Combat feels intuitively fluid in the way that the best tactical RPGs do: characters go down in just the right number of hits (too many would lead to tedium too few would be frustrating), move far enough for squishy characters to be vulnerable, but not too vulnerable and so on. That said, so far this seems to be good standard TRPG fare. The actual combat is standard TRPG fare, though with a couple of quirks: characters have elemental affinities with particular tiles on the map, and tile elements can be changed by items and spells. From a mechanical standpoint, it is reasonably straightforward: different characters have different strengths and weaknesses, and while characters’ classes appear to be effectively preset – for instance, Kyril will always be a melee fighter – there is some scope to customise them by choosing which skills to prioritise. As its name suggests, it’s a grid- and turn-based tactical RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Disgaea (in other words, in my classification scheme, it’s a Type III game). I’m several hours into Suikoden Tactics, a 2005 spinoff from one of my favourite RPG series, Suikoden. Then it’s the turn of more and more of my characters, and as they run up to join Kyril, the danger is past. It’s Andarc the mage’s turn next, and he opens up with a barrage from his Lightning rune, killing one pirate and wounding another. Kyril took only half damage from that hit, and the pirates’ opportunity has passed. I grit my teeth – only to watch, impressed, as the boy’s father leaps in to protect him from the blow. And before any backup can reach him, several pirates have their turns coming up… In my haste to push Kyril forward, I’ve left him standing alone on the deck of the pirate ship. The pirate had his back turned and when I saw I could take him down with one attack from Kyril, the game’s young hero, I couldn’t resist. When I made my last move, I thought I’d seized an opening. This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Suikoden Tactics So what’s the problem?Ĭontinue reading “Does a good game make a good anime? Persona 4: The Animation – eps 1 to 9” The anime’s fight scenes are spectacular – the titular Personas have never looked better – and its production values are excellent the anime’s art is vibrant and attractive, and I routinely grin when it uses music from the game’s soundtrack. P4’s characters are goofy (perhaps a bit more so in the anime), amusing (I’ve laughed so hard, the other passengers on my commute probably think I’m bonkers), and yet human and relatable. For one, it has very strong source material, with a great premise: Persona 4 follows several teenage friends who, in the course of investigating murders in their sleepy country town, end up fighting their own literal and metaphorical demons. ![]() The anime is a lot of fun, worth the money I spent on it… and yet, I can’t shake the feeling that it is a guilty pleasure. I’m nine episodes into Persona 4: The Animation, the anime adaptation of the excellent PS2/Vita RPG as I would like to eventually finish the game (I am “only” 30 hours in), I have paused at this point in the anime to avoid spoiling myself. This entry is part 7 of 8 in the series Persona 3 & 4
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |