Written By: Patrick Orquia
TITLE: Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
DEVELOPER: Atlus
PUBLISHER: Atlus
GENRE: JRPG
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1
RELEASE DATE: 29 June 2017 (JP)/13 Feb 2018 (NA)/16 Feb 2018 (EU)
PLATFORM: 3DS system
Radiant Historia originally came out on the Nintendo DS inwards Nov 2010 inwards Nihon as well as Jan 2011 elsewhere. I create got never played the original, but I create got heard of high praises almost the game, 1 of them proverb that this game is 1 of the best JRPGs ever. Any game tin live the best JRPG ever, sure, as well as it would accept me a few to a greater extent than years later that to reckon for myself if such high praises are indeed true.
Fast forrad to lastly year, a port of the game was announced for the 3DS, immediately titled Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology. I knew dorsum thence that it would live good, as well as the run a endangerment to finally play the game made me hold back forrad to it.
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is non but a uncomplicated port on the 3DS. The game immediately has additional story contents, gameplay elements, as well as but about kid graphical enhancements. There are non much changes inwards visuals as well as the game yet retains the experience of the DS original. No stereoscopic 3D, much to my dismay, but I empathise why that is the case. The game doesn’t demand it, since this is non a 3D remake of the original, but still, since it’s on the 3DS, the added 3D resultant would create got improved it, if fifty-fifty e'er thence slightly. Visuals aside, the game genuinely shines with its deep story as well as unique battle mechanics.
The game starts inwards the middle of a state of war inwards the continent of Vainqeur betwixt competitor kingdoms of Alistel as well as Granorg. The continent is desperately trying to acquire rid of a mysterious plague that turns the province into a large desert as well as the people to sand. Stocke, the main protagonist of the game, is a fellow member of the Special Intelligence unit of measurement of Alistel, as well as he is tasked to Pb a rendezvous mission along with novel recruits Raynie as well as Marco. Before the mission started, he was given yesteryear the SI principal a magical mass with blank pages called the White Chronicle. At the start, he doesn’t know what the mass is for, other than for bringing expert luck, equally he is told. During the mission, Stocke’s squad gets ambushed, with Raynie as well as Marco getting killed. When all hopes seem to live lost, Stocke gets transported to a house out of fourth dimension called Historia, where he is greeted yesteryear 2 mysterious twins with magical abilities, Teo as well as Lippti, as well as they tell Stocke that the White Chronicles allows him to acquire move dorsum inwards forks inwards fourth dimension where an of import conclusion has to live be made, called nodes, to correct the wrongs as well as re-write history, making novel timelines inwards the process. With this novel ability, Stocke immediately has the of import mission to practise whatever he has to practise to acquire resolve the state of war as well as acquire rid of the continent of the deadly plague earlier it’s equally good late.
On the surface, Radiant Historia looks similar a typical JRPG. The protagonist leads the squad as well as they battle enemies, earn XP, marking up, earn gold, purchase novel stuff, rinse, as well as repeat. What makes this stand upwards out from games of the genre is its unique gameplay. You create got the powerfulness to non only move inwards fourth dimension (which has been seen earlier inwards games similar Chrono Trigger) but also move to alone dissimilar timelines to rectify whatever incorrect decisions inwards the yesteryear (which ordinarily terminate upwards to the protagonists getting killed) as well as acquire novel abilities or information that tin thence live used inwards the other timelines.
There are 2 main timelines inwards the game, the Standard History as well as the Alternate History. These 2 timelines run concurrently, as well as Stocke has the powerfulness to move to nodes on either timelines whenever he needs to. Fortunately, grapheme levels, money, items, as well as learned abilities as well as information acquire carried over when he fourth dimension travels, alleviating the possible headache that this gameplay mechanic powerfulness convey to the player. It is upwards to y'all to brand certain that the conclusion that that y'all brand is going to live the best one, pregnant Stocke as well as friends proceed progressing through the story as well as non ending upwards dead. If the opposite happens as well as the teams ends upwards getting annihilated (or other negative outcomes, such equally the regular army forces of Alistel getting wiped out yesteryear Granorg or worse), y'all acquire transported to Historia as well as confront the twins where they explicate to y'all what happened as well as arrive at y'all the run a endangerment to drive the other conclusion or peradventure fifty-fifty move to a whole dissimilar node altogether to peradventure larn novel information or powerfulness or forbid whatever bad scenarios to happen. The game’s narrative is genuinely linear, as well as y'all won’t live able to proceed farther with the game if y'all don’t follow what y'all are told to do, but the fourth dimension move chemical ingredient gives the game a novel twist equally it encourages y'all to shout out upwards ahead.
The game has a basis map, divided into separate areas similar inwards Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as each expanse is composed of sections connected yesteryear dissimilar paths that y'all tin accept to accomplish the acquire out to accomplish the side yesteryear side expanse or peradventure fifty-fifty to acquire dorsum to previously visited ones (some areas cannot live accessed, depending on which node or timeline that y'all are in, peradventure to forbid y'all from wandering off unnecessarily). On whatever given area, enemies are visible on the field, as well as y'all create got the alternative to slash them to stun them as well as thence either ignore them completely or engage them inwards battle. If y'all create upwards one's hear to engage them, the game switches to a turn-based battle screen. This is where but about other unique gameplay chemical ingredient is shown: the enemies are arranged inwards a 3x3 grid, with enemies inwards forepart having stronger attacks as well as those at the dorsum having weaker ones, as well as your party’s onslaught powerfulness against enemies is also proportional to the seat of the enemy. Stocke as well as friends tin unleash assail attacks to force enemies to dissimilar directions to lay them inwards but about other position, as well as attacks tin live chained together to create combos. You tin force multiple enemies into 1 position, thence onslaught them all at once. The longer the combo, the stronger the attack, as well as the bigger the post-battle rewards are. In add-on to these push/left/right/air assail attacks, your characters tin also larn other skills, such equally elemental (fire/frost/lightning) attacks, healing spells, as well as other buff/debuff spells. The enemies tin also unleash but about attacks but about devastating attacks of their ain if y'all don’t programme ahead. The lodge of turns for every grapheme as well as enemy is shown during battles, as well as with that info, y'all tin programme y'all side yesteryear side combo attacks. You tin fifty-fifty central turns of your political party members to maximize the available skills that each 1 has to arrive at y'all the best advantage. In add-on to these skills, your characters volition also live able to perform Mana Blast skills. Each 1 has a dissimilar Mana Blast Skills, such equally Stocke existence able to striking all enemies multiple times at 1 time or Raynie existence able to unleash powerful burn attacks. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Mana Blast bar is filled gradually later each move, as well as when the bar is full, that is the fourth dimension to unleash them.
New to this version of Radiant Historia are the Support Attacks. They are performed yesteryear political party members who are currently non business office of the active lineup (only iii characters are active inwards the political party at whatever given fourth dimension as well as those who are sidelined only acquire a fraction of the XP points gained inwards battle) against enemies. These Support Attacks are triggered at random, as well as characters larn novel Support Attacks equally they marking up.
If y'all desire to accept a interruption from the main story, y'all may acquire to dorsum to Historia as well as boundary into the Vault of Time, an extra dungeon added to the 3DS version. Here, y'all tin explore many floors of interconnected areas that are filled with enemies. The higher y'all go, the to a greater extent than powerful the enemies are. While y'all are inwards the Vault of Time, y'all volition non live able to purpose whatever items inwards your inventory, thence y'all tin only lastly inwards this expanse for equally long equally your currently available wellness or MP tin allow you. You also don’t earn whatever monetary rewards, but y'all volition earn Mementos later defeating enemeis, which y'all tin purpose to merchandise for items, weapons, armor, as well as accessories. Some of these tin only live works life inwards the Vault of Time, thence y'all volition demand tackle this extra dungeon if y'all are a completionist. Of course, y'all yet earn XP as well as also acquire but about rare items dropped yesteryear defeated monsters, thence if y'all desire to grind without having to come across story elements, this is a expert house to practise it.
Another add-on to this game is the grapheme Nemesia, with her airship, the Dunamis. She provides a tertiary parallel timeline called the Possible Histories. These are side quests that Stocke tin tackle amongst the 2 main timelines. These Possible Histories deed equally alternate scenarios as well as volition require y'all to create got a thorough noesis of the dissimilar nodes that y'all create got encountered thence far inwards the game, equally y'all volition live required to collect dissimilar items, information, or abilities to resolve them. Resolving a PH side request grants y'all monetary rewards equally good equally Artifacts that Nemesia tin purpose to halt the desertification of the continent. This additional content tin either live activated at the kickoff of the game (perfect mode) or later y'all crunch the game (append mode). Also, a novel Hard difficulty is provided to those who seek a to a greater extent than challenging agency to play the game, ideally for those who create got played the original.
To fully complement the visuals as well as gameplay, the game’s first-class soundtrack genuinely does the chore well. Composed yesteryear Yoko Shimomura (who also composed the music for Super Mario RPG as well as its spiritual successors of Mario & Luigi games, amidst many others), the music is genuinely top-notch all throughout as well as doesn’t demand whatever overhaul. In add-on to this, vocalism acting is immediately included inwards the game, enhancing most cutting scenes that include dialogues betwixt characters. Main characters’ lines are fully voiced, piece less important NPCs only render a few voiced lines or fifty-fifty grunts, similar to Fire Emblem: Awakening. Cut scenes tin either live laid to auto, pregnant y'all don’t create got to press Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 later a grapheme is done talking as well as but spotter the conversations unfold. You tin also fast forrad them if y'all don’t desire to hear to the characters at all or over again (if y'all are replaying a scenario).
The 3DS peradventure already inwards its twilight, but Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology comes but inwards fourth dimension to yet render a superb gaming experience similar many other 3DS games create got done inwards the past. For the likes of me who create got non played the master copy game, this a perfect chance to practise so, equally this game is indeed 1 of the best to create got been released for the DS, as well as now, also for the 3DS. If y'all yet haven’t fully Switch’d, convey out your 3DS over again as well as play this game as well as live business office of a radiant history.
REPLAY VALUE: high
PROS:
- Excellent narrative vogue that involve fourth dimension move to dissimilar nodes as well as timelines
- Unique gameplay during battles, with enemies arranged on a 3x3 grid as well as tin live manipulated for the protagonist to unleash combos
- Retains the hold back as well as experience of the master copy DS game as well as is only enhanced slightly for the 3DS
- Very expert vocalism acting
- Awesome soundtrack
- Likeable characters with really expert grapheme design
- Party members tin live customized with weapons, armors, as well as accessories to meliorate their attack, defense, as well as other stats
- The novel game contents are a welcome add-on to the master copy game, making this game the definitive version of Radiant Historia
CONS:
- Not inwards stereoscopic 3D. It’s non game breaking at all as well as the game yet looks genuinely expert without it, but since the game is on the 3DS, I shout out upwards the 3D resultant would create got enhanced the visuals much more
RATING: 5/5 Stocke as well as exploding barrels
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