The battles themselves are a treat to watch. Your characters run, jump, dive around, and do cartwheels, all the while firing their guns, reminiscent of the famous lobby shootout scene from The Matrix, only ten times crazier. You can also dress them up in various costumes that are unlocked throughout the game and bought from the in-game boutique. This is a welcome feature considering most Japanese RPGs are very slim on customisation of appearance. The customisation element isn’t just limited to character appearance though. All your guns can be customised by attaching various upgrades to them. The upgrade system is quite deep and will have you constantly tweaking to get the best performance out of your guns. New guns are hard to come by, so for the most part, you will have to rely on upgrades.
[singlepic id=2011 w=450 float=center]
Exploring the world of Basel is also one of the highlights of the game. Instead of running through various areas, much of the in-game exploration happens via an extremely well designed three-dimensional world map that’s broken into multiple layers. This is also where random encounters take place. Exploration also requires certain items known as hexes, which are like puzzle pieces of various shapes that are obtained after defeating enemies. Unlocking a new area of the map requires you to place these hexes on them. It also gets more complex as some areas require specific colored hexes to unlock. The whole thing has a very addictive puzzle like quality to it as the hexes come in many different shapes and it’s sort of a mini-game in itself. Towards the end of the game, you will want to make sure you uncover every inch of the map as it can also lead to some useful rewards and unique enemy encounters.
While you are not exploring the world map or fighting bandits and mutants, you will be running through towns and riding elevators. The game has a great art style, but unfortunately, the visuals are slightly bland. The environments look washed out and dull and most of the battle arenas and dungeons are boring to look at. Character models, however, look very nice and some of the enemy designs are interesting; ‘gangster’ dogs wearing hats crack me up every single time. The music is nice and complements the onscreen action rather well. Whether you’re in battle or exploring a moodily lit town at night (yes, there is a day/night cycle), it’s consistently decent. However, none of the tunes are memorable enough. I must also warn you that the game has far too many loading screens, but thankfully, they’re quick. But by the time you’re halfway through the game, you’ll be sick of the elevators. The area transitions could have been better and some sort of quick-travel between levels would have been nice.
[singlepic id=2013 w=450 float=center]
There aren’t many noticeable or game-breaking bugs, but there is definitely an issue with enemy hit boxes. There were times when I messed up during a battle because my characters accidentally collided with an enemy during an attack when they shouldn’t have. Things like this can prove to be frustrating as some of the battles require pinpoint precision on your part. Make one wrong move and you can lose the entire battle or go into a Critical Condition, where your characters suddenly go from Chow Yun Fat to Scooby and Shaggy and it is pretty much game over unless you’re really, really lucky. Thankfully, the game has an instant battle retry option that alleviates some of the frustration at the cost of a small fee. Save points are usually fairly placed and you can also drop your own save points on the world map in the form of Energy Stations.
Conclusion
Minor flaws aside, Resonance of Fate is a highly enjoyable RPG that every fan of the genre must try. It has some very cool ideas and a great battle system that is as fun as to play as it is to look at. Most importantly, it feels like playing a proper RPG, complete with tons of side quests and loads of customisation. There are multiple unlockable difficulties and an optional insanely difficult post-game dungeon to try on top of what is already quite a lengthy game. Don’t let the lack of hype around the game fool you; Resonance of Fate is definitely one of the better games of this year.
(+) Excellent battle system that’s challenging, rewarding and fun
(+) Well designed world map and exploration mechanics
(+) Customisation is addictive
(+) Likeable characters and decent story
(-) Steep learning curve
(-) Bland visuals
(-) Some odd design choices
Title: Resonance of Fate
Developer/Publisher: tri-Ace/Sega
Genre: RPG
Rating: 16
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499)
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Join the discussion at the IndianVideoGamer Community forums
