Post by helixfc3s on Apr 22, 2009 20:51:03 GMT -5
The Last Remnant
Genre: Role-Playing Game
Publisher: Square Enix
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Platforms: PC, 360; PS3 TBA 2009
Note: I tried to keep the review spoiler free, so don't worry about any spoilers.
I noticed there has not been a lot of talk about The Last Remant around the gaming community. I was a bit skeptical that it'd be another typical RPG by SE when I first picked it up for a spin, but I was totally wrong. After playing it, I consider this game to be greatly underrated and I am surprised it has been overlooked.
Story
Unlike most JRPGs, this game is directed toward both Japanese and Western audiences. Ergo it was developed by SE, one can expect the generic storyline of "boy saves world" or "boy saves girl," whatever your experiences are with rpgs. The premise of the game is that you control a young guy named Rush Sykes and you are wandering around looking for your sister, Irnia, who was kidnapped by a mysterious group.
In this fictional world, there are realms (read: cities) which are bound by remnants. A remnant is a magical artifact that has different powers and attributes associated with them. Each city has a ruler or lord that is bound to a remnant to help establish their realm and protect it. Now, Rush is only one small person in the vast world and he is going to need some help to take down the foes that get in his way in finding Irina. As Rush and his aid follows their leads, there may be a more significant threat to the world and deeper connections to Irina's kidnappings than meets the eye.
Gameplay
Now, I will divulge into the gameplay, which I am sure that is what most people base the game's success on. More or less, it is an open-world game as you can explore many areas and accomplish whatever tasks you wish.
It is a turn-based battle system where you select varying battle commands from a menu depending on the battle situation. Battles are set up in unions (read: groups or parties) with a maximum of 5 members in each union. There are several different formations to pick from in order to boost one union's mobility, attack, defense, and other stats.
The battles are initiated whenever you see fit as you run up and encounter your enemy or link multiple enemies into battle. There are no random or pointless battles because you can start a battle whenever or wherever you see a monster. When in battle, damage is taken and calculated as a whole union, so you don't need to worry that your lead rank will die if he is the only one being attacked. In most cases, people like to level up to defeat tougher foes and that is not always the case in this game because you'll need to pick decisively with your commands and targets. However, your battle rank is a good indication of how well "leveled" you are and the higher it is the better.
During each battle, there is occasionally a chance for a Quick Time Event to appear as you strike an enemy. Press it correctly to have your teammates attack before they do and possibly do more damage. There is also a chance to counter-attack or parry an attack when the QTE appears as you are about to get hit.
Lastly, the final component of the battle system is the morale. The morale depicts your unions success in battle, whether your attacks will do more damage or receive more damage if your morale is too low.
You may need to have some patience with learning the battle system and how everything works, but it is a fun and unique way to battle. The commands are easily understandable and the A.I. is pretty smart as each member assess their arts.
Here is a sample battle:
Graphics
Now for graphics, you can expect to be some fancy graphics for a RPG developed by Square Enix. Well, you're right because the graphics are pretty nice and the cutscenes are enjoyable. The different cities and various sceneries are beautiful and stunning. Depending on your computer, the graphics may be a bit glitchy on the PC version. I played the game on the PC so I can't speak for the console version.
Music
The music was created by Tsuyoshi Sekito and he has some great battle music that pumps you up in this one. He has some with pleasing guitar riffs and melodies that just makes you want to fight. There is no one set battle music and it usually changes depending on the battle situation or setting. Also, I find the music to be meaningful and appropriate during cutscenes.
Here is an example of his work:
Additional Comments
As far as the PC version is concerned (maybe for consoles), there is an option for English audio and Japanese audio with English subtitles. I decided to play the game with English audio, and it may take some getting use to the voice acting for some characters, but I thought it was alright. The voice actor for Rush Sykes is Johnny Yong Bosch, whoever is a fan of his acting in DMC4 as Nero or other popular titles.
Conclusion
I fell in love with the gameplay and I enjoyed every minute playing the game. Despite the bad reviews out there, I doubt they took the time to play the game for more than one hour. It's definitely an underrated game and I believe many RPG fans would enjoy trying this one out.
Pros:
- Decent Storyline
- Interesting Character Development
- Enjoyable Graphics
- Unique and stylish battle system
- Amazing audio/music
Cons:
- Battle system not for everyone; somewhat steep learning curve
- Some graphical glitches with the PC version
- English voice acting takes getting use to, but there is an option to switch audio.
-Helixfc3s
