The Alliance Alive (3DS) Review

When I first started The Alliance Alive, I wasn't sure what to expect.  It has the same (or very similar) art style to Legend of Legacy, so I thought it was a sequel to that.  While there are some similarities, it definitely is not a sequel.  It is a turn-based RPG with an interesting world, distinct characters, and unique battles.

The backstory is this: one thousand years ago, daemons invaded the world.  They defeated the humans, and separated them into different realms with the Dark Current.  I think it's a very interesting idea for a world.  The story is well told, and there is just the right amount of dialogue.  Cut-scenes can be paused or sped through, which is always a plus for me.  In the beginning, you will switch parties a few times, which introduces the characters.  I really like how these separate stories intertwine for the first few hours.  The story is pretty linear, but it does open up more after 10-15 hours.  There are even a few times where you have more direct control over what part to tackle next.

Battles are turn-based, and you select each character's action at the start of the round.  Characters can equip 2 different weapons/shields, and each has their own set of associated skills.  They can only defend if they have a shield equipped, and can only use an item if it or an item bag is equipped in one of the accessory slots.  Sorcery spells (more attack focused) can only be used by certain characters, while Signimancy (more heal/support focused) can be used by the others if they have special items equipped.  Skills take a certain amount of SP to use.  SP is normally gained back at a rate of 1 per turn, but this can be increased with passive skills.  Combat seems pretty simple at first, but is pretty involved as you dive into the systems.  Once I figured out that using a shield in the front in defensive stance can block for the whole party, I understood a great battle plan, and I like it.

If you take enough damage in battle, you will enter ignition mode.  This makes you a bit stronger, but also allows access to your weapon's ignition attack.  These attacks are powerful, but break the weapon.  Can you guess why I barely use them?  The broken weapons can be repaired at the blacksmith guild, or at an inn after a certain point in the game, but it's still not something I would use except to finish a boss fight.  There is a way to use sorcery for a cheap one, but I still rarely actually used the ignition attacks.  Decent idea, but the downside is too great for me to actually use it more than a scant few times.

Damage your party receives can be pretty high, but that's because HP is usually completely restored after battle.  While this works well for normal enemy fights, it can be a huge detriment if you fight a strong enemy that can hit your whole party.  After 45 hours I still don't have a whole party heal, so one strong attack that hits them all can wipe out one or more characters.  For better or worse, that's the only difficulty I have in combat with my current set-up.  Liberal use of the quick save slot is recommended.

If a character runs out of HP in a fight, their maximum HP is temporarily reduced.  This can be fixed with items, or by staying at an inn.  Getting hit by an attack while you are incapacitated or retreating will also lower your max HP.  If a character's max HP becomes zero, it's another game over.  Even though the lowered max HP is temporary, I don't really like the whole idea.  It's also worth noting that there are no resurrection spells because just a normal heal spell will bring the character back, but with lowered max HP.  Being able to just cast a heal spell to resurrect is nice, so I can put up with the lowered max HP for a bit.

So how do you increase your max HP?  There is no experience system for combat (which may break one of the RPG rules, but I digress), but instead a random chance to increase your max HP or SP at the end of every fight.  It's far from a perfect system, since my front row fighter Galil had less HP than my healer for the first few hours of the game.  It isn't a fixed chance, since there is a skill that increases it, and it seems to increase more often when fighting stronger foes.  Still, there are times that your character choice is more restricted, so it is beneficial to try to cycle in lesser-used characters and hope to increase their HP and SP.

Since there are no levels for characters to gain, there are only two ways to get stronger.  First is your equipment.  The weapons and armor you wear will be the primary way that you deal more damage and reduce what you take.  Past that, all the skills you use in battle have their own level of effect in one of three areas: attack, defense, and support.  Depending on your stance in the formation (I promise that is easier to understand when you are actually playing), you have a chance to increase the corresponding potency of a skill with every use.  Damage dealing skills get stronger as the attack level rises, guarding techniques are better with higher defense levels, and you can heal more with higher support levels.  The game does tell you this, but only randomly, and probably well after you would like to know about it.  For the most part, my characters got stronger as the game progressed, but it was gradual.  I thought I would miss the lack of leveling up, but I really didn't.

For passive skills, there is a robust talent system.  Talent points are earned at the successful completion of a battle.  These points are then used for a myriad of skills, like increasing the chance of increasing HP or SP after battle, or increasing the sale price of items.  The ones I like best reduce the SP cost of weapon skills.  Couple it with the skills that give more SP per turn, and you can use stronger and stronger techniques more often.  The best part is every party member gets the same amount of talent points, even if they aren't used in battle, or even acquired yet.  When a new person joins your party, they have the same total as the rest of your party.  The after battle HP and SP may make it harder to swap in characters you don't use, but at least they don't lose out on talent points.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one other aspect of the game that I enjoyed.  There are five guilds that each perform a certain function, such as blacksmithing or signimancy.  If you are close to one of the towers, they can sometimes help you in battle.  However, their better use comes later in the game.  You will meet many different people who you can recruit to these guilds.  Assigning them to a guild will help increase its level, which will give you different benefits.  Some didn't seem that good to me, but others are invaluable.  For example, the recon guild didn't look too appealing at the start, but each level up increases the amount of talent points you get from battle.  Beyond that, many of the level bonuses were actually very useful.  I loved finding all the people I could to recruit for the guilds, often going back to towns to see if I missed anyone, or if someone new showed up.  While you can find a lot of them, I'm sure a guide would be best to track them all down.

While there are a few aspects of The Alliance Alive that I don't like, overall I enjoyed the game a lot.  I played it when ever I had a few minutes to spare, and had a hard time putting it down.  I would heartily recommend it to all RPG fans.


The Good:
Fun RPG with interesting world/characters, and several unique systems.

The Bad:
HP/SP gain is random, people you don't use can fall behind easily.  Attacks that hit multiple team members can be absurdly over-powered.

The SaHD:
I really could have done without the little "x" on the back of the snow bunny, and...the other things it looks like they put there.  I guess it's a male?

(Review code for The Alliance Alive was received from the publisher)

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PS4) Review

I first dove into the Yakuza franchise at the fifth game.  It quickly proved that it was far from what I assumed it to be, and that it was very good.  The brutal combat and engrossing story won me over as a fan.  Now, it is time to look at Yakuza 6.

If you haven't seen the story trailer that Sega released, basically Kiryu goes to jail following the events of Yakuza 5.  Released three years later, he returns to his orphanage, only to find Haruka missing.  While trying to find her, he discovers she was in a car accident while protecting a baby boy named Haruto.  Seeking answers, Kiryu, with Haruto in his arms, heads to Hiroshima.

I mostly enjoyed the story, as there were many good parts.  One that I'll highlight is Nagumo.  When the game starts out, he is very annoying.  After a bit, you are presented with a development that makes him actually likeable.  The change doesn't feel forced, either.  The situations and dialogue are written in a way that genuinely makes him a better character.  That's rare nowadays, and other writers should take note on how it was done.

On the flip side, there's also some parts that felt drawn out.  Like the movie trope of "this would be over in 5 minutes if these people would talk to each other", there's a similar sense of that in Yakuza 6.  There are several parts where we wouldn't even have this story if people had just talked to each other, or made much smarter decisions.  Towards the end of the game, the story also feels a bit drawn out.  It's a bit of a mixed bag, but the story is still enjoyable.

The game flows much like the other two entries I've played.  The story is broken up into chapters, each with several main quests.  You walk around the various places, talk to people, and get into fights.  There are side quests and mini-games to distract people like me that wander around and do all of the side stuff.  Most are pretty fun or simple.  There's of course the Sega arcade, and even a full, 2 player version of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown!  However, one mini-game that I didn't like was having to calm baby Haruto.  I wasn't really sure which of the three options he wanted, and I think it changed each time you got it right or wrong.  So I was stuck guessing what would make the baby stop crying...just like real life.  Also, the few times you have to run around the town while holding him limits what activities you can do...just like real life.  Ugh, I'm getting flashbacks from a few years ago.

Anyway, one mini-game that I really enjoyed was the Kiryu Clan.  It's like a very bare bones version of a real-time strategy game.  In the fights, you have a meter that builds up over time, and the points accumulated on it are used to summon your forces to fight the enemy.  Normal troops cost a lot less than the leaders, as their stats are lower and they don't have special skills.  Instead, they have types, like the fast strikers, or the gunman who attack from a distance.  Which of these normal troops you can use, and the point cost of each, is determined by the leaders that you take into battle.  It's a really fun diversion from the main game, and I also appreciated the New Japan Pro Wrestling cameos in it, even if I only knew two of them.

For the most part, combat is still really fun.  There is one big change with combat that I haven't decided if I like.  Before, the Triangle Button was used for a stronger attack, but also was used for Heat moves when your meter was full.  While it still is used that way, Heat moves are now contextual, meaning you can only do them when certain criteria are met.  There are several different criteria, like grabbing them near a wall, at the end of a combo, or holding an object, but there aren't really any that you can just do.  This makes them a lot more uncommon than they used to be.  On one hand, I like this, so I can use the stronger attack while saving my Heat for stronger opponents.  On the other, combat is much less brutal-looking than before.  Sure, the Heat moves still look painful, but it is much harder to get the ones that make you say "Oooooh!"  There is also an extreme Heat mode, where you use your Heat orbs to enter a more powerful state for a bit.  This I really like, since it makes you feel like more of a badass while it's up.  It also makes tough fights much more manageable.

Experience has been reworked again, and I really like this system.  Fighting, eating, and finishing quests gives experience in one or more of five different types.  These points are then used to purchase skills and stat upgrades.  There are a lot of them to buy, so  unless you are very diligent, you will still have some left to purchase at the end of the game.  I really like this system, since even little bits of stat experience can be helpful.  My only gripe is that you need the green technique experience for just about everything, but it isn't the most plentiful.  A little more balance would make it near perfect.

While there are some hits and misses in the latest Yakuza, it is a game that I enjoyed playing, and should definitely be played by fans of the franchise.  It's a fun game in its own right, so new players can jump in here if they want to.  Still, I'd recommend starting with Yakuza 0 or Kiwami to get more out of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.


The Good:
Nicely reworked experience system, combat is still fun.

The Bad:
Combat lost a bit of its "oomph" factor, and the story can feel drawn out at parts.

The SaHD:
The physics engine does try to help with the less brutal combat.  One of my highlights is throwing a guy that hit the side of a moving car.

(Review code for Yakuza 6 was received from the publisher)

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms (PS Vita) Review

Almost a year ago, the otome visual novel Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds blew on to the PS Vita, bringing with it the first half of Chizuru's tale.  Edo Blossoms picks up right after the events of the previous game.  I was a bit caught off guard that you just pick a route to start the game.  I expected it to read the save file, and would maybe put me on one that I would have been on.

Thinking about it, what actually happens does make sense.  It would be strange to only allow people to play the routes they had started, especially if they didn't even own the first game.  Yes, the routes would make more sense, but since this is an expanded re-release of a previous version with new routes, there are probably some people that are more interested in seeing the endings to the new routes.  Since there was no real reason to limit their customer base, I'm glad they did it this way.  It would have been nice to know that before, since I was keeping Kyoto Winds on my cramped Vita memory card, ready for Edo Blossoms to use the save file.  It turns out I didn't need to do that.  D'oh.

Once starting a route, you get a very concise recap of the previous game, which also covers the start of whichever route you picked.  Like most visual novels, the game is very dialogue heavy.  The protagonist's lines are not voiced, but most of the other lines and characters are.  There are still images to accompany people talking, and special CG pictures at certain points in the story.  These can be viewed later in the gallery.  At several points in each route, there are choices to make, which affects the ending.

Hard to believe he is single...

While I was going through my first route, some of the characters and developments didn't feel quite right.  It kind of felt like an actual sequel, and one that was made by a different person.  Toward the end, I realized that some of these were supposed to feel like that.  Others were probably just me not remembering things from the Kyoto Winds.

After playing through two routes, I realized that I really liked Edo Blossoms, even more than Kyoto Winds.  While that one had a more unified story for the first four chapters, each route here felt different.  Not much was repeated, which makes it more interesting to go through many or all of the routes.  I even have the urge to play at least the final chapter of every route in the first game, so I can more logically finish all of the routes in Edo Blossoms.  Like the first game, each route is only a few hours, but with 12 different ones, it will take you awhile to go through them all.  Visual novel fans should definitely check out the enjoyable conclusion to Hakuoki with Edo Blossoms.


The Good:
Finishes off the story started in the previous game, and the routes vary much more than that release.

The Bad:
Easiest way to follow the routes is jumping back and forth between this and Kyoto Winds.

The SaHD:
Looking at the file sizes on the Vita's memory card, I can see why it was split into two games.  Even with less redundant data, the game would be massive, and wouldn't fit on a cartridge.

(Review code for Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms was received from the publisher)

Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online (PC) Review

As is the case with Idea Factory's other PC releases, I sat down and played a few hours of Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online for review.  It plays pretty much the same as the PS4 version I reviewed, so I'll reiterate a few of those details for anyone that hasn't read my review of that version.  I was surprised to see that was just in November, then I realized that November was five months ago.  It feels like not that long, but was almost half a year.  WHAT EVEN IS TIME ANYMORE?!

Ok, that was weird, but we're back in the club.  4 Goddesses Online is an online MMO that the Neptunia CPUs and CPU candidates are playing.  As such, craziness happens in the game and threatens to destroy reality...or maybe just the game itself.  Not ones to let a game they enjoy be ruined, the girls band together and set it right.

The town looks much like the towns in many other Neptunia games.  There's the picture of the town, with several different places you can select, like shops and the quest guild.  Besides housing cameos from characters not participating in the fighting this time, these places also serve vital functions, such as buying items, fortifying equipment, or taking on quests for extra money.  Main scenario and extra skits are clearly labeled which I always appreciate.  Sometimes you have to do random quests to further the story, which feels aimless.

Battles are real-time action, and much more akin to the Tagmension spin-offs than the main series RPGs.  You can attack, jump, dodge, block, use healing items, lock-on to enemies, use special moves, and after a certain point, power up.  Since I played the PS4 version, I was quicker to acclimate to the controls, which take some getting used to.  Locking on to an enemy and attacking them works fine, it's the movement that feels a little off to me.  Moving in a different direction isn't just a straight switch.  Instead, you turn toward that direction.  For large moves, it doesn't bother me, but is a pain when trying to make minute movements, such as when you are trying to grab a chest or gathering point.  Like most minor gripes, it's not a deal breaker, but bears mentioning.

Combat is fast-paced, but it does remind me of a lot of MMOs, for better or worse.  A lot of the smaller enemies die off pretty quickly with your four party members hitting them, but larger ones can take quite a beating.  You and your party will hit it for a few seconds, then dodge or block its attack, rinse and repeat, sprinkling in some special moves, until it dies, then move on to the next threat.  Dodging is still inferior to blocking.  Blocking at the right time not only nullifies damage, but gives you a counter attack.  The timing on it is lenient, which offsets the strict timing of when you can block.  Holding it before you can block (like in the middle of an attack, for example) won't put you in the block stance immediately when you can.  You have to actually press the button when you can block, or it won't work.  Knowing this from last time, I can watch out for it, but it's something new players will want to learn.

I'm still using my i7-4790 PC with 16GB of RAM and Windows 10.  The game looked good, maybe a bit better than the PS4 version.  I didn't view them side by side to see for sure, though.  The only real strange thing was the in-game cut-scenes.  Not the still pictures with the dialogue, but the ones that use the battle graphics for scenes.  The ones I saw early on looked like a slightly lower frame rate.  It may be a setting, as I didn't really mess with those.  Overall, the game has some small issues, but is still enjoyable.  I would recommend Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online for Neptunia fans that like the action games in the series.


The Good:
The story is pretty good, and the MMO qualities of the game feel accurate.

The Bad:
Small issues with movement and blocking.  Plus the dodge isn't very useful.

The SaHD:
Did I use this opportunity to run a different party, or even play as a different character?  Nope, I stuck with Noire.  She's really good in this game.

(Review code for Cyberdimension Neptunia was received from the publisher)