After a bit of dillydallying (I wonder if gamer's block is a thing), I went ahead and popped in my copy of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis.
The game is part of the Atelier series of RPGs. This one is a bit closer to the 'classic' lines than the Iris Trilogy, though so far it has a bit more mercy on the time management requirements than pre-Iris games, something that would come back in the Arland Trilogy with a vengeance (search stuff for Atelier Rorona for relevant blabbering). There seems to be a quiet debate on whether or not Khemia and its sequel count as main Atelier games, but my stance is quite simple; the game's credits refer to it as Project A9. Atelier Rorona was A11 (strongly implying no retcons or renumbering), so the devs treated this as a part of the overall main series not a gaiden game or spinoff. I don't see the point the debate anyway, since the series has multiple continuities anyway (not as bad as Tales or good old Final Fantasy, though).
My first foray into things have left a pretty positive impression. The whole game revolves around learning about alchemy at the eponymous Al-Revis Academy, which involves doing usual Atelier stuff like finding ingredients and making lots of shiny goodies to do stuff with. Practically everybody is some kind of JRPG cliché, which is fine as long as things are well done; they are thus far. Of course we get some Atelier style wackiness, plus a generous dose of awesome. The main character is Vayne (no not that Vayne), and his weapon is a cat that transforms into a magitek gauntlet/sword/punch dagger. It's a lot more badass than it sounds actually. The game hands you an assignment early on that translates to essentially "go kill freaks and loot the corpses." Screw Hogwarts, come to Al-Revis, where you learn to Unleash The Harvest upon monstrosities and produces kickass shinies from the remains. Oh, and this place is on a floating island, and comes complete with all sorts of dungeon-ey goodness to tear about in!
And I simply must mention the party member that uses alchemical Molotov cocktails for a basic attack. Come and rain death upon the hordes of wickedness! And this is the game's healer chick!
Well, the Harvest has been unleashed, and it looks to be one helluva ride this time around.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Monday, October 24, 2016
A Graceful Ending
So, I went ahead and beat the main questline of Tales of Graces f. After a bit of dilly-dallying, I went ahead and decided to put the game down for the moment, leaving the extra chapter/post-game for another time.
It proved to be a pretty satisfying experience, overall. The combat was solid, with a few rough edges (though that could be partially attributed to a player not quite knowing what he was doing half the time). It got kinda button-mashey after a while; this could be a problem to some, but I really don't mind, plus I have some dexterity issues that negates some of the subtleties of combo-driven combat anyway. The story and characters wound up being fairly enjoyable, with some twists and subversions on the usual RPG clichés every player knows (Tales is good for that). I enjoyed all the little shout-outs and nods that were put in here and there. When it tried to be serious, it worked. When it tried to be funny, it usually worked. The sidequests and skits were a good source of zany antics in particular.
The crafting was fun, and a huge step in the right direction that the Tales series needed to go. Legendia was really just screwing around while making an Atelier reference that nobody got, Abyss had a system that was too obtuse to be enjoyable, and Vesperia...well, it was much better than the other two, but abtracted away a lot of questions (oh, and the lore for a lot of gear that half the craftables claimed they could be duplicated or copied, so yeah). Graces went for an "a plus b equals c" approach, and actually made a bit of logical sense most of the time. The tempering part was particularly welcome, allowing for customization and constant improvement for your gear, while also providing a steady supply of stat-boosting accessories. Throw in the Eleth Mixer, a mana-fueled Star Trek-style replicator, and you can have it rain goodies. The Harvest Has Triumphed, and rarely has it been handed showers of shiny, shiny materials to play with!
I'm still a bit undecided on what to play next. I've been doing a bit of a la carte Final Fantasy to see what pops up, but I'm also considering trying out my copy of Mana Khemia since I now have that crafting itch again. We shall see.
It proved to be a pretty satisfying experience, overall. The combat was solid, with a few rough edges (though that could be partially attributed to a player not quite knowing what he was doing half the time). It got kinda button-mashey after a while; this could be a problem to some, but I really don't mind, plus I have some dexterity issues that negates some of the subtleties of combo-driven combat anyway. The story and characters wound up being fairly enjoyable, with some twists and subversions on the usual RPG clichés every player knows (Tales is good for that). I enjoyed all the little shout-outs and nods that were put in here and there. When it tried to be serious, it worked. When it tried to be funny, it usually worked. The sidequests and skits were a good source of zany antics in particular.
The crafting was fun, and a huge step in the right direction that the Tales series needed to go. Legendia was really just screwing around while making an Atelier reference that nobody got, Abyss had a system that was too obtuse to be enjoyable, and Vesperia...well, it was much better than the other two, but abtracted away a lot of questions (oh, and the lore for a lot of gear that half the craftables claimed they could be duplicated or copied, so yeah). Graces went for an "a plus b equals c" approach, and actually made a bit of logical sense most of the time. The tempering part was particularly welcome, allowing for customization and constant improvement for your gear, while also providing a steady supply of stat-boosting accessories. Throw in the Eleth Mixer, a mana-fueled Star Trek-style replicator, and you can have it rain goodies. The Harvest Has Triumphed, and rarely has it been handed showers of shiny, shiny materials to play with!
I'm still a bit undecided on what to play next. I've been doing a bit of a la carte Final Fantasy to see what pops up, but I'm also considering trying out my copy of Mana Khemia since I now have that crafting itch again. We shall see.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Tales of Sidequestia
Wow. That's actually a lot of sidequests.
T
ales of Graces f is still going strong. I've encountered the part of the game that I both love and dread: the run up to the final boss (though it's not the actual final boss, which helps a bit), where you run around like mad doing sidequests and little errands for everybody. They've been mostly fun and harmless little things (no Final Fantasy style chicken races...I hope), that both serve to flesh out the game and give you extra bits of oomph for your combat needs. This game's version of the traditional Tales of titles system was integrated pretty well into it.
To wit: All your playable character have tons of titles to find and choose from. Traditionally, you get some for completing parts of the storyline, side missions, and performing certain actions or challenges. Also per tradition they give little bonuses or special effects; stat boosts, drop rate modifiers, costume changes are the most common ones, though you can see other things. Most of the 'good' titles have been linked to sidequests since time immemorial, and some have...vexatious...requirements. Graces f follows tradition, but takes things one step further by having each title hold sets of skills, which you acquire through skill points (think FF's ability points) and give you things like access to new artes, stat boosts, or other things like new costumes and such like. They've pretty much turned Titles into FF7's Materia on crack, since these skills are both permanent and cumulative upon being unlocked. There is a "master" level for each title that I haven't gotten to the bottom yet (I'm looking at you New Game Plus).
What this all does is encourage the player to tear around and root through everything for new titles (which is what a good RPG-er should do anyway). I have a hard time of it sometimes because I get too caught up in the storyline and saving the world, but them I remember my training and remember that the path to awesomeness lies in fiddling about and taking a break. You can literally gain power by doing things like give plushies to a little girl and hang out at a beach resort. Screw the Dark Side, join the Dork Side and channel the power of silliness!
Anyway, the gist of it is that they've managed to cram tons of sidequests, plus incentives to pursue them. And this is the base game, without going into DLC or NG+ stuff. That's scary, and kinda awesome. The Harvest Has Much To Do!
T
ales of Graces f is still going strong. I've encountered the part of the game that I both love and dread: the run up to the final boss (though it's not the actual final boss, which helps a bit), where you run around like mad doing sidequests and little errands for everybody. They've been mostly fun and harmless little things (no Final Fantasy style chicken races...I hope), that both serve to flesh out the game and give you extra bits of oomph for your combat needs. This game's version of the traditional Tales of titles system was integrated pretty well into it.
To wit: All your playable character have tons of titles to find and choose from. Traditionally, you get some for completing parts of the storyline, side missions, and performing certain actions or challenges. Also per tradition they give little bonuses or special effects; stat boosts, drop rate modifiers, costume changes are the most common ones, though you can see other things. Most of the 'good' titles have been linked to sidequests since time immemorial, and some have...vexatious...requirements. Graces f follows tradition, but takes things one step further by having each title hold sets of skills, which you acquire through skill points (think FF's ability points) and give you things like access to new artes, stat boosts, or other things like new costumes and such like. They've pretty much turned Titles into FF7's Materia on crack, since these skills are both permanent and cumulative upon being unlocked. There is a "master" level for each title that I haven't gotten to the bottom yet (I'm looking at you New Game Plus).
What this all does is encourage the player to tear around and root through everything for new titles (which is what a good RPG-er should do anyway). I have a hard time of it sometimes because I get too caught up in the storyline and saving the world, but them I remember my training and remember that the path to awesomeness lies in fiddling about and taking a break. You can literally gain power by doing things like give plushies to a little girl and hang out at a beach resort. Screw the Dark Side, join the Dork Side and channel the power of silliness!
Anyway, the gist of it is that they've managed to cram tons of sidequests, plus incentives to pursue them. And this is the base game, without going into DLC or NG+ stuff. That's scary, and kinda awesome. The Harvest Has Much To Do!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
A Backyard War
Well, it's been a while. I've managed to sink my teeth pretty well into Tales of Graces f, and I've come to some early conclusions.
First, this game still has one of the earlier thresholds before letting your characters look like total badasses in combat. As I've stated before, most RPGs make you slog through earning the right to cast a spell or using items and suchlike, maybe getting one flashy move or something for the first few hours (excluding dedicated grinding or other 'gamey' techniques). Graces f rewards a smart player with all sorts of sublime deadliness right out of the gate. I honestly haven't seen early-game moves this flashy--or effective--outside of Chrono Trigger (which still a while to get really going) or Chrono Cross (which has a bigger emphasis on flash compared to effectiveness). It's pretty much button mashing with a few layers of complexity, but dang those mooks really go whirr in the blender here.
Second, the crafting system is simple, but pretty deep. Tales games and The Harvest haven't really intersected all that well (especially Abyss, that system was crappy and obtuse), but here we've got ourselves a good bit of fun. What makes things interesting is that the system includes recipes for all sorts of 'cashable' items, effectively knick-knacks you make from monster bits and sell off for a profit. Another point is that there is a gradual improvement/tempering system for weapons and primary armor. You take special materials called 'shards' and add them to a piece of gear, then you temper the piece in combat, then you combine two similar pieces (weapon/weapon or armor/armor) which results in gem you can equip for various effects, and you can take the original equipment and improve them further. This can go on for about as long as you want, resulting in lots of special accessories and gear with stat-lines way above baseline. Add all the other parts and you've got an system truly worthy of the craft-geek.
Finally, this game is just so, well, pretty. I haven't really seen a game that showed off the PS3 compared to earlier--or even contemporary--platforms, and this game is a real gem. I know its a remake of a Wii game, but Namco but their chance to update and polish this game to good use. the backgrounds are lush, characters are agreeable to look at, and even the monsters are something to see. Tales has a tradition of monsters that try to put novelty over visual appeal, and here they finally reached a good balance that I haven't really seen since Tales of Legendia, home of such craziness like gigantic, man-eating beds and turtles with intrinsic, incorporated artillery pieces in their shells. I haven't found anything so wacky yet, but we shall see.
Why didn't they release a guide? Oh well, The Harvest Never Rests.
First, this game still has one of the earlier thresholds before letting your characters look like total badasses in combat. As I've stated before, most RPGs make you slog through earning the right to cast a spell or using items and suchlike, maybe getting one flashy move or something for the first few hours (excluding dedicated grinding or other 'gamey' techniques). Graces f rewards a smart player with all sorts of sublime deadliness right out of the gate. I honestly haven't seen early-game moves this flashy--or effective--outside of Chrono Trigger (which still a while to get really going) or Chrono Cross (which has a bigger emphasis on flash compared to effectiveness). It's pretty much button mashing with a few layers of complexity, but dang those mooks really go whirr in the blender here.
Second, the crafting system is simple, but pretty deep. Tales games and The Harvest haven't really intersected all that well (especially Abyss, that system was crappy and obtuse), but here we've got ourselves a good bit of fun. What makes things interesting is that the system includes recipes for all sorts of 'cashable' items, effectively knick-knacks you make from monster bits and sell off for a profit. Another point is that there is a gradual improvement/tempering system for weapons and primary armor. You take special materials called 'shards' and add them to a piece of gear, then you temper the piece in combat, then you combine two similar pieces (weapon/weapon or armor/armor) which results in gem you can equip for various effects, and you can take the original equipment and improve them further. This can go on for about as long as you want, resulting in lots of special accessories and gear with stat-lines way above baseline. Add all the other parts and you've got an system truly worthy of the craft-geek.
Finally, this game is just so, well, pretty. I haven't really seen a game that showed off the PS3 compared to earlier--or even contemporary--platforms, and this game is a real gem. I know its a remake of a Wii game, but Namco but their chance to update and polish this game to good use. the backgrounds are lush, characters are agreeable to look at, and even the monsters are something to see. Tales has a tradition of monsters that try to put novelty over visual appeal, and here they finally reached a good balance that I haven't really seen since Tales of Legendia, home of such craziness like gigantic, man-eating beds and turtles with intrinsic, incorporated artillery pieces in their shells. I haven't found anything so wacky yet, but we shall see.
Why didn't they release a guide? Oh well, The Harvest Never Rests.
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