Magna Carta: Tears of Blood – PS2 – Review

This was quite a
good year for fans of the role-playing game genre seeing as 2005 has seen great
RPGs like X-Men Legends II, Fire Emblem as well as Shin Megami Tensei. We even
have Dragon Quest VIII to look forward to before the year is over.  As a fan of
the genre, though, I was excited to find yet another Atlus RPG among the lineup
called Magna Carta: Tears of Blood for the PS2. Yes, this is looking like a very
good year indeed.

Magna Carta
takes place in the world of Efferia, a world that’s divided by five very
distinct races and where only the humans and another race known as the Yason are
at war. With the cruel Queen Amila guiding the Yason, the humans are finding it
hard to fight them back and as a result cities have been destroyed and the
casualties are rising quickly. In the beginning of the game we witness the
aftermath of one battle that has left the town of Fugit in ruins, the only
survivor a boy who swears to seek revenge and end the tyranny of the Yason.
Years later we meet young Calintz, a military captain and leader of the Tears of
Blood, a group of survivors that have banded together to fight the Yason.

As Calintz we
witness the events that unfold at the beginning that spark a quest to stop Queen
Amila and a connection that the young protagonist shares with the Yason and the
boy whose home is destroyed. He is quickly joined by a magic-user priestess
named Eonis, a young soldier who worships Calintz named Azel and Haren (who is
bitter and angry after having lost somebody close to him). Sent off on a mission
to Mt. Aremori fate steps in and Calintz meets a girl named Reith who has lost
her memory. From there the story takes an interesting twist that will lead to
the inevitable confrontation between the Tears of Blood and the vicious Queen.
But first they must set off to find the fabled Magna Carta, a powerful tool said
to be unleashed by finding a series of Chi stones. With the power of the Magna
Carta they could then fight back against the powerful Queen.

From the very
beginning the game feels like the RPGs of old and while that might turn off fans
of the genre who are accustomed to the more modern role-playing game, its
traditional gameplay mechanics also intermingle with an ambitious combat system
as well as some surprising twists. For starters, the game quickly introduces a
trust/mistrust feature that affects decisions made during the game as well as
during combat. During conversations with your party, your replies to their
questions will either gain their trust in you and your leadership abilities but
if they don’t like what you said they could learn to mistrust you. Mistrust
leads to questioning your decisions during critical moments in combat when you
need an extra hand taking down enemies. Trust can also be gained by giving a
character a gift from your inventory, although it changes things temporarily.

The game’s
combat system is an interesting new take on the usual turn-based combat system
of old. Much like the recent Shadow Hearts game, combat involves great timing
that requires you to press certain buttons at just the right moment. Using the
power of Chi for skills and magic attacks, when your party encounters an enemy
you’ll notice a circle displayed beneath them. When you are within attack range,
yin and yang come together to form a ring with a sequence of buttons to press.
Timing each button press determines the impact and misses. Successfully hitting
your opponent earns you TD points that when filled at 30% or more could unleash
the Trinity Drive attack that doubles the damage you make.

The great part
is that each character has his or her own combat style. For instance, Azel uses
a style called Ryusei Ikkou that makes for quick yet powerful attacks. The more
you level up the more styles you can incorporate in battle for a variety of
different attacks. There are three main battle modes in the game that spice
things up a little: Standard, Combo and Counter. You can also switch between
characters easily with the L1 or R1 button. In short, combat is complex but once
you get use to the styles, moves and what character works for what situation you
will find it very involving.

The world of
Efferia is a big one and your search for the Magna Carta is a lengthy journey
filled with a wide variety of monsters to face and characters to meet. The
beauty of the game is that the story itself is quite engaging and you’ll start
to care for each character. It might not be as epic as the Final Fantasy series
but with so much to see and do in this world you will come to learn its many
secrets.

Visually the
game is quite stunning with beautifully rendered backgrounds that bring this
world to life. The character models have been designed by artist Hyung-Tae Kim
and they look great during cutscenes and dialogue boxes. Straying from the anime
feel the characters look great in action but it’s the wonderfully rendered
backgrounds that steal the show. You’ll be traveling through forests and visit
nicely detailed towns. When it comes to monsters the game does not disappoint.
My only complaint is that straight off the bat, characters like Calintz as well
as Azel can easily be confused as girls.

The game also
shows off quite a beautifully orchestrated soundtrack that plays throughout the
game. It’s right up there with anything we heard in Final Fantasy games and it
picks up magnificently during battles or tense moments in the story. The voice
acting is also top-notch and never sounding awkward like most games of the
genre. The sound effects also bring the flashy effects to life. When Eonis
performs a flame attack you’ll hear the crackling flame as it travels to its
intended target. This is good stuff, indeed.

Magna Carta:
Tears of Blood is an old-fashioned RPG with wonderfully innovative ideas that
make this game a more than worthwhile experience. Its story is not only
beautiful but you will be drawn in by its characters and their quest to save the
human race. While it might be too old-school for most fans, it is still a game
with a lot to offer fans of the genre.

Gameplay: 8.5
This is an
old-school RPG that will remind you of the old classics and that’s not bad at
all. Still the story is well worth the price of admission and the combat, while
a bit complex, will give you a good workout.

Graphics: 8.2
The characters
look great but why do most of the male characters look so extremely feminine?
Still the game’s world is wonderfully detailed and the monsters are great to
look at as well. As far as the special effects go, they aren’t bad at all.

Sound: 8.5
The game’s
score is not only beautiful but it makes each cutscene and confrontation feel
epic. The voice acting is well done, although you’ll hear the same repetitive
phrases at the end of each battle. The sound effects do the game’s visuals
justice.

Difficulty:
Medium
There is
rarely a puzzle that will have you guessing what to do next, although there are
many times you will get lost in this world. Combat is the game’s truly
challenging aspect and while there are a variety of attacks and useful action,
attempting to pull them off takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience.

Concept: 8.5

The story is
wonderfully compelling and filled with all the things we love in our RPGs. Aside
from the wonderful twists, acts of betrayal and its so-so love story, the game
excels in the actual story-telling. The characters are interesting and the
trust/mistrust feature is brilliant.

Overall: 8.9
Balancing its
dated role-playing elements and its interesting take on combat, Magna Carta:
Tears of Blood manages to hook fans of the genre with its gorgeous style and
great story. It’s not as epic as the Final Fantasy games but it is still well
worth playing.