A solid Japanese RPG that revives a well-known formula in a surprising way.
As soon as this game starts you can tell that it is setting itself up for something epic. You play as the immortal Kaim Argonar as he starts off as a mercenary for the Uhra army in a battle. Eventually though you find youself surrounded by the uaual abundance of RPG characters who accompany you on your quest. First impressions are usually not lasting, but in this game's case they seem to stay with you. The battle system is where I'd like to hit first (considering that is usually a main aspect of any game like this one). First thing you notice is that this is a turn based RPG. Following the same suit as most other J-RPG's you take turns selecting your attacks and then based on your character's stats they will act accordingly. You swap this a few times and then the battle is over. However this game adds a little twist into the mix. You can equip characters with rings which can have various effects on the battle depending on which ones you pick. Anyway, when a person with a ring attacks normally a system of rings comes up. If you match the rings perfectly then you get the specified bonus with your attack. These can range from more damage to inflicting sleep depending on which ring you have equiped. There is also the wall system in which characters in the take less damage than characters in the front. however as your front characters take damage the wall gauge goes down leaving your back characters open to more damage. other than that these battles go pretty much the same way as any other turn-based RPG. Battles are of course initiated by random encounters and they do get somewhat annoying, but most of these battles turn out interesting. One problem I did have with the battles in this game is the fact that some of them are pretty challenging. If you don't plan ahead 3 turns in advance then you are handed an easy game over. Even some of the random encounters can give you problems. And some of the bosses in this game (while not entirely plentiful) can be a real pain if you have not matched your stats accordingly. However challenging these boss fights are though, they can be pretty epic. Each battle can give you something you didn't expect which means you had better be prepared for anything. One last thing I forgot to mention...in battle if an immortal is killed he will revive on his own after about 3 turns. So think about that next time you want to waste an Angel Plume.
Storywise this game really excells. I don't think I have seen a character as deep as Kaim and is story is one not to laugh at. At the beginning of the game you know almost nothing about him, but as it unfolds his story come clear in the telling of his memories called dreams. Most of the time they will just come to you, but you can also trigger them by talking to certain people. These dreams are all told in a way which you can't help, but love. It is all text, but each one is emotionally gripping and will definitely hit you in the gut on occasion. Apparently leading the life of an immortal is not fun at all. Without giving too much away, let's just say that death is a common theme throughout this game. Anyway, as Kaim starts on his quest he meets up with Jansen, a mage whose attitude probably matches those of Edgar(FFVI) or any other pervy main character in an RPG, and Seth, an immortal who spent most of her time as a pirate. As you progress through the story you are constantly met by heartfelt moments and insane plot twists that usually can be seen coming, but are presented in a different way. And don't worry about party members as there is plenty of them to chose from to form your party. With 9 people to choose from ranging from mages to gunners you can pretty much have your party in any fashion you need. While the story follows the suit of most RPG's though, the story is told in a way and presented on such a scale that most people will have a hard time not playing this game.
The sound in this game is almost awkwardly familiar. Probably because Nobuo Uematsu did the music in this game which probably explains the resemblance to Final Fantasy. The Voice acting fits on most of the characters, though listening to Tolten and the two kids can get on your nerves on occasion. This is nothing to complain about though because the overall quality of sound is pretty well done.
Overall this is a game that fans of J-RPG's should not look over and it is apparent that this is one that will keep you coming for more. With a story line that should take between 30 and 40 hours you also have a few sidequests to take on. While loading times are sort of long, they never present a real problem. Anyone who knows what Sakaguchi is capable of doing will respect this title as a great addition to his RPG legacy.