Here it is; the first-ever official review by PSPHyper! I have always meant to include reviews on the site, but I just haven’t been able to actually do it due to one thing or another. With this, I hope the floodgate is now opened for many more useful reviews to come on the site.

Here goes, PSPHyper’s take on “Astonishia Story“.

A Brilliant Start

Before Astonishia Story, I have only ever played one Korean RPG (and that is Magna Carta on the PS2), so I didn’t really know what to expect from this title that calls itself a “beginner’s RPG”. Frankly, the fact that this is merely a port from a PC game did not go down too well with me either. However, all this changed when I saw the game’s brilliantly-made intro movie. Without having to go into details, let’s just say the intro was reminiscent of what you see on Tale of Destiny 2 on the PS2 or Lunar on the PS (without the catchy theme song, of course). Watching the intro was like watching the title opening of a really, really good anime series. It sure put me into the mood for some serious adventuring.

On the flip side, though, the intro creates such an expectation that many would probably feel a hint of disappointment when you get into the actual game itself.

A Cliché (But Sometimes Funny) Adventure

Starting from the first minute, experienced gamers would soon realize Astonishia Story isn’t going to win a prize for originality. Basically you play as Lloyd, a knight who is assigned as part of an escort for a magical staff. The convoy gets ambushed, and our hero becomes the only survivor. As the determined, valiant guy that he is, Lloyd then goes on a journey to retrieve the staff and this essentially is what the game is all about - a guy traveling from place to place going after a sacred artifact. Overall, it’s pretty linear stuff.

With nothing to stimulate the mind on the story department, Astonishia Story shines on the (sometimes) witty dialogues and bizarre events the hero encounters; which can really tickle the funny bone. What comes immediately to mind is a scene where Lloyd is offered “pirated” wares from a dodgy fairy. All of a sudden, Mr. Sinori (representing the developer) comes into the scene, kicks Lloyd’s butt, and ticks him off against piracy . It’s downright wacky but you can’t argue with the humor factor. Things like these really kept me going during the game.

However, the game suffers big time from the little characterization for the protagonists, which greatly reduces the fun factor considering that this is an RPG after all. Lloyd’s party consists of your standard pretty-girl, mystical elf, powerful dwarf and others but this is as far as characterization goes in Astonishia Story. As a knight on a sacred mission, Lloyd has the personality of a frog living in a cup of swamp water (ie. Nil). This may be okay for an RPG beginner but it certainly wouldn’t appeal to gamers who have seen some seriously kick-ass characters in classics like Final Fantasy.

Some Loves the Fight, Others Don’t

The battle system is much like any other RPGs. You walk around until you encounter an enemy, of which the system then transport you into a battle screen. Astonishia Story uses a grid-based battle system, much like a strategy RPG without the tactical depth (think Arc the Lad). During the battle, you control your characters’ movement on a battlefield made up of squares. In order to attack an enemy, your party members would have to move from square to square until you are in the vicinity of your targeted subject. This happens at interval, much like your standard turn-based RPG.

Now, whether this constitutes as a great battle system or a fairly ordinary one really depends on the person playing the game. As a gamer who is more fluent in your standard turn-based “no-walking-during-battle” RPG (ie. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest), it did take me a little more time and effort in getting use to the battle system because all the moving about during battles just seemed like too much trouble. Others might find it a lot easier. Like I said, it pretty much depends on the type of RPG gamer you are.

Enemy-wise, the number of enemies you fight is disappointing. I counted, maybe, 20 types of opponent, which is on the low side for an RPG. The game’s combat engine also seems unbalanced, with the magic-users being the equivalent of your Superman and Captain Marvel, compared to the mere humans that are the fighters. Luckily, you do have the grand daddy of all wizards on your side.

In a nutshell, depending on the type of RPG gamer that you are, you may find the battle system totally engrossing… or just plain sucked.

Old-School Style

Following a tremendously impressive intro movie, the graphic you experience in actual game play may be a terrible disappointment at first, but careful gamers would soon realize just how much details the developer actually put into this game. The more you play, the more you would see fine details such as cloud moving, fire burning, wind blowing, shadow bouncing. It really is quite impressive in the end.

Sound-wise, you get the standard hack-and-slash effect… nothing too fancy. There is no voice (except for the singing in the intro movie), which would have otherwise given the characters more personality. Still, I have no major complain, this being an RPG on the PSP and not the PS2 or 3.

However, the game does feature a distinctive “old-school” feel that may not appeal to new gamers, especially those who have gotten used to high-res 3D rendering that is so common in games nowadays. What I mean by “old-school” includes things such as a distinct lack of bright colors, the classic (some might say outdated) overhead view, the cliché story, the “old kingdom” world feel… Basically things that make you feel you are playing this game on your SuperNes back in the 90s.

Therefore, for me, playing this game can be a contradictory experience. On the one hand, it reminds you of the good old days and makes you want to go “Ahh… that’s what gaming is all about”. But on the other, it also makes you wonder why you even bother when you are almost certain you aren’t going to be surprised in any way as the story progresses. It’s quite a bitter-sweet experience.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with the game is the total lacking of a world map, or anything resembling directions. You do get hints with people telling you to “move west” or “go to a village in the north” but that’s just about it. It certainly would help to have some kind of indicators of where you are and where your next direction is, especially when you happen to play the game after a lengthy interval. Some might argue that the world is too small to require a map, but then that’s just me.

One thing’s for sure, if you love “old-school”. You’re going to have a good time with this.

A Tale of Two Sides

Overall, I would recommend Astonishia Story to RPG enthusiasts who have nothing in their hands to pass the time, especially first-time RPG gamers. My gut feeling is that experienced gamers may be turned off by the storyline, but yet be charmed by the old-school feel of the game. If you are looking for an RPG to pass 15-20 hours of your life while being entertained by (sometimes) witty dialogues and events, this makes for great entertainment…. Just don’t expect to play it a second time.

PSPHyper gives Astonishia Story a playable 3 out of 5 stars.

Posted in PSP, Reviews on Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 3:12 pm |
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