Having never been released
stateside, the PoPoLoCrois games (two, that is) have been given a once over
and ported into one title, landing squarely on the platform sorely lacking in
RPGs, the PSP. And while this is truly an RPG, players need to leave their
conceptions of what a modern RPG looks like and embrace PoPoLoCrois in all
it’s classic glory.
Using the classic top-down view,
players assume the role of Pietro, a 10-year old boy who through an uncommon
event believed his mother had died during childbirth but in fact, her soul had
been taken while a noble dragon did battle with an ice demon. Since her
soul-less and lifeless body has suddenly been made aware to the young prince,
he does what any other 10-year old would do. He goes to the store and buys up
all the videogames he can since he’s rich, er, wait … he decides it’s up to
him to save his mother’s soul and ultimately the kingdom.
"But I want an Xbox 360 for
Christmas!!!"
So as young Prince Pietro heads
out, it’s all milk and cookies to begin with. The little hand-drawn sprites
are very child friendly and the game does a decent job of luring you into
thinking that this is an easy title. Not only because the area around Pietro’s
city is naturally nice to him (royalty has it’s perks) but because the game
makes you think that its going to be easy. But as time goes on and Pietro
wanders further from the city, people tend to not be so nice. And now it’s up
to Pietro’s guile and combat ability (cause I know a bunch of 10-year olds
that can really whoop butt) to gain favors from the people he meets that need
his help. Ultimately Pietro will meet up with other characters that will join
him on his quest and assist him in his adventures.
Battles are also retro, turn based
action. When it’s your turn to do battle, you can select one of several
options, attack, special attack, use item, etc. Like all those RPGs of old,
the in-game action is as predictable as all get out. You take a turn, the bad
guy takes a turn until you ultimately whup up on them or they kill you. Which
could really pose a problem if you fail to find a save point in the game (in
town). There is, however, a workaround where you can save the game by merely
turning it off (but for the love of Pete, make sure you are not low
on battery) which I did quite often. But still, forget to save at a real save
point and run out of juice, and you probably won’t want to do the last XX
hours over.
The game really can be fun to
play, I enjoy the graphics and even though there are some rumblings that this
looks like a GBA game, I’m fairly certain this game couldn’t be put on the GBA
and look/function the same way. I’d say that it’s on par for more of a NDS
title then a GBA one. As it is, it is on the PSP and is actually two titles in
one that will provide the player with around 28 hours of role-playing action.
You see the PoPoLoCrois series is actually pretty big over in Japan and they
have already banged out several games, manga and movies. And to introduce the
West to this very popular series, this release has been given the once over so
there is a seamless transition between the two games, making it almost feel
like a serial of sorts. Kind of cool.
"Ah… life in the suburbs, who knew it
was so dangerous?"
So again with the graphics, I
liked them, the game has like I said a child-like feel to it, but for as much
time I spend watching Cartoon Network with my boys, I found the visuals to be
very nice, particularly the animated cutscenes. But even the in-game graphics
were decent in a "Hey I remember a game that looked like that" kind of way.
Since it is viewed from above, but at a slight angle (3/4 view) you roam the
villages and countryside running into the colorful characters that seem to be
everywhere. There isn’t any real eye-popping effects to speak of, but you
clearly know what you’re looking at no matter what it is. The monsters look
like monsters, the characters are clearly different looking so there isn’t
that "who’s that" kind of thing going on. I like the way this title looks.
If there was anything that bogged
the game down it is the random encounter battles. Yes, I know that random
encounters are the hallmark of any traditional RPG, after all, it’s the best
way for characters to bulk up in their abilities and health. But still, this
title has random encounters to the nth degree. Walk twelve feet, bam! Walk
another 15 feet, bam! It does tend to get long in the tooth and whew, it
takes some real resolve to complete this title. Tied in with the random
encounters and the game as well, is the constant loading that occurs during
the game. It isn’t horribly long per se, but it does happen quite often and
could strain those gamers that can’t stand loading at this level.
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Gameplay: 7.5
No problem here if you played any
RPG on the SNES, the Sega Saturn or the PS1 it will feel familiar and for us
gamers in our 30s there is some nostalgia to be found here.
Graphics: 7.2
Again, the heavy retro feel is a
plus to me, but may not make the grade for others. The cutscenes are nice to
watch and to me, the action looks cool as well, it’s just I know that it’s
basically a port from a game that should have gotten some modern polish.
Sound: 6.8
Not much to be excited about here,
the action music seems out of place but the background noise and music as you
roam around seem to do the job.
Difficulty: Medium
I like the fact that this, to me,
is the first "real" RPG on the PSP. I say that because the other games had
non-RPG qualities and this one could very well take 30 hours to beat.
Concept: 7.0
Nice job taking the two games and
making them one, and while this is definitely a tried and true RPG title, it
is a well-done game.
Overall: 7.3
A fine way to spend some playing
time on your PSP. I like the fact that this title will take some dedication
and resolve to complete and I still like the classic RPG look that it
features. Lastly, there are some poignant moments and even though he is only
10, Pietro’s love for his mother is never in question.
