It gestures at the kind of "big serious fantasy" of past games but ultimately lacks the thematic consistency of a Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre.

It's "just" a solid fantasy story, but it's, if anything, elevated by some really strong character writing (Stocke is an incredibly likable protagonist) and the extremely compelling time travel conceit (There's something very satisfying, both mechanically and narratively, in the loop of "witness bad thing that could be avoided" > "continue the story while being on alert for the means to avoid it" > "acquire such means" > "go back to fix the thing").

All and all this is really good. Could have been like, 40% shorter tho.

the combat, enemy encounters and boss encounters carry this game for me. the positional elements and combo system in general is really satisfying. the character kits are balanced well, and are functionally varied between each of the party members. normal encounters are rote as they are in most RPGs. but I felt they were balanced enough to where making smart decisions i.e. killing enemies off with certain combos and moves and saving MP did feel rewarding area-by-area. mini bosses and bosses definitely fared pretty well for a turn-based RPG, I did feel I had to put some effort into figuring a handful of them out. I'm very glad I played on Hard because I could see myself falling asleep a lot of the time if I played on a lower difficulty. like even Hard wasn't really Megaten Hard or anything, and I kinda wish it was. if Atlus didn't put the effort they did into all this, and the combat system and enemy encounters were just another boring "throw the same moves/strategy at the enemy till you win" fanfare most turn-based RPGs come off to me as, I would've thought far less of this game honestly.

the weakest link in RH's gameplay sadly is just how absurdly slow it is for underlevelled party members to catch up. one on hand it is rather cool how much exp you get is based on your ability to perform long, satisfying combos; however the balancing and numbers behind this system feels so utterly unsatisfying. while I was grinding a bit in the final dungeon I was pulling off 25+ hit combos and party members in the lvl.40s were levelling up so slow (for reference endgame range is ~lvl.55-60). there could've been some really satisfying gameplay loop of getting HUGE amounts of rewards/money/exp/something for performing difficulty and long combos but sadly that just isn't there. I really just focused on mainly using Stocke/Raynie/Marco and got by the whole game. though I did use Gafka and Aht now and then. Rosch and Eruca I barely touched. also none of the side quests or optional objectives really push you that hard with the combo system either unfortunately.

the story has its powerful moments but ultimately the overall thing came off as a very standard fantasy trope-ridden RPG story to me. the worldbuilding, politics and tackling of human themes are pretty surface level. the clear winner of this game's writing, and the main selling point for most people probably is Stocke. he has a very satisfying, well-paced journey correcting the many varied accidents and disastrous climaxes throughout the narrative. the true ending conclusion was pretty well done as well, it hit hard and wrapped up Stocke's journey pretty satisfyingly. Stocke is very likeable as a whole and while I wish the game explored more of his flaws more, I would easily consider him to be one of my favourite RPG MCs. The cast otherwise is just solid but nothing amazing. Rosch has some powerful scenes in the first half, and Eruca in the second half, but overall everyone other than Stocke wasn't that compelling or entertaining to me. none of the antagonists either, even if the final one was well developed for what they were going for, I just wasn't that impressed by them sadly. they were just okay.

the music is consistently solid but frankly few songs knocked me on my ass that much. Mechanical Kingdom is easily my favourite song but otherwise the OST is sadly some of Shimomura's safest work honestly. there's a lot more breadth and depth to her output in Kingdom Hearts and Mario RPG OSTs. there's also unfortunately not many songs for a 30-40hr journey - you'll be hearing several of the same themes a LOT. it's a similar problem older lengthy RPGs like Xenogears and Xenosaga ep.1 had, but it really stings more because this game is from like 2010. if Square developed this they'd probably be more willing to pay Shimomura to do at least a few more area themes which would've gone a long way; and I guess Atlus and/or Shimomura thought it was just fine enough as is. idk I don't want to think too hard on it. I just really didn't want to hear that boring desert town theme so much in the 2nd half at least.

the other element of the game's presentation that underwhelmed me is every town, field and area/dungeon just looks really stock. as good as the colour usage and art style is, I was really hoping for some gorgeous floating islands and the like but yeah - dooon't expect any of that here. perhaps the typical grounded environments are a boon to the game's overall consistency and classic feel, but I can't get rid of the part of me that really wanted some more crazy environments and more in-depth worldbuilding, so I'll just say it doesn't work for me. the areas and dungeon design themselves are also small, basic and there's basically only one type of puzzle with the barrel bombs - but I mean I expect most turn-based RPGs to barely put much effort in that department as is. you also repeat some areas and dungeons a few times but that's a given with the time travelling structure of the game.

cool Atlus take on a medieval time travel story, I ultimately liked it.

We all know the DS was a very popular handheld, and there’s a decent chunk of RPGs released for the thing. So, which are the very best? In my humble opinion, Radiant Historia and the Dragon Quest 5 remake. I’m not talking about Dragon Quest today, but this. Developed by a team of staff from the Shin Megami Tensei series and the PS2 RPG Radiata Stories, we were treated to Radiant Historia. I always thought that was interesting. 

Radiant Historia's story sees two kingdoms in a dying world where they are fighting for resources, and it’s your job to see what you can do about it. It’s simple but executed very well, with great character writing and some well-executed twists later on. Unfortunately, the time travel addition to this game feels like it’s tacked on. Most people would think it would be in the style of Chrono Trigger, where you’re able to go between various time periods and exploring their worlds, but this game basically lets you make a decision of which you have 2 options at the start of the game, and you’ll have to jump back and forth between both timelines to unlock access to a roadblock in the other. It’s kind of annoying to be restricted from one of the timelines, as it is just a pace killer to have to go back to the other one. It is also barely utilized in the story, which makes me think it just didn’t need to be there. I never understood why people would recommend or compare this game to Chrono Trigger since both games are vastly different and only have the time travel system as a similarity, which is super unnecessary in this game! 

The combat has enemies on a 3x3 grid, and you’re inclined to use attacks that pair the enemies' placements together in order to attack them all at once. You also have the ability to swap turns with an enemy in order to pair your party's actions together to unleash devastating combos, and let me tell you, this is seriously dopamine-enriching stuff. This game also has surprisingly well-tuned balancing. At no point in the game do I recall ever thinking a section was too easy or unfairly difficult. It was always providing a consistent challenge throughout the game, which made playing it very engaging. You’re still able to grind for EXP and over-level yourself if you get stuck, but it isn’t necessary at all. 

Yoko Shimamura composed the soundtrack for this game, and it’s incredible. If you like Kingdom Hearts’ soundtrack, then you’ll be happy to know that the battle themes in Radiant Historia sound just like those. Unfortunately, there aren't many tracks in the game, and it can get repetitive to hear the same 10 or so songs over and over again. Radiant Historia’s music blends perfectly with the game's atmosphere, always feeling in place. The final boss theme is definitely one of my favorite songs from her. 

There’s always talk about which version of this game to play, and if you want my honest opinion, I probably prefer how the original DS release looks. I haven’t played the 3DS version yet, but the biggest change is how all the characters were redesigned in a new art style that feels more in line with what was popular at the time with its almost generic-looking portraits. It’s by no means bad, but I much prefer this game's art, which seemed to also be more popular at the time of its release with a more detailed and mature look. If you play the 3DS version, you’ll get the soundtrack without the DS bitcrush and added voice acting. Of course, we’re all going to seek different things in the games we play, so that’s up to you to decide, but I’m definitely for the DS version. 

I can’t recommend Radiant Historia enough. It’s clear there was a lot of work put into this game, which seems to be absent from a lot of handheld releases at the time. This game feels like the level of quality a console RPG would have, obviously not graphically, but just the time and effort being put in to make this game not feel like a side project. If you haven’t already, this is a must-play for the system.

Radiant Historia, co-produced by Atlus & Headlock (not to be confused with 2005's Radiata Stories, which - incidentally, shares some of the same developers), is a lengthy work characterized by two brilliant ideas. The first of which is their battle system, a sort of 'flipped' version of row-based combat, where the opponent's damage output is determined by their placement on a 3x3 grid. Expanding on that are skills with knockback effects (to keep foes from reaching the frontline) and sequential attacks (enabled via turn orders), two mechanics that often work in tandem. There are faint echoes of Battle Network (in layout) and tactics games proper (the focus on positioning, as displayed by Wild Arms 4's notion of striking/trapping multiple units on the same tile) as well as of more complex JRPGs (turn order list + manipulation, although with a strictly turn-based, combo-minded approach that's more Persona 2 than Grandia). But the resulting gameplay has no precedent - at least within its genre: Brief fights centered on gathering & dispatching foes in one fell swoop.

The second and even more adventurous highlight is the White Chronicle, a form of level selection that recasts branching story paths as a means to collect side quests, Zelda-ian tools and loot, helped out by time-travel points and complete with numerous end states. Further down the narrative are various roadblocks (across both main & side quests) that require one to jump backwards, forwards or between timelines and manipulate events to make progress. This system - and its dense cauldron of 'temporal' unlocks, established them as worthy successors to the Chrono series. The rest - on the other hand, pales in comparison, and frequently dilutes the show. Their more political approach to drama lacks memorable characters & moments, hardly redeemed by long-winded cutscenes (that spend too much time on small talk, enunciating the rules or even spoiling the following task's solution), while its dungeons and unit progression (i.e. old fashioned level/item-based skill learning) feel like placeholders for more creative systems that didn't materialize in time.

There is something remarkably unique about jRPGs on the Nintendo DS. They transport me to the chillest state of mind ever, as if I was a kid again, playing games without any worry in the world.

Do you feel that way as well?

Anyways, this era of gaming is really interesting to me, because we were transitioning from niche-hobby thing to bigger-than-cinema kind of deal, so we could afford games that were created with true passion, while experimentation was the rule of the game (no pun intended), instead of mindless generic games for the masses or triple As that tried to be revolutionary, but were just dumbed-down.

Radiant Historia shows an interesting take on the time-traveling trope, portraying more adult characters involved in a very political plot. The character design, music, and graphics scream 2000s bliss and it is a definitive time capsule of that era.

If you like some twist and strategy in your jRPG combat, a good story with some exploring to do, but with little to no grinding to be able to progress through the story, look no further.

Mi JRPG favorito del catálogo de la consola. Una verdadera obra maestra con una trama con viajes en el tiempo, con traiciones, secretos, giros de guion inesperados... Sus personajes están muy bien escritos y desarrollados y vemos todos los matices posibles gracias al estilo de narrativa que presenta. Los combates son muy estratégicos pero sin llegar a ser tediosos, además de que cada personaje tiene una función específica. Y encima es precioso visualmente y la banda sonora la compuso la maestra Yoko Shimomura.

Sublime, jugadlo