Radiata Stories is an action JRPG developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. Radiata Stories also happens to be my favorite video game of all time. This was the second JRPG I ever played (first being Dragon Quest VIII) and it's the main reason why I fell in love with the genre. This game has it all - cool action combat system, wonderful OST, great storyline, an amazing world and a huge cast of characters. Incidentally, every character you see walking around has a daily routine and can be recruited into the party.

Radiata Stories is just so charming, hilarious and full of life. I doubt any video game will ever top this one for me.

tri-Ace returned to their roots with Radiata Stories, a medieval-fantasy JRPG with segmented real-time battling. But if it weren't for a few missing components, one could claim that they picked up where Star Ocean 2 left off (as later games turned decisively towards outer space & action controls). The reality is that SO's main merit - at its best, is the combination of talent system-based side goals and the party's doubled level cap, not the combat itself, and here they simply refurbished that system without the addictive, multi-purpose grind that gave it value. It's therefore no surprise that the result is almost as dull as their debut. Some additions (whether RPG like weapon mastery and ability levels, or action such as counters, super meter and Four Swords-esque formations) are nice but hardly a substitute for Talents; others (menu design, mid-battle dialogue, customizable movesets & chains) only prompt more Tales comparisons. Ultimately, it's the features that explore tri-Ace's 'career' (augmenting their partly-open world with a time system and a roster of 100+ characters, whose recruitment tactics compete with Suikoden in terms of sheer variety) and especially the impish humor (featuring the ability to kick objects and NPCs, with wildly different results) that save the show, or at least alleviate some of the boredom.

Uniquely humorous JRPG that tells a serious story with inspired frivolity:
+ one-of-a-kind protagonist characterized by confident stupidity rather than competence
+ charming visual direction making the dated graphics hold up well
+ huge number of distinct recruitable characters (177) plus a significant narrative branch offering decent replayability
+ lively setting that is enhanced by various gimmicks (ability to kick anything, meaningful passing of time, etc.)
- barely serviceable action combat with noticeable input lag
- random difficulty spikes that necessitate a lot of grinding
- labyrinthine environments with a map that rarely helps
- lackluster quality of life (unskippable cutscenes, slow animations, rare save opportunities, poor menu, etc.)
- frequently unclear objectives that require waiting or stumbling upon an answer

Probablemente uno de los juegos con mayor personalidad que he jugado. En Radiata Stories se juntan:

Una concepción del juego cómo un todo interactivo, pudiendo reclutar a una enorme parte de los personajes del juego, pudiendo interactuar con buena parte de los elementos y teniendo distintos sistemas de tiempo y horario para hacer del mundo algo vivo.

Un sistema de combate que unido a esta concepción diferencia los distintos estilos de armas.

Una banda sonora que no tiene miedo a irse por las ramas y buscar un estilo rock jazz fussion que termina de cerrar la idiosincrasia tan particular que destila el que para mí es uno de los últimos grandes títulos de Tri Ace.

Uma gema esquecida pelo tempo e abandonada pelo povo. Um dos melhores jogos que eu já joguei em minha vida.
TODO persinagem nesse jogo é perfeitamente montado a mão, desde sua aparência até cada centímetro de sua personalidade, e até mesmo suas rotinas completamente únicas e individualizadas, além disso, 175 de todos os 300 personagens são recrutaveis pro seu grupo, com seu próprio estilo de luta e comportamento. São mais de 100 personagens únicos que podem caminhar e lutar ao seu lado.
O jogo continua lindo até hoje, sua trilha sonora é extremamente única e marcante, e a história é boa o suficiente pra te prender por horas, incluindo uma bifurcação no meio da narrativa que leva por dois caminhos completamente diferentes um do outro.
É uma pena que esse jogo tenha sido esquecido pela indústria e pelos fãs, Radiata Stories é algo completamente único e que nunca foi, e possivelmente nunca será replicado ou superado desde seu lançamento em 2007.

One of the best jrpgs ever made in my estimation. Radiata Stories is tri-ace's standalone game that is in conversation with the genre as a whole in 2005. With mechanics inspired by the Tales of Series, Suikoden, and of course Tri-ace's own library, Radiata Stories is a very interesting game.

The story focuses on a young man (Jack Russel lol) whose father was the strongest Knight for the Imperial hegemony and a young woman who is the heir of a highly distinguished noble family. While working in a squad, the woman (Ridley Silverlake) is badly injured and the squad is forcibly disbanded in retaliation by the girls father. The captain (Ganz Rothschild) and Jack are disgraced and forced to leave the knights. This is where the game truly starts.
A core mechanic of Radiata Stories is that the world is persistent and the NPCs have lives. They move around on their own schedule and many of them, I can't remember if all of them, are recruitable!

When forced out of the army, Jack and Ganz attempt to get a job with the local mercenary guild. They take Jack and not Ganz, and the two separate. The rest of the game revolves around recruiting folks to go adventuring with, and the main plot.

The Main plots got multiple paths, and ultimately the story becomes about Imperialism vs indigenous populations. There is more going on with Ridley than at first glance, when she nearly dies earlier in the game the method of saving her changes her nature fundamentally.

Huge spoilers but by the end of the game you're either siding with the humans or the non humans. This game doesn't really pull punches about it either.

Highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a good rpg that's a bit slept on.

A good game that i would need strict adherence to a guide to stomach, it's simply made from a time in which video games expected a greater level of patience and more tolerance for obtuseness in game design. Knowing where to go is impossible, and the map is often useless. My problem with games like these is that they often have a great level of diversity and openness when it comes to combat and character building, but in terms of exploration and story progression they are absurdly rigid, even the slightest deviation from the desired path is completely impossible. It's just not engaging to explore.