Wonderfully dark, gritty, depressing, and thoroughly addictive.
When I initially played this game I thought it was just ok, but not something I would ever bother to play again. But years later I had the urge to replay it and hunted it down on ebay. While it will never be the greatest game of all time, it will keep you entertained. GAMEPLAY: Some levels are aerial combat, kind of like Star Fox, some restrict you to fighting as Caim, which is your basic hack and slash style, but most let you fight on the ground or in the air as you choose. There are a ton of unique weapons to collect, and they all have a different magic spell, attack speed, range, and strenght. No matter your fighting style, you'll find a weapon that best suits it. The weapons also level up as you use them, making them stronger and revealiing the weapon's past. It's nothing essential, but it's kind of fun to get those little tidbits. The fighting may seem repetitive to some, but there's something satisfying about killing every single enemy, especially when one fireball from your dragon can wipe out a whole squad. My biggest complaint is the camera while on the ground: you can move it how you like, but it doesn't really stay there. Too often I'm hacking at an enemy I can't really see because he's standing between Caim and the Camera. Bit annoyinG. STORY: The plot of this game is very dark and gritty. To me, this is the real reason the game is rated M, not the blood. It's also what makes this game different from most others. The only other game I've played that had a similar feel is Nier for the PS3. Although this game has five endings, none of them are a happily ever after. Caim is not your idealistic goody goody main character. He is very vengeful, hates most of the world, and loves killing. Much of what the dragon says to Caim is criticizing his bloodlust, and it's all well deserved. The game will touch on many unpleasant themes such as vengence, child abuse, insanity, and even some hints at incest. If you don't like dark and creepy, give this a pass. But if you do, this is one of the few RPG's you'll get it from. The voice acting isn't bad, but it's nothing special. Unfortunately, like many games for it's time, the event scenes are filled with awkward movements from the characters which makes it hard to get into. You want to tell the characters, "stand still, and stop waving your sword around like an idiot!" Don't expect a phenomenal story or game, but it's rather solid and fun, and you'll be hard pressed to find a game quite like it. It's not a game you'll ever forget, and seems to demand that you complete every aspect of it. Especially if you're a fan of Nier, I recommend that you give this a try.Read full review
