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'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.