This game was a big part of my childhood, so most of this rating is powered by nostalgia, but also because looking in retrospect, it actually was really just a good game. This was most likely my first JRPG, and is what got me into the JRPG genre in general. So I owe a lot to this game.
I remember thinking it was so genius for how many of its narrative aspects explained common video game traditions. For example, the hero starts with complete amnesia, not knowing anything about the world. This is how video games usually are; the player is thrust into this fictional world and doesn't know anything at all. Another example is that your whole party are immortals, that is the point of the story, that you are trying to figure out why you are all immortal. This is how video games are as well, you have infinite lives and can always restart after a game over. These common video game mechanics were explained through the narrative, and as a young kid when I first played this game, I thought that was clever.
Anyway, let me go back to why I think this game is actually one of the best JRPGs. First of all, the world. It draws heavily on greek mythology, and I think the idea of making an RPG in the mythical greek world is genius because it is already the perfect environment for an RPG. It's a world where there are frequent monsters everywhere that heroes go around to slay. There's your random encounters for the party of your RPG. The monsters can be huge leviathans or colossal beasts. There's your boss battles for the party of your RPG. It's a world where there's frequent magic and sorcery along with soldiers who fight with classic weapons. There's your physical and magic classes for the party of your RPG.
The world is vibrant and fun to explore. The biggest strength of the game is the sense of adventure it gives you. Your journey feels so epic and grand as you explore the greek isles, sail across the seas and fight krakens, befriend villagers in towns, get in trouble with soldiers and escape through scary catacomb tunnels, find towers with princesses, enter gates to Heaven, beat challenges from the gods, brave through stormy seas, destroy all the big ether colllector machines, meet legendary heroes, participate in the Trojan horse scheme in the Trojan war, realize your true demigodly potentials, and defeat the biggest of all bads in the greek myths, Typhon. All of it sums up to an extremely memorable experience. I love how you start with double digit stats and when you're in the endgame your stats are in the thousands. It just shows the progression of your power, how you are seriously strong at the end of your journey, as a good JRPG should do.
Next, it has such a good story. It's heartfelt, captivating, compelling, sad at many times, such as the death of Captain Gazuth, or the death of Heracles's brother, or young Leucos watching her father die to monsters.
Next, the game has amazing music. The battle themes are very memorable. They make you feel the danger of your battles, or the grandness of your upcoming fight.
Next, the combat system is innovative for a DS RPG. It has a good use of the touch screen, where you can do these minigames to satisfyingly improve the effectiveness of your spells. It is turn-based, but there is a strategic spatial aspect of a front row and back row which can mean the difference between victory and defeat in battle. Also, the turns are based on an inherent speed stat of your party members and the enemies, so watching the battle unfold after you've made decisions on attacks is fun as it looks all over the place as your party members and the enemies go in a chaotic order one by one.
Obviously, as a kid, there were flaws to the game I did not have the intelligence to notice until now, such as the characters being one-dimensional and rather dull with uninteresting personalities except for perhaps Hercules. But overall, there are way more strengths to the game than flaws, and I think this is an underrated, unknown, masterpiece of a DS JRPG gem. Are you, the silent hero, just an animated doll with Hercules's spirit? Who knows. But you did a good job saving the world. Now you can rest and learn the pan flute all you want.
I remember thinking it was so genius for how many of its narrative aspects explained common video game traditions. For example, the hero starts with complete amnesia, not knowing anything about the world. This is how video games usually are; the player is thrust into this fictional world and doesn't know anything at all. Another example is that your whole party are immortals, that is the point of the story, that you are trying to figure out why you are all immortal. This is how video games are as well, you have infinite lives and can always restart after a game over. These common video game mechanics were explained through the narrative, and as a young kid when I first played this game, I thought that was clever.
Anyway, let me go back to why I think this game is actually one of the best JRPGs. First of all, the world. It draws heavily on greek mythology, and I think the idea of making an RPG in the mythical greek world is genius because it is already the perfect environment for an RPG. It's a world where there are frequent monsters everywhere that heroes go around to slay. There's your random encounters for the party of your RPG. The monsters can be huge leviathans or colossal beasts. There's your boss battles for the party of your RPG. It's a world where there's frequent magic and sorcery along with soldiers who fight with classic weapons. There's your physical and magic classes for the party of your RPG.
The world is vibrant and fun to explore. The biggest strength of the game is the sense of adventure it gives you. Your journey feels so epic and grand as you explore the greek isles, sail across the seas and fight krakens, befriend villagers in towns, get in trouble with soldiers and escape through scary catacomb tunnels, find towers with princesses, enter gates to Heaven, beat challenges from the gods, brave through stormy seas, destroy all the big ether colllector machines, meet legendary heroes, participate in the Trojan horse scheme in the Trojan war, realize your true demigodly potentials, and defeat the biggest of all bads in the greek myths, Typhon. All of it sums up to an extremely memorable experience. I love how you start with double digit stats and when you're in the endgame your stats are in the thousands. It just shows the progression of your power, how you are seriously strong at the end of your journey, as a good JRPG should do.
Next, it has such a good story. It's heartfelt, captivating, compelling, sad at many times, such as the death of Captain Gazuth, or the death of Heracles's brother, or young Leucos watching her father die to monsters.
Next, the game has amazing music. The battle themes are very memorable. They make you feel the danger of your battles, or the grandness of your upcoming fight.
Next, the combat system is innovative for a DS RPG. It has a good use of the touch screen, where you can do these minigames to satisfyingly improve the effectiveness of your spells. It is turn-based, but there is a strategic spatial aspect of a front row and back row which can mean the difference between victory and defeat in battle. Also, the turns are based on an inherent speed stat of your party members and the enemies, so watching the battle unfold after you've made decisions on attacks is fun as it looks all over the place as your party members and the enemies go in a chaotic order one by one.
Obviously, as a kid, there were flaws to the game I did not have the intelligence to notice until now, such as the characters being one-dimensional and rather dull with uninteresting personalities except for perhaps Hercules. But overall, there are way more strengths to the game than flaws, and I think this is an underrated, unknown, masterpiece of a DS JRPG gem. Are you, the silent hero, just an animated doll with Hercules's spirit? Who knows. But you did a good job saving the world. Now you can rest and learn the pan flute all you want.