Post by 8bitbluemage on Jun 25, 2009 14:05:41 GMT -5
Knights in the Nightmare
This game was designed specifically for the DS by Sting with the assistance of Atlus, and was translated and published in the US by Atlus USA. It's a game all on it's own and plenty of people consider it to be the "next TWEWY." (Though this is entirely subjective.)
Overview
What do you get when you mix traits of RPG, Defense, Bullet Hell, and various other little things? You get a game that feels like it's a whole new genre of it's own. Seriously. There is no other game you can fully relate this to. It may be obvious that some of the bullets were inspired by Touhou, or the permadeath was also used in Fire Emblem, or having over 100 characters may have been done before already, but when put together, it feels original.
Story
You play as the wisp of the deceased king, slowly recovering your memories as you aimlessly return to your castle to witness what the monsters who took your land have done. While being attacked, your only way of fighting back is through the assistance of the souls of those who once served you.
The story is told in a unique manner as you witness things happening now, as well as remembering scenes from before or even after the "tragedy" in a back and forth fashion.
Gameplay
EDIT: I was actually starting to post how to play the game, but that would easily be the biggest thing in this whole post. The game has it's own tutorial, but it'll take you a hell of a long time to read through all of it. After an hour of reading, you should be good to go. The site also has a few videos explaining it better than I could, so check that out, or just check out Atlus' Youtube Channel.
Graphics
The game is very sprite heavy, but all the attacks are really nice looking special effects. During cutscenes, the characters have their own shadows, which I thought was a rather nice touch. Unfortunately, all recruitable characters look like generic units, so it's real easy to tell if someone's gonna be usable later or not.
Sound
The music isn't so bad. I'm familiar with the composer's other works. (Though it's kind of hard to remember his name.) This game's soundtrack isn't as memorable as Riviera or Yggdra Union, but there's a lot more songs in this game (around 40!) so that could be a factor.
The voice acting is restricted to gameplay action. While many people were whining about the lack of Japanese audio, many of us closer fans pointed and laughed as the Japanese release used these very same English voices. English voices intended for a Japanese audience can be rather ammusing if not completely cheesy. Especially since there's probably only four people doing all these quotes. (How can I MISS?) (Freeeeeze to death!) (I'llcarveyouintopieces!) (Tttthhhis can't be!)
Other Stuff
There are over 100 characters that can join your ranks in this game, each with their own unique backstories and relationships. You can perform a "transoul" which is the act of one person converting themself into enrgy for another. How effective it is, is dependant on relationships, race, loyalty, military rank, and many other things. It is completely optional, though there ARE actually some moments where it seems nessecary.
Uh... I can't think of much else to type. I'm not so good with reviews... at least with this game.
This game was designed specifically for the DS by Sting with the assistance of Atlus, and was translated and published in the US by Atlus USA. It's a game all on it's own and plenty of people consider it to be the "next TWEWY." (Though this is entirely subjective.)
Overview
What do you get when you mix traits of RPG, Defense, Bullet Hell, and various other little things? You get a game that feels like it's a whole new genre of it's own. Seriously. There is no other game you can fully relate this to. It may be obvious that some of the bullets were inspired by Touhou, or the permadeath was also used in Fire Emblem, or having over 100 characters may have been done before already, but when put together, it feels original.
Story
You play as the wisp of the deceased king, slowly recovering your memories as you aimlessly return to your castle to witness what the monsters who took your land have done. While being attacked, your only way of fighting back is through the assistance of the souls of those who once served you.
The story is told in a unique manner as you witness things happening now, as well as remembering scenes from before or even after the "tragedy" in a back and forth fashion.
Gameplay
EDIT: I was actually starting to post how to play the game, but that would easily be the biggest thing in this whole post. The game has it's own tutorial, but it'll take you a hell of a long time to read through all of it. After an hour of reading, you should be good to go. The site also has a few videos explaining it better than I could, so check that out, or just check out Atlus' Youtube Channel.
Graphics
The game is very sprite heavy, but all the attacks are really nice looking special effects. During cutscenes, the characters have their own shadows, which I thought was a rather nice touch. Unfortunately, all recruitable characters look like generic units, so it's real easy to tell if someone's gonna be usable later or not.
Sound
The music isn't so bad. I'm familiar with the composer's other works. (Though it's kind of hard to remember his name.) This game's soundtrack isn't as memorable as Riviera or Yggdra Union, but there's a lot more songs in this game (around 40!) so that could be a factor.
The voice acting is restricted to gameplay action. While many people were whining about the lack of Japanese audio, many of us closer fans pointed and laughed as the Japanese release used these very same English voices. English voices intended for a Japanese audience can be rather ammusing if not completely cheesy. Especially since there's probably only four people doing all these quotes. (How can I MISS?) (Freeeeeze to death!) (I'llcarveyouintopieces!) (Tttthhhis can't be!)
Other Stuff
There are over 100 characters that can join your ranks in this game, each with their own unique backstories and relationships. You can perform a "transoul" which is the act of one person converting themself into enrgy for another. How effective it is, is dependant on relationships, race, loyalty, military rank, and many other things. It is completely optional, though there ARE actually some moments where it seems nessecary.
Uh... I can't think of much else to type. I'm not so good with reviews... at least with this game.