| Stella Deus: The Gate Of Eternity review |
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Here are four words that can strike terror into many western gamers: Strategy Role Playing Game. With an isometric viewpoint and grid-based movement, no less. No, come back, this is really good! Not the most popular style of gaming outside of Japan, it has nevertheless generated a sizeable following amongst those that have a liking for what has been previously a niche genre. Strategy RPG's have undergone something of a revival since Disgaea a few years back and the fact that this game is coming to PAL PlayStation 2s at all should be cause for celebration.
The game opens with a trio of teenagers in a world on the verge of dying: a miasmic cloud is swallowing up the land of Solum and there seems to be only one way to stop it – through killing spirits and using alchemy. The task at hand takes the trio on a journey to find the truth behind what is happening (is what they are doing really the solution?) and how they can stop the destruction, as well as making some new friends on the way. The story will hook you first, for although there are some of the failings that hamstring many games of this kind (the melodrama! The over-acting! Laughing like a maniac! Saying the same thing over and over!), the push to find out what is really going on drives the game forward. The opening scenes are hugely innovative, using a pencilled-in technique that is eye-catching to say the least. The in-game story however, is told through stills of each character and with individual voice acting that ranges from the dramatic to the comedic, but they can be skipped with the touch of a button if you wish. Religion plays a large part in the game too, with followers of the main faith seemingly content to wait for things to take their course, while the more war-like factions want to take action before they are unable to.
The in-game modelling is fantastically detailed as you'd expect, with an anime style evident in all the designs. Hair blows, cloaks flap, faces react, movement is realistic and the game is very beautiful to look at. Each character has his (or her) own very unique appearance, far from the super-deformed or doe-eyed children of most SRPGs. Enemies have their own distinctive style too; some are quite robotic in appearance, their faces obscured by armour plating (anyone who has their face obscured must be up to no good). For those unfamiliar with grid-based RPGs, the "detached terrain" might look quite odd, but this is quickly forgotten within the absorbing gameplay; battles can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to complete. Shigeki Soejima, the man responsible for the character design on Hoshagami: Ruining Blue Earth and the Persona games for the PSone, takes responsibility here, with the same development team as Hoshigami and a fantastic, dramatic soundtrack from Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter). His next game is Final Fantasy XII.
But it is the action that will take up hours of your time. Depending on your familiarity with this style of game, the difficulty can be offputting, or a major attraction. For example, a carefully planned attack can be derailed at the last moment, meaning a new path across the field of battle has to be thought out. The A.I. is good opposition - opponents can hamper a meticulously calculated move or a headlong charge with equal efficiency. Those with ranged weapons (archers) and those with magic skills (healing and attacks) can remain stubbornly out of reach, even if you send a detachment from (or even the entire of) the party to take care of them. Priests will heal attacked colleagues and mages can create status effects in members of the party. So creating a balanced party from the outset can mean the difference between success and the Game Over screen.
Levelling up can achieved through the battles encountered in each new area you progress to, or more regularly through the Catacombs. Choosing from the range of available characters and keeping an eye on your Action Points (AP), move them across the field of battle. AP determines how far they can move and how many times they can attack, so a character with a bow wouldn't need to move as far as a samurai. These can be held back to help attack any enemies from a distance and are best used as back up for those who need to get close to attack. Both adventure areas and Catacombs can sometimes take more than one round to beat, but the satisfaction of a successful attack is outstanding.
Each party member, while having their own special moves which have to be earned, can also combine with others too to pull off some spectacular attacks, taking out foes in one swoop. Finding out the best combinations of characters can produce some surprising results! It shouldn't come as a surprise then that these attacks are best put to use on the harder, end of area bosses. Success in battles brings experience and skill points, with the skill points used to purchase new abilities. Some are new, more powerful attacks, while others are passive - improving attack power or resistance to poison, for example. Effect Zone (EZ) powers however, can affect enemy units in the immediate vicinity, giving them nasty status effects, or help allies by recovering health. Choosing which ones to use and which are best suited to your style of fighting is a skill in itself, with characters ranging from archers and swordsmen, to clerics and samurai.
Taking the time to improve each character isn't the chore you may think it is and it's important to take the time to balance your party. Individuals have a myriad of stats that are affected by level, choice of weapon and items carried. They can be raised by either levelling up or manually with SP (Skill Points) earned in battle. This not as complicated as it first appears, however. Anything beneficial will have a positive outcome numbered in blue, any negative outcomes are coloured in red. A very protective piece of headgear will increase Defence, but can also slow Movement and will affect how far he or she can move; bear this in mind while outfitting the party. Each member can be ranked up too. This has the effect of expanding the number of skills you can learn, but this is only possible after finding certain items and conditions have been met. Again, this is simplified; a press of X and it is all taken care of.
On the world map, bringing up the Town menu opens up three areas: the Catacombs, the Shop and the Guild. The Catacombs are handy battle areas that are useful in levelling up as well as receiving important items and, once cleared, can be revisited at any time. It should be noted however, a level 12 Catacomb will have level 12 monsters so be sure to have the entire party levelled up. As you progress, the terrain will become more complex and enemy numbers increase. In many games of this type time spent levelling up (the infamous level-grind) can feel like a chore. Not so here, the variety of enemies and layouts keeps the Catacombs fresh and you'll find yourself visiting them again and again. The party could be taken up to ridiculous levels, but regular visits should keep them in good shape. The Shop is one of the simplest to use too. Simply buy the item you want and equip it from the same menu. Easy. The Guild is a good place to take on side missions that can net money or new companions and is also the place where items can be fused to create new items not otherwise available during the normal course of the game. The possibilities are huge considering the range of items available within the game.
Though this is far from being a definitive SRPG for the PlayStation 2, it still provides an outstanding example of what can be achieved in the genre. In its favour, the battle system is easy to pick up and many happy hours can be lost in strategy; it has an addictive quality that makes you want to keep on playing, levelling up, customizing and battling the hours away. Fans of this type of game will not be disappointed and it should be considered as a good point of entry to first timers too.
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System: Sony PlayStation 2
Genre: Role Playing Game
Developer: Pinegrow
Publisher: Atlus
Players: 1
Version: United States
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Writer: Chris Waring
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Pros:
- Absorbing gameplay
- Challenging, strategy-based battles
- Great voice acting
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Cons:
- Repetitive phrases
- Major time investment required
- Intensive statistical levelling up
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Stella Deus: The Gate Of Eternity Video: 9.0MB
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