PoPoLoCrois is a by-the-numbers Japanese RPG that casual fans of the genre or old-school SNES players will appreciate.
Rather than package two separate games on one UMD, Agetec chose to combine both titles into one cohesive story. Pietro, the young price of PoPoLoCrois discovers on his tenth birthday that his mother, who was believed to have been killed by an Ice Demon, is still alive. Spanning five years, the 30-hour tale runs the gamut of RPG staples: airships, damsels in distress, a tomboy princess with a crush on the protagonist, and a valiant white knight who is more fearful than he'll readily admit. It's a fairly clichéd approach, but there is enough variety in the storyline and charm about the characters that you will stay interested long enough to see it through.
Much like the story, the gameplay in PoPoLoCrois sticks to established standards that are reliable, if not innovative. You'll spend much of your time in towns talking to NPCs, buying items and weapon upgrades from shops, and recharging your health at inns. Crossing fields and climbing mountains results in random but frequent enemy encounters. During battle, a maximum of four characters in your party take turns attacking, casting spells, or using items. Encounters take place on a grid where movement is limited by your characters' agility rating. This design adds an element of strategy to battles, as the amount of damage you deal depends on which direction you and your enemy are facing. It's a system that is easy to pick up and play, yet lends for some compelling strategy in later levels. Given the age of the game, however, it is curious that the developer could not avoid frequent, disruptive load times. Entering battle, casting spells, and performing special attacks all cause the PSP to chug as you wait a few seconds for the animations to load. Considering the frequency of random encounters, these pauses are noticeable and interrupt the flow of the game.
Although PoPoLoCrois does little to change genre conventions, its style is distinct. The graphics are nowhere near what the PSP is capable of, but that is to be expected from a port of a decade-old game. Rather, the visuals are reminiscent of titles like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy. They are simple, colorful, and charming. The occasional anime cutscene helps the player empathize with the characters, and the voice acting is above average. Similarly, the music in PoPoLoCrois is enjoyable and varied enough to feel fresh throughout the adventure.
There is an increasing number of quality RPGs on Sony's portable system, but PoPoLoCrois is still worth a try. If you're a casual fan of the role-playing genre looking for a portable game to play for a few minutes to a couple of hours at a time, PoPoLoCrois fits the bill nicely. More experienced players, however, will find its lack of depth and significant challenge off-putting.