has a serious mean streak. In battle she fights with her halo and is fast and good with cornered opponents. Her default arcana is her sister, the arcana of light.
h7FVKaT.pngKira: A super-genius little girl, she's very bitter and jaded and wants to take over the world. In battle she uses a giant water blob which she constantly swims in to help her fight. She's a heavy hitter and good at throws. Her default arcana is the arcana of water.
FZ9UKyb.pngSaki: Heart's best friend, although she seems to wish it were more. She's a serious girl, a serious student, and just... overall serious. She uses a lot of kicks in battle and is very quick. Her default arcana is the arcana of thunder.
JzOMRXv.pngLilica: A half-demon girl with magical motorized roller-blades, she's snarky and sarcastic and loves teasing people. She's very quick in battle and can speed around with ease. Her default arcana is the arcana of wind.
WtWcDr0.pngWeiss: A valkyrie who was rescued by Petra after being created by the Drexler Institute. She's very serious and has a hard time being more casual and speaking normally. She has a good number of special attacks and her default arcana is the arcana Tyr.
103aYuy.pngYoriko: A friend of Lilica, she summoned a demon God, Michelangelo, but due to her partial failure they're stuck with one another. She's a shy, quiet bookworm with an interest in the occult. In a fight, Michelangelo doubles as a cane and cape which she can use to attack with. Her default arcana is the arcana of evil.
qb3EQhs.pngNazuna: Akane's little sister and Konoha's rival, she's been trying to take the place as retainer of Kamui, who she strongly admires. She's stubborn, direct, and usually cranky. She uses a staff in fights as well as a wolf and bird. Her default arcana is the arcana of blossoms.
Ji91XiR.pngMei-Fang: A multi-purpose humainoid developed by a scientist named Mei-Ling. She's usually docile and kind, and listens very well to orders. She's swift and agile in battle and her default arcana is the arcana of fire.
jrn3g9u.pngZenia: She works for the Celestial Police Force and has almost no memories to speak of, although she wants that to change. She's very serious and direct. She has sort of a piston arm and uses a lot of punches. Her default arcana is the arcana of ice.
vbm5Vpy.pngLieselotte: A mysterious young girl who sealed away her memories due to trauma. She controls puppets in battle and her default arcana is the arcana of darkness.
xKckqM6.pngScharlachrot: A valkyrie made by the Drexler Institute with strong feelings for Weiss. She's short tempered and aggressive. She uses chains in battle and her default arcana is the arcana Fenrir.
Overall I ended up liking this game much more than I expected. The fanservice is a bit unsettling, but I actually really liked most of the characters and they ended up mostly being kind and interesting. There are a lot of different characters for different play styles and I enjoyed trying them all to see who I would fit best with. I like the simple mode for those not as good at fighting games (like myself) and I liked the character scenes in gallery mode so I could learn more about each character. Overall a solid game with solid characters and I had a lot of fun!
Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT
Fading Hearts is primarily a visual novel, although it can have some RPG aspects to it depending on how you play the story. The story is about a high schooler named Ryou and what initially starts as a sort of love triangle. He has two close friends, Rina and Claire, and Rina is well known to have feelings for him. Sadly, he doesn't feel the same way. He does have feelings for Claire though, but she's already with someone and keeps pushing him towards Rina. Things take a turn for the worst when he learns that Claire's boyfriend may be abusing her.
If that wasn't enough, he starts zoning out and having dreams about a knight from a past life who used magic. Shortly afterwards, Ryou discovers he actually can use magic! He also goes in to the forest where shadow monsters dwell and meets a mysterious magical girl named Mystica. But who is she really and what's really going on?
Those two sections serve as the two main story points in the game, and you can choose to focus on both or on either one. The first one plays out in typical visual novel style, while the second incorporates some RPG gameplay. If you choose that route, you can read manga, which can be purchased at the Cosplay Cafe or via Internet shopping, and some issues will teach Ryou new magical spells. You can then wander in to the woods and fight shadow monsters and gain experience and level up. You might even learn more about Mystica.
Whether you choose to explore the fantasy section or not, there are a few other aspects to the game. The first is a dating sim aspect. During your free time, you'll have a few options. You can call people to make plans for the next day, you can work, you can read manga, you can go hang out at the Cosplay Cafe or the Bubble Tea restaurant, you can rest, or a few other things. If you choose to work, you'll receive points towards certain aspects of different companies, which will give you more money come payday. You'll get paid whether you work or not, but this will increase your earnings.
There are a few stats to keep track of. PS is personal strength and it affects what options you have in your social interactions. This can be refilled by spending time talking to different people and hanging out with them. Your max PS will sometimes be increased when you get a vision, which happens during certain scenes or sometimes while exploring the forest. Your PS is lowered by avoiding social contact, like staying cooped up in your house too much, for example. You also have stress which is raised by doing a few things like working too much and can be restored by resting or relaxing. If you pursue the RPG gameplay, you also have HP and such to keep track of as well!
The game has dates that go by, and everyday you'll be able to do some stuff, like socialize or read or work. School days will give you the afternoons and evenings and weekends will give you three sections of the day instead of just two. There's a good bit of time to do what you need to do and pursue several different aspects of the game.
Although this is a visual novel, it's very choice heavy with scenes thrown in here and there. You'll be making a lot of decisions instead of just reading. There are multiple endings, some good and some bad, although I've heard it can be hard to get them all because the game has a random factor that affects things like when your magic becomes available to you.
Characters:
In no particular order
4GG0mQD.pngRyou: Our protagonist, a high school boy who starts having visions and develops magical powers. He is the object or Rina's affection, and has feelings for his friend Claire.
BR39nK4.pngClaire: Ryou's friend since forever who he has feelings for. She's very outgoing and likes to tease him. She has an older boyfriend from another town who is rumored to be abusive towards her.
39GNFh7.pngRina, Ryou's childhood friend, she's incredibly smart and very sweet, never speaking badly about anyone. She's had a long time crush on Ryou and lately she seems to have something strange going on.
nJK8eLe.pngSophie: An investigative journalist who first warns Ryou that something may be amiss with his friends. She's nosy and blunt but is a generally good source of information.
4Gm15Ao.pngAlex: An otaku who plays a lot of video games and frequents the Cosplay Cafe, he also drags Ryou in to that stuff, although Ryou is never quite as enthusiastic. Has a mysterious past.
n19GWUV.pngTracy: A waitress at the Cosplay Caf who plays up the 'Maid' trope. She's very kind and likes seeing Alex and Ryou around.
6hKNToe.pngMystica: A mysterious magical girl who protects the city from shadow monsters and warns Ryou to stay away since she can't do it properly if she's stuck watching him too!
4GG0mQD.pngMeta-Ryou: Ryou from the future who gives you clues and hints sometimes, although he stays pretty vague.
Overall it was pretty solid. The characters were interesting, it poked fun at itself, and I liked the protagonist. I also liked that you could take the game in different directions. On the downside, it could get repetitive and sometimes there would be long stretches with very little in the way or scenes or story advancement. I've played it twice now and both times were fun, but not the most exciting.
Verdict:
IT WAS OKAY
Hmm, sounds interesting. Especially with how you can basically choose what kind of game you're playing. I might give that one a try.
Ahaha that sounds great. I usually love that kind of thing.Meta-Ryou: Ryou from the future who gives you clues and hints sometimes, although he stays pretty vague.
This game is a rerelease of Atelier Rorona for the PlayStation 3. I haven't played the original, so I can't comment on the changes or improvements.
Story:
This is a story about a young girl named Rorolina, or Rorona for short. She works at an alchemy Atelier with her master, Astrid. But because Astrid is so lazy and generally disliked by the people, as well as because of the greed of certain figures, the Atelier is at risk of being shut down! This doesn't bode well for Rorona, who is indebted to her master for healing her sick mother. If Astrid packs up and leaves, Rorona will have to follow suit. But there is a silver lining. Over the next 3 years, she must complete 12 assignments given to her by the castle to show them that alchemy can benefit their kingdom and that the Atelier should not be shut down. However, Astrid decides that this should be Rorona's responsibility, so she has to make it work somehow.
Gameplay:
Atelier Rorona is kind of a mixture of time management and RPG. Every 3 months or so (generally about 89 days), you'll be given an assignment to fulfill. These generally take the form of synthesizing a certain item at the Atelier, but sometimes involves gathering certain items on the field, or fighting certain enemies. Once you report the assignment, you will be given a rank of up to 10 stars. You need a minimum of 3 stars to not be shut down, but it's better to aim for the most possible. For most assignments you can come back and report more and more of the item(s) and keep gaining stars until the time limit is up. Aside from the main mission, there are also side goals to do. Each month differs, but it ranges from fighting a certain strong foe, completely exploring an area, or synthesizing an item with a certain trait to it. When you complete one of these goals, you'll receive a stamp for a bingo style card, and once you fill a line, you'll receive a prize. So if you have time leftover after your main goal, you can try for some prizes with your remaining time!
A big part of the game is alchemy. Alchemy allows you to synthesize items. You can synthesize everything from food to accessories to healing and attack items. You can even synthesize ingredients for better items, or special items that have positive effects such as traveling faster. To synthesize an item, you'll enter your atelier and use the cauldron. A list will be presented to you of synthesis recipes. Some recipes are higher level than others, and you may need to improve your level before it will be successful. It will show you a percentage of success, so you can judge if you want to go through with it. From there you will decide how many you want to make, and select the ingredients. Better quality ingredients will lead to a better quality item. You can also select traits to add to your item as well. Synthesis takes up days, how many days depends on how many and which items you're making.
Aside from synthesis, you can also go out in to the world map to gather ingredients and fight enemies. Battle is typical turn based RPG. You'll see a turn order on the screen and when a characters turn comes up, you'll select an action such as attack or skill. Rorona is the only one who can use items though, so make sure to pack her healing and attack items when you go out. You can have two allies accompany her when she travels, but in this game party members must be hired by paying a fee. The fee varies by character. There's also a support gauge that builds as you take certain actions, and this can allow an ally to guard Rorona from an attack, or to join in on certain attacks for extra damage.
When traveling the world map, you'll select an area on the map and Rorona will go to that area. Each area has a number of days to get there and get back. Once at an area, you'll explore different maps, each which consume a number of days, regardless of your actions. So you might as well do everything you can in that map to get your time's worth!
Aside from those main aspects there are a few other things you can do, such as buy new alchemic books, do requests to increase popularity (which is important), do character requests to increase your friendship with party members, and even dress up Rorona in DLC costumes or unlockables if you have save data from the other PS3 games in the series. You'll also gain access to a helper of sorts later on who will help you make items and gather ingredients. There are multiple endings depending on how well you did your job and how much the people like you, as well as a few other factors. The game is relatively short, amking it easier to replay and aim for better endings.
World:
The world has a range of different locations to explore, as well as discoveries within those areas that make you use your synthesis to get to them. There's a wide range of different locations, from forests to lakes, and some of them are quite interesting and impressive. Travel takes a certain amount of days and each area has submaps in them to explore, which also consume a number of days.
Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite:
JFFM7HG.pngLionela: Lionela travels the world as a street performer with her two "puppets". She's almost criminally shy and a bit ditzy but she has a big heart. She uses magic bracelets and she can heal as well as do certain ice skills, as well as a few status buffs.
TKk5FX7.pngSterkenburg: A knight with people's best interests at heart, however he comes across as a bit cold and scary. He's very serious about his duties. He has a number of offensive skills and uses swords.
V4gg4jq.pngRorona: A young alchemist who is forced to try to keep her master's Atelier open through hard work and synthesis. She's a bit ditzy and naive, but she's generally got her heart in the right place. She uses staves and is the only character who can use items in battle.
eLYf5kO.pngIksel: A friend of Rorona's who owns a cafe, he really enjoys cooking. He's a bit hot headed. He uses pans in battle and has a number of buffs as well as healing.
YsXSo9C.pngGio: A mysterious man who tries to replay Rorona because she covered his bill once, he's shown to be a very powerful warrior. He uses swords and has a number of attack and buff skills.
Ru1PrHk.pngCordelia: Rorona's best friend and part of nobility. She's a bit stuck up and spoiled and she tries hard to hide how much she cares about Rorona, but she's sweet when she shows it. She uses a gun in battle.
l9x34D8.pngAstrid: Rorona's alchemy master, she's rude and blunt and likes to bother people. She's also lazy and generally disliked, but she's very intelligent and a brilliant alchemist. She can join in battle for a heafty sum and has a number of buffs.
LVpQIw2.png"Tantris": A mysterious bard man who's father is actually involved in some of the events behind the scenes. He uses gloves and has attack and buff spells.
Overall:
I enjoyed this game much more than I was expecting and found it easier than the other two Arland Atelier games because of how it's segmented. The characters were overall interesting, although it was odd having to pay my party members. I enjoyed Rorona as a protagonist although I think she shines more in Atelier Totori, the sequel. Overall it was a good fun game and I had a lot of fun!
Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT
This game is a remake of Tales of Hearts which was never officially translated in to English, but I have not played that version so I cannot make any comparisons. While the game has English subtitles, the voice acting remains in Japanese and there are clearly some changes that have been made. Voice acting can be turned off though if it's bothersome.
Story:
In this game, people have things known as 'Spirias', which are hearts of sorts and govern emotions. Sometimes a person comes down with a case of despair, meaning something bad is happening with their Spirias. Certain people possess things called 'Somas'. Somas take the form of weapons, differing depending on the wielder, and those in possession of a Soma can perform a 'Spiria Link' in to those with despair in order to cure them.
We start the game with our hero, Kor Meteor, training with his grandfather. But when his grandfather leaves in order to cure someone of despair, he finds a mysterious young girl, Kohaku Hearts, and her brother, Hisui, on the run from a witch who seems to be trying to kill them. The witch catches up with them and does something to Kohaku's Spiria, so Kor enters to try and cure her. Inside her Spiria he finds a girl with emerald hair. But things go horribly wrong and Kohaku's Spiria shatters to all corners of the world. She only has one fragment left, Kindness. Kor and Hisui make it their mission to find all the shards of her Spiria Core and return her to the girl she once was.
Gameplay:
Anyone who has played a 3D Tales game is probably familiar with the battle system. This game is an RPG, and encounters are random. In battle, you take control of one of 4 characters (with eight playable total). By pressing X you will attack the enemy, pressing O will use and art, Square will guard, and Triangle will open the menu where you can do such things as flee or use items. Arts use up TP, which is restored by attacking, using items, cooking, or by completing a battle. You'll also gain a limit bar or sorts that when pressing L1+ a directional arrow, will increase your power and allow you to perform special attacks later in the game.
Abilities are learned through the Somas option. When a character levels up, they will receive a certain amount of points. Points are then distributed in to one of 5 categories. Once the appropriate number of points has been allocated (it will tell you how many you need) you will learn the corresponding ability, skill, stat bonus, or even gain new weapons. By allocating points, your stats will also increase in certain categories. This is the only way to get new weapons. Points can be distributed however you like and at certain points in the game, the Somas will expand, allowing you to learn more from those 5 categories. You can also set strategies for how your party will fight, and you can do this in little detail, or buy purchasing commands for them at stores and setting them very detailed. You can also set skills, such as allowing more TP to be restored after battle, or having spells cast more quickly. Characters can also cook for bonus effects or healing if they have recipes and ingredients.
Eight different arts can be set to the character you're using. One to the O button, one to the O+up directional button, one to the O+down directional button, one to the O+left/right directional buttons, and one to each of the right analogue stick. In battle, characters can also initiate a "chase link" where a blue indicator will appear on an enemy, and if attacked enough, the enemy will be stunned. You can then attack him freely and also perform a combo by tapping on the portrait of a glowing character. The 3 characters who accompany you in battle but are not controlled directly can also have certain commands assigned to them, which you can activate by tapping or swiping their portrait.
there are a number of sidequests to do, as well as different outfits and accessories for the characters. The game is fairly linear at first but opens up later in the game. You can collect recipes, improve your cooking, watch skits between characters, find namicoins for prizes, play a few mini games, among other things. You can also check the relationship between your characters, improved by scenes, skits, and battle time together, and they'll give you little quotes about the other. There's also a synopsis section if you find yourself forgetting what's going on and is written in the form of a diary by the playable characters.
World:
The world is fairly large with a wide range of locations. You travel on the world map by foot and boat, and later acquire a way to fly, opening up the world map to areas not accessible before. There are towns and dungeons, and dungeons usually involve puzzles to solve them. The first part of the game is linear and doesn't allow for too much exploration, although it does open up later on.
Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite:
bjeJrF1.jpgKohaku: A girl being chased by a mysterious with, she has a woman living in her Spiria. She goes out seeking the aid of Kor's grandfather but is attacked and eventually her Spiria shatters to all corners of the globe. The first part of the game revolves around restoring her emotions. She has a lot of fire elemental spells, she can heal, and kicks like a mule.
DFF6QT8.pngKor: The hero of our journey. A bit slow and naive, having grown up in a small town, but full of energy. He always rushes in head first when someone is in trouble and has vowed to restore Kohaku's Spiria. He uses a sword in battle and is good with Thunder/Lightning elements.
VtCHhnh.pngChalcedony: A member of the Crystal Knights who was ordered to get the Spiria Shards from Kohaku's Spiria, he is very loyal to the Church and very much believes in Knightly Honour. He has a number of spells and can shoot an enemy in the air. He's also a decent healer.
kQgrP5J.jpgBeryl: A young girl who one day wants to become a court painter. She's very brash and not afraid to speak her mind, but holds some insecurities under it all. She's an offensive magic user style of character.
HyqndpJ.jpgGall: A mysterious older man who helps out Kor and Hisui when he sees them struggling with the broken Spiria's Kohaku. He doesn't reveal much about himself, but he's always there to encourage and help the others. He uses an axe/machete combo in battle.
Q30CT9W.jpgHisui: Older brother of Kohaku and very protective of his sister. He's not immediately trusting and very hot-headed but he does what he needs to to help Kohaku. He's an archer character with wind and healing magics.
4nZUXJN.jpgInes: A ridiculously strong woman with a courrier business and a taste for money. She has various water magics. She's business and street smart and a bit ruthless when it comes to what she wants.
kJ3SOyv.jpgKunzite: A mech from ancient times who's mission it is to protect his "master" which seems to be Kohaku! Very analytical and cold.
Overall:
Overall I adored this game from the moment I started playing. The menu screen was beautiful, the main character positive and happy, and the story interesting. The main complaint I have is that the game was very linear for a long time, but other than that I liked the story, characters, world, gameplay. Amazing game and I'm really glad I played it.
Verdict:
LOVED IT
fault milestone one is the first part of the fault series of visual novels. It should be noted that the other parts are not yet released, although milestone two does now have a demo available. If you want to play the complete series, you'll have to wait a while. Also note that there is an occasional graphically violent scene, but they are few and far between. There is no nudity or sexuality of any sort.
fault milestone one is a visual novel that takes place in a fictional world, a world where magic plays a large role. At the beginning of the story, we see a city being burned to the ground by some mysterious people. Our heroines are introduced shortly, one is a Princess named Selphine, kind-hearted and sweet, and her personal guard and adept magic user, Ritona.
It isn't long before the girls realize they're fighting a losing battle, so Ritona pulls out some crazy magic and teleports them somewhere. However, they end up somewhere they don't want to be and don't know very well. After wandering around a while they learn that they're on the "outer-pole", a place where magic is scarce and most people don't take kindly to those who use it. Instead, the outer-pole has put a lot of focus on science and development to make due with their lack of magic and the difficulties it has afforded them.
While in the outer-pole, they meet a girl who calls herself "Rune". Rune helps the girls get situated, find some money, and make plans to leave the outer-pole and head for home. Rune is rather mysterious though, and Ritona can't tell at first whether to make heads or tails of the girl. Eventually she grows to trust and even like her. Sadly, things then take a turn for the worst.
The girls meet a man named "Rudo", who speaks of Rune as if she's property. Worse yet, he insists her name is Sara, and that soon she'll be punished for a theft she committed in order to help the girls out. After doing some investigative work, our heroes learn that "Rune" was actually a child who used to live in the village. A hellion of a child who committed many atrocities, such as severely wounding a child and torturing animals before she died. Why is Sara calling herself Rune? Why is she treated like property? These are questions our heroes want to discover and learn as they try to help Sara/Rune out of her punishment. But bad news, if they stay on the outer-pole for too long, their body will go through shock from mana (magic) depletion, and they'll be stuck on the outer-pole forever.
This game is a visual novel, although there is only one choice present in the game as far as I'm aware. Most of the gameplay is simply reading about the adventure. You can of course save, and the game also provides you with an encyclopedia to learn more about the terms, and once you've completed the game you'll get access to a gallery as well as have your new character present on the start up screen. When playing, there will be a menu on the bottom of the screen, which you can access by scrolling over it. This menu allows you to quick save, quick load, view the encyclopedia, and a few other things. By right clicking on the screen at any time, you will gain access to a menu with options and the option to save as well.
Characters:
In no particular order:
9zlLz8G.pngRitona: One of the protagonists, she also serves as the narrator to our story. She's a wise young woman who is highly skilled in many ways and is fiercely loyal to Selphine, her Princess. She serves as more of the serious realist.
P9OFO4H.pngSelphine: A young Princess, she cares deeply about her people and almost everyone she meets. She has many valuable skills and is an excellent people person. Very sweet and caring.
GyauRIH.pngRune(Sara?): A girl the two heroes meet on the outer-pole, she is very helpful to them and does her best to aid them, even stealing something they need despite the consequences. She calls herself Rune, but others say her name is really Sara, and she's called "it" and treated like property.
UiSX4H4.pngRune: A young girl infamous in the town for being a Hell Spawn, she committed many violent acts against others and displayed psychotic behavior. She died before the start of the story.
wXmI910.pngRudo: A man in charge of a very prominent corporation in the advancement of science, he treats Rune/Sara as property. Very short tempered, he lived through some trauma involving his younger sister, Rune.
EsINdJc.pngCid: The now deceased father of Rudo and Rune, he was incredibly influential in the advancement of science on the outer-pole. He was a very passionate man.
hUBLypm.pngEline: Cid's wife and mother of Rudo and Rune, she was very supportive of her husband and a very loving mother, however she was born rather frail and ill.
s2If24g.pngAlbas: Albas helped Cid start up the company and helped with the advancement of science in the outer-pole in place of magic. He serves as second in command to Rudo.
UboK3dR.pngHertzwaan: The town drunk with a good set of skills, good people skills, and a lot of contacts. He knew Cid and has known Albas for a long time.
H4DU5Gi.pngMelano: Indicated to be the big-bad of the story, she is responsible for the attack on Ritona and Selphine's home that forced them to flee.
UbNzfi3.pngKoko: A skilled magician girl who's skills rival Ritona's she is responsible for a lot of the destruction to Selphine and Ritona's homeland. She feels justified doing these things if it protects the ones she cares about.
OCbs6DE.pngMharie: A skilled magician and in league with Koko, she is very quiet due to her speech impediment, but is very skilled.
PCk2jtw.pngSian: Another one of the bad guys along with Koko and co., not much is known about her yet, but she seems very level-headed.
Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect of this story, but it got good reviews so I picked it up. I wasn't very invested at first, but once things start to pick up, I could barely take my eyes away. The story was interesting and engaging, the characters made me care, and it left me guessing. The game does feel a bit amateur, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It just seems a bit less polished than other visual novel's that I've read, but that gives it a certain charm. I am a bit sad that for the price it was only one part and I have to wait for future installments now.
Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT
Last edited by Pumpkin; 06-01-2015 at 06:12 AM.
Ooh, I'd thought of possibly picking this one up! I've been following Sekai Project's localizations ever since they announced CLANNAD, which is how I came to know about it, and it sounded interesting though the incompleteness of it was a bit of a turnoff. Sounds like it's worth looking into. Maybe a bit later this year since fault milestone two is set for a Q4 2015 release.
Always glad to find new visual novels that are worth a read
This version is a remake of Persona 3, with a few changes made. I haven't played the original, so I can't comment to much on the changes or compare the versions. In Persona 3 Portable, they added a female main character option, which changes the story a little bit, and changes some of the social interactions. I played as the female main character, although you can play as a male if you choose.
Story:
In this game, your main character is a newcomer, getting settled in to a new dorm and a new school. Shortly after he or she arrives, some strange stuff happens, including encountering some very odd people. Pretty soon, the MC (main character) learns about the Dark Hour, Personas, and Shadows.
Every night between 12:00 am and 12:01 am, there is a hidden hour that normal people aren't aware of. But certain people, such as the MC, are fully aware and can summon their inner beings, known as Persona. These Persona are used to help fight the shadows, evil beings who cause harm to humans, leaving them in a zombie like state known as Apathy Syndrome.
The MC joins a group called SEES (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad) which has several other Persona users. Together they enter the tower known as Tartarus where the shadows come from, with the goal of ridding the world of these shadows. This is on top of having to go to school, socialize, and sometimes working part time jobs.
Gameplay:
There are quite a few aspects to the gameplay of this game. The first is dungeon crawling RPG, and the second is more in line with a social sim with a few dating sim aspects to it. You'll spend your days managing social interactions, going to school, and battling it out in the game's dungeon.
The dungeon aspect is a large part of the game. Each day has certain time periods to it, and once you reach the 'Evening' period, you can choose to go to Tartarus and take on the dungeon. When in Tartarus, you'll go from randomized floor to randomized floor battling shadows. You can bring with you a party of four character and in battle you can choose their tactics, whether it be supporting and healing allies, going all out, or conserving SP (used for magic and skills). You can also choose to manually control your party members if you prefer. In battle, you can press Triangle to have everyone attack in a Rush, although this won't allow for healing unless you turn Rush mode off. In the dungeon you can also separate with your party members and they will proceed to fight Shadows on their own and find treasure. This does leave them more vulnerable, however, so is best used on floors below your level.
When you encounter a shadow in the dungeon, you can gain the upper-hand in battle by surprising them by pressing x to strike them. Once in contact, you will be taken to the battle screen, in turn-based RPG style. In battle, you can select a Persona to use, which will be summoned under the 'Skills' command. You can also change which Persona you use under the 'Persona' command while in and out of battle. Different Persona come with different strengths, weaknesses, and skills. So essentially, your Persona determines what you're weak against and what magics and skills you can use in battle. If you use something the enemy is weak against, you'll get another turn. If all enemies are 'down' (what happens after being hit with their weakness), you can perform a powerful group attack.
Persona can be found in dungeons when you get the 'Shuffle' option after a battle, or by fusing Personas you have together. Some skills will even carry over from the old Personas to the new one. Eventually you will also gain the ability to buy back any old Personas, so there's no reason not to fuse some of the ones you never use to make an even more powerful one! The strength of your Personas and which ones you can fuse will depend on your social links with characters in the game. Each social link represents a certain arcana, and different persona are represented by these arcana. So by having the 'Lovers' social link, you can make stronger Persona with the 'Lovers' arcana.
Social links are another important aspect of the game. When not exploring Tartarus, the game takes place as kind of a social sim. Your day goes by depending on actions, and you have school most days. After school can be spent however you like, such as shopping, working, improving your Intelligence, Charm, or Courage, or increasing your social links. To increase social links, you have to talk to certain people. During these scenes, you'll have certain conversational options, which will help improve the link. Also, having a Persona of the same arcana as the social link will work to improving your relationship even faster. The link will max out at 10. So the best way to get strong Personas is to go out and make friends everywhere you can find them. There are also romantic option available as your bonds increase as well.
World:
The world is overall pretty limited. You can select where to go, such as the school, the dorm, the mall, and a few other places, and each area has a few screens to explore where you can scroll over a person to speak to them. There isn't a wide variety of areas, though. There is only one dungeon, although it is massive and changes its appearance every so many floors. The floors are also randomized with a few preset here and there.
Characters:
So that there aren't too many, I'll only be presenting party members and not all available social links.
Ordered from favourite to least favourite:
gd5HbyP.jpgKoromaru: A dog whose owner was killed in an accident, he loyally guarded the shrine where his master was a monk. He's loyal and kind and helps SEES in their operations.
P8Rlht1.jpgAkihiko: A senior in school and an older member of SEES. He trains very hard and is part of the boxing club. He's a bit socially awkward but generally admired by those around him.
oM8u9iX.pngAigis: A robot created to battle the shadows, she clings to the main characters rather strongly for some reason. Speaks very robotic and unnaturally.
Q1zHNvr.jpgFuuka: A shy girl who feels the pressure from her successful family. She can analyze enemies in battle and find shadows for SEES.
o1Kjz2g.pngFemale Main Character: Serves as an avatar character of sorts for the player. She can summon several Persona, something not many others can do.
WasHavb.jpgJunpei: A classmate of the main character who fancies himself a ladies man. He's very open, although a bit hot headed and struggles with feelings of inadequacy.
LSgpSgQ.pngYukari: A classmate of the main character, she's pretty hones about her feelings and rather blunt. A relatively new member of SEES who joined shortly before the main character.
1qSgf48.pngMitsuru: A senior and a senior member of SEES, she's of the Kirijo family which owns the school. She's rather proper and an overachiever in many ways.
osIot3X.pngKen: A young boy who lost his mother. He's calm and mature beyond his young years, partly due to what he went through.
6hQRU89.pngShinjiro: An old friend of Akihiko's, he doesn't open up much and mostly keeps to himself due to some things that have happened in his past.
Overall:
Overall I enjoyed this game. The social aspects were so much fun and the characters were realistic and likeable and very well written. The voice acting for them was excellent as well. The dungeon, however, was incredibly tedious, and the poor pacing made it so most of my time was spent in the dungeon, doing something I didn't care for instead of something I did. Even though I liked it, I was rather worn out by the end, and I'm not sure I'd play it again.
Verdict:
LIKED IT
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