moogy
2016
A true masterpiece. The more you play it, the more you explore the world, the more you realize just how exquisitely crafted every aspect of this game is. A contender for the greatest video game of all time, and I say that without hyperbole.
2020
Dense and challenging in a way that the original and HD really weren't; kept me engaged for all of the time I spent with it (which was enough to get all of the achievements). The lack of meta progression elements makes for a truly satisfying experience, as you know that any new accomplishment stemmed solely from your own skill improving.
This review contains spoilers
(Review copy/pasted from another site)
Playtime: 59 hours IGT, 31 real time (I played most of the game at 200% speed using Cheat Engine)
Difficulty: Epic
Final Party Level: 37
Played on V2.
Epic Battle Fantasy 5 is a turn-based JRPG where 90% or more of the playtime is spent in battle. If that doesn't sound like something you would enjoy, then the game likely has nothing to offer you, and you shouldn't bother trying it. But if you enjoy turn-based combat for its own sake, then it's worth giving a try.
Indeed, EBF5's greatest strength is simply in how it manages to stay engaging despite being almost nothing but combat. While most of the mandatory content isn't terribly challenging even on Epic, it's clear that a lot of thought went into the combat design and adjacent systems. Most encounters require at least some degree of strategy to overcome, and it's not a game where you can just mindlessly grind your way through without understanding the systems. In that sense, I found it to be an engrossing experience overall -- challenging enough to make me use my brain, but without any real walls to impede progress. It's easy to sink hours into this game.
I would also like to praise the world design. Exploration is heavily incentivized, with many helpful or outright vital skills and pieces of equipment requiring the player to go off the beaten path and comb through every last nook and cranny to acquire them. Filling in the world map provides a satisfying sense of progress, and there's a surprising amount of content hiding in the game. Puzzles and backtracking elements are used sparingly, but effectively, to add a bit of spice to the basic gameplay loop. The world of EBF5 is well crafted and content-rich, and the game as a whole feels very well-rounded as a result.
The characters are also surprisingly charming; while the story isn't exactly the focus, it's easy to understand why there's a good deal of fanart for the series (a selection of which is viewable in an in-game gallery). EBF5 isn't going to win any awards for best narrative, but I enjoyed the humor (it probably helps that the creator is around my age) and characterization a lot more than I expected to going in.
So, broadly speaking, EBF5 is a more than competent game that offers many hours of turn-based entertainment. However, I do have a number of problems with the design, and I'll take this chance to elaborate.
I feel that the game's most fundamental issue is simply that it becomes rather repetitive. While the equipment system is designed to make the player think about the most suitable setup for any given battle, in practice I found myself mostly sticking to one set of equipment on each character. Once I understood what the game was asking of me, I fell into a routine of sorts, just kind of forcing my way through each battle with Matt/Natalie/Anna all wearing mostly the same set of equipment throughout. I would scout out battles here and there (being able to run from any fight is a nice touch), but this didn't amount to much more than making sure I had the right resists, and even that didn't really feel necessary. Battles ended up feeling quite similar to one another, especially once I realized how powerful curse and weaken were, essentially degenerating into a buff/debuff game. And don't get me started on enemies vulnerable to stun...
The balance also felt kind of strange on Epic, with enemies having stupid amounts of HP and dealing stupid amounts of damage. You can argue that it's not the intended/default difficulty, but there are a good deal of achievements only available on Epic, so I'm inclined to treat it as the "definitive" difficulty, at the very least. Thinking about it now, enemies dealing so much damage does force the player to interact with more of the mechanics (I can't imagine that maintaining buffs like regen and morale is really much of a concern on lower difficulties, and the entire equipment system kind of falls apart if you can ignore resistances entirely), but on an emotional level it feels kind of disheartening to constantly be wrecked every turn, especially since battles in EBF5 can really drag on. From this perspective, I have to say I disagree with how much HP enemies have on Epic. I don't think most combat scenarios are particularly enhanced by taking longer per attempt, and boss AI patterns shifting late into the fight can end up just making the earlier parts feel like cursory busywork. I will say that the final boss makes good use of a high HP total, though; it would be a much less interesting fight if you could just DPS rush it into oblivion immediately.
I also have to say that the optional areas not giving experience rubbed me the wrong way. I realize that they had to be implemented this way to maintain the balance of the mandatory content, so this is a rather petty, subjective complaint, but I was discouraged enough by this element to put all of them off until the end of the game... at which point the level scaling proved irksome, since every encounter took a not-insignificant amount of time and effort to get through.
And some quick thoughts on the final boss: While it's definitely the most challenging mandatory fight in the game (and honestly, more challenging than any of the optional ones I did as well), and was legitimately quite satisfying to beat, it also felt unfair in a number of ways and my winning attempt was tinged more with frustration than fun. It's a good check of your knowledge of the game, I guess, but I would have preferred it to involve less literal party wipes that can only be survived with the morale status and/or autorevive. Like, what is this, Kiseki? (I realize Marsh and Keimaru's games have shit like this too, but it feels more fair, or at least more interesting, due to the mechanics in those.)
It's possible that the optional content I haven't done will address my criticisms and require extensive planning to overcome, but at the same time I've already spent quite a bit of time with the game and have had my fill, so to speak. Overall I feel like EBF5 far exceeds the standard for turn-based combat, and I really did have a lot of fun with the game, but it does end up feeling a bit routine by the end. It's just not quite exciting enough for me to want to really dig my teeth in and "platinum" the game, but at the same time I'm satisfied with what I got out of it. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who has played more JRPGs than they should have.
Playtime: 59 hours IGT, 31 real time (I played most of the game at 200% speed using Cheat Engine)
Difficulty: Epic
Final Party Level: 37
Played on V2.
Epic Battle Fantasy 5 is a turn-based JRPG where 90% or more of the playtime is spent in battle. If that doesn't sound like something you would enjoy, then the game likely has nothing to offer you, and you shouldn't bother trying it. But if you enjoy turn-based combat for its own sake, then it's worth giving a try.
Indeed, EBF5's greatest strength is simply in how it manages to stay engaging despite being almost nothing but combat. While most of the mandatory content isn't terribly challenging even on Epic, it's clear that a lot of thought went into the combat design and adjacent systems. Most encounters require at least some degree of strategy to overcome, and it's not a game where you can just mindlessly grind your way through without understanding the systems. In that sense, I found it to be an engrossing experience overall -- challenging enough to make me use my brain, but without any real walls to impede progress. It's easy to sink hours into this game.
I would also like to praise the world design. Exploration is heavily incentivized, with many helpful or outright vital skills and pieces of equipment requiring the player to go off the beaten path and comb through every last nook and cranny to acquire them. Filling in the world map provides a satisfying sense of progress, and there's a surprising amount of content hiding in the game. Puzzles and backtracking elements are used sparingly, but effectively, to add a bit of spice to the basic gameplay loop. The world of EBF5 is well crafted and content-rich, and the game as a whole feels very well-rounded as a result.
The characters are also surprisingly charming; while the story isn't exactly the focus, it's easy to understand why there's a good deal of fanart for the series (a selection of which is viewable in an in-game gallery). EBF5 isn't going to win any awards for best narrative, but I enjoyed the humor (it probably helps that the creator is around my age) and characterization a lot more than I expected to going in.
So, broadly speaking, EBF5 is a more than competent game that offers many hours of turn-based entertainment. However, I do have a number of problems with the design, and I'll take this chance to elaborate.
I feel that the game's most fundamental issue is simply that it becomes rather repetitive. While the equipment system is designed to make the player think about the most suitable setup for any given battle, in practice I found myself mostly sticking to one set of equipment on each character. Once I understood what the game was asking of me, I fell into a routine of sorts, just kind of forcing my way through each battle with Matt/Natalie/Anna all wearing mostly the same set of equipment throughout. I would scout out battles here and there (being able to run from any fight is a nice touch), but this didn't amount to much more than making sure I had the right resists, and even that didn't really feel necessary. Battles ended up feeling quite similar to one another, especially once I realized how powerful curse and weaken were, essentially degenerating into a buff/debuff game. And don't get me started on enemies vulnerable to stun...
The balance also felt kind of strange on Epic, with enemies having stupid amounts of HP and dealing stupid amounts of damage. You can argue that it's not the intended/default difficulty, but there are a good deal of achievements only available on Epic, so I'm inclined to treat it as the "definitive" difficulty, at the very least. Thinking about it now, enemies dealing so much damage does force the player to interact with more of the mechanics (I can't imagine that maintaining buffs like regen and morale is really much of a concern on lower difficulties, and the entire equipment system kind of falls apart if you can ignore resistances entirely), but on an emotional level it feels kind of disheartening to constantly be wrecked every turn, especially since battles in EBF5 can really drag on. From this perspective, I have to say I disagree with how much HP enemies have on Epic. I don't think most combat scenarios are particularly enhanced by taking longer per attempt, and boss AI patterns shifting late into the fight can end up just making the earlier parts feel like cursory busywork. I will say that the final boss makes good use of a high HP total, though; it would be a much less interesting fight if you could just DPS rush it into oblivion immediately.
I also have to say that the optional areas not giving experience rubbed me the wrong way. I realize that they had to be implemented this way to maintain the balance of the mandatory content, so this is a rather petty, subjective complaint, but I was discouraged enough by this element to put all of them off until the end of the game... at which point the level scaling proved irksome, since every encounter took a not-insignificant amount of time and effort to get through.
And some quick thoughts on the final boss: While it's definitely the most challenging mandatory fight in the game (and honestly, more challenging than any of the optional ones I did as well), and was legitimately quite satisfying to beat, it also felt unfair in a number of ways and my winning attempt was tinged more with frustration than fun. It's a good check of your knowledge of the game, I guess, but I would have preferred it to involve less literal party wipes that can only be survived with the morale status and/or autorevive. Like, what is this, Kiseki? (I realize Marsh and Keimaru's games have shit like this too, but it feels more fair, or at least more interesting, due to the mechanics in those.)
It's possible that the optional content I haven't done will address my criticisms and require extensive planning to overcome, but at the same time I've already spent quite a bit of time with the game and have had my fill, so to speak. Overall I feel like EBF5 far exceeds the standard for turn-based combat, and I really did have a lot of fun with the game, but it does end up feeling a bit routine by the end. It's just not quite exciting enough for me to want to really dig my teeth in and "platinum" the game, but at the same time I'm satisfied with what I got out of it. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who has played more JRPGs than they should have.
Maybe Disgaea should have ended at 4 after all.
The mechanics pertaining to weapons and stats are probably too obtuse for their own good, but it's a lot of fun to explore the world once you figure out how to actually deal a reasonable amount of damage. The kusoge elements lend the game a sense of personality that I wasn't expecting to find in something so mainstream.
Fantastic update to an already fantastic game. The new story elements round out the narrative, the enhanced visuals bring the world to life like never before, and the oodles of new voice acting infuse the plot with that much more pathos. Couldn't be happier with this remaster.
DoD3 when?
DoD3 when?
2018
Based on the Japanese version of the game.
Crystar isn't very fun to play at all, but everything else about it is above average to excellent. The art direction and character designs are evocative, affording the game a distinct visual presence, and it never "breaks character" in terms of aesthetics or tone. It also excels on the audio side of things, with a solid soundtrack courtesy of Sakuzyo and excellent performances from all of the voice actors.
The plot and writing are also approached with much more care than the average mass market title; Crystar successfully maintains a serious atmosphere throughout and handles heavy topics with the appropriate gravitas. One noteworthy aspect of the narrative is that there is essentially no optional story content whatsoever. Many modern JRPGs lean on social link systems (or similar) to flesh out the characters and provide a sense of breadth, but Crystar eschews that line of thinking. As a result, I can see people finding the story progression being too linear/rigid (the repetitive gameplay doesn't help matters), but I see it as a boon; since there are no side events, every character must be used in the main story and interact with each other throughout, which results in the cast having a genuine depth and sense of camaraderie that the social link format can't really accomplish. The plot itself also doesn't pull any punches, pulling off consistently surprising developments alongside meaningful twists and revelations. I also appreciate that, while the setting itself has some pretty interesting background elements that you can discover for yourself by reading through the memories you pick up from enemies throughout the game, the ultimate conflict is a personal one and the characters are only really interested in proving themselves and overcoming their own traumas, not changing the world or killing god or anything (though they do accomplish something pretty major in the process). The final sequence of events might have felt eye-rollingly cheesy in some other games, but Crystar actually managed to pull it off. I should also reiterate here that the voice acting is absolutely fantastic throughout; the performances really sell the characters, especially Nanana and Rei. Every single line of the game is voiced, too, which is somewhat of a rarity even in JRPGs now.
My only real complaint with the narrative elements is that it feels like some things could have been pushed even further; in particular, I feel like the ending was maybe just a bit too straightforward. (Rot13) V guvax vg jbhyq unir orra vagrerfgvat gb frr Zvenv npghnyyl erghea gb gur jbeyq bs gur yvivat jvgu Erv, jvgu gur gjb bs gurz univat gb errinyhngr gurve eryngvbafuvc pbzcyrgryl, naq Erv yvivat jvgu gur xabjyrqtr gung ure fvfgre vf rffragvnyyl n znff zheqrere jub tbg njnl jvgu vg. Univat Zvenv qrpvqr gb tb guebhtu gur ervapneangvba cebprff vf gur "zbeny" jnl gb cynl guvatf, ohg V guvax vg jbhyq unir orra n ovg zber ernyvfgvp naq creuncf rira zber gehr gb gur gurzrf bs gur fgbel vs fur jrera'g jvyyvat gb tvir hc ba Erv, naq guhf yvsr, fb rnfvyl. V qhaab, znlor guvf jbhyq or gbb qnex nsgre gur erfg bs gur raqvatf? (End Rot13) In general I think JRPGs should spend more time on the ending sequences and epilogues, and Crystar did feel like it ended a little too abruptly for my tastes. At the same time, the characters have all been through a lot, so maybe it's best to give them a bit of a respite at the very end, lol.
I must also emphasize that the game is not at all fun to play. The ARPG combat doesn't feel awful to play or anything, but there's no depth to the system at all and only a few enemy types. The map design is also extremely haphazard, with chunks of terrain pasted together in unnatural ways and no design elements of note other than a few chests here and there; it almost feels like it's procedurally generated, even if it isn't. You end up just sort of mindlessly button mashing your way through a bunch of very similar maps, some of which you need to play more than once. I suggest putting the game on easy mode (the difficulties don't seem to affect anything but enemy HP and damage output) and engaging with the gameplay as little as possible.
My final criticism would be that a lot of the music, despite being very good on its own, simply isn't used very well. The map themes are way too quiet (I ended up having to turn the game volume itself way up and then reduce the volume for the sound effects and voices separately), and many tracks just don't play for very long at all, with several only being used once or twice near the end of the game. Given how many tracks there actually are, and how much work Sakuzyo put into them, this was pretty disappointing.
Overall, Crystar is a game that is very flawed as, well, a game, but succeeds to varying degrees in every other way and delivers a satisfying narrative with well-realized characters. While it's not on the same level as DoD3 or Berseria, if you want a commercial JRPG with 1) a female protagonist and 2) a serious, relatively mature story, Crystar should definitely scratch that itch. As long as you can put up with the monotonous experience that is actually playing the game, anyway.
[While I wouldn't really classify Crystar as a yuri game, all of the principal cast members are female and develop meaningful relationships with one another, in addition to simply possessing agency in their own right. Mirai's obsession with Rei is also pretty... satisfying? Writing this now, I realized you can kind of see the game as Hisaya's version of Madoka, so people who liked that will probably like Crystar too...]
Crystar isn't very fun to play at all, but everything else about it is above average to excellent. The art direction and character designs are evocative, affording the game a distinct visual presence, and it never "breaks character" in terms of aesthetics or tone. It also excels on the audio side of things, with a solid soundtrack courtesy of Sakuzyo and excellent performances from all of the voice actors.
The plot and writing are also approached with much more care than the average mass market title; Crystar successfully maintains a serious atmosphere throughout and handles heavy topics with the appropriate gravitas. One noteworthy aspect of the narrative is that there is essentially no optional story content whatsoever. Many modern JRPGs lean on social link systems (or similar) to flesh out the characters and provide a sense of breadth, but Crystar eschews that line of thinking. As a result, I can see people finding the story progression being too linear/rigid (the repetitive gameplay doesn't help matters), but I see it as a boon; since there are no side events, every character must be used in the main story and interact with each other throughout, which results in the cast having a genuine depth and sense of camaraderie that the social link format can't really accomplish. The plot itself also doesn't pull any punches, pulling off consistently surprising developments alongside meaningful twists and revelations. I also appreciate that, while the setting itself has some pretty interesting background elements that you can discover for yourself by reading through the memories you pick up from enemies throughout the game, the ultimate conflict is a personal one and the characters are only really interested in proving themselves and overcoming their own traumas, not changing the world or killing god or anything (though they do accomplish something pretty major in the process). The final sequence of events might have felt eye-rollingly cheesy in some other games, but Crystar actually managed to pull it off. I should also reiterate here that the voice acting is absolutely fantastic throughout; the performances really sell the characters, especially Nanana and Rei. Every single line of the game is voiced, too, which is somewhat of a rarity even in JRPGs now.
My only real complaint with the narrative elements is that it feels like some things could have been pushed even further; in particular, I feel like the ending was maybe just a bit too straightforward. (Rot13) V guvax vg jbhyq unir orra vagrerfgvat gb frr Zvenv npghnyyl erghea gb gur jbeyq bs gur yvivat jvgu Erv, jvgu gur gjb bs gurz univat gb errinyhngr gurve eryngvbafuvc pbzcyrgryl, naq Erv yvivat jvgu gur xabjyrqtr gung ure fvfgre vf rffragvnyyl n znff zheqrere jub tbg njnl jvgu vg. Univat Zvenv qrpvqr gb tb guebhtu gur ervapneangvba cebprff vf gur "zbeny" jnl gb cynl guvatf, ohg V guvax vg jbhyq unir orra n ovg zber ernyvfgvp naq creuncf rira zber gehr gb gur gurzrf bs gur fgbel vs fur jrera'g jvyyvat gb tvir hc ba Erv, naq guhf yvsr, fb rnfvyl. V qhaab, znlor guvf jbhyq or gbb qnex nsgre gur erfg bs gur raqvatf? (End Rot13) In general I think JRPGs should spend more time on the ending sequences and epilogues, and Crystar did feel like it ended a little too abruptly for my tastes. At the same time, the characters have all been through a lot, so maybe it's best to give them a bit of a respite at the very end, lol.
I must also emphasize that the game is not at all fun to play. The ARPG combat doesn't feel awful to play or anything, but there's no depth to the system at all and only a few enemy types. The map design is also extremely haphazard, with chunks of terrain pasted together in unnatural ways and no design elements of note other than a few chests here and there; it almost feels like it's procedurally generated, even if it isn't. You end up just sort of mindlessly button mashing your way through a bunch of very similar maps, some of which you need to play more than once. I suggest putting the game on easy mode (the difficulties don't seem to affect anything but enemy HP and damage output) and engaging with the gameplay as little as possible.
My final criticism would be that a lot of the music, despite being very good on its own, simply isn't used very well. The map themes are way too quiet (I ended up having to turn the game volume itself way up and then reduce the volume for the sound effects and voices separately), and many tracks just don't play for very long at all, with several only being used once or twice near the end of the game. Given how many tracks there actually are, and how much work Sakuzyo put into them, this was pretty disappointing.
Overall, Crystar is a game that is very flawed as, well, a game, but succeeds to varying degrees in every other way and delivers a satisfying narrative with well-realized characters. While it's not on the same level as DoD3 or Berseria, if you want a commercial JRPG with 1) a female protagonist and 2) a serious, relatively mature story, Crystar should definitely scratch that itch. As long as you can put up with the monotonous experience that is actually playing the game, anyway.
[While I wouldn't really classify Crystar as a yuri game, all of the principal cast members are female and develop meaningful relationships with one another, in addition to simply possessing agency in their own right. Mirai's obsession with Rei is also pretty... satisfying? Writing this now, I realized you can kind of see the game as Hisaya's version of Madoka, so people who liked that will probably like Crystar too...]
Another PS1 JRPG that is perfectly representative of everything that a "PS1 JRPG" is. If that's your jam, then go for it.
Just make sure you craft the Eternal Sphere on disc 1, preferably right after the tournament, or you're not a real gamer. What, it's easy if you use Orchestra!
Just make sure you craft the Eternal Sphere on disc 1, preferably right after the tournament, or you're not a real gamer. What, it's easy if you use Orchestra!
Great game if you ignore how dumb the story is... which is admittedly pretty difficult.
I think the twist could have actually been used in an interesting way, but it probably wasn't a great idea to try it in an established series.
I think the twist could have actually been used in an interesting way, but it probably wasn't a great idea to try it in an established series.
2018
Not only is it a bad game, it has Jordan Peterson propaganda!
Starts out pretty exciting, but loses steam in the second half. I think there's a lot of room to improve on the basic formula here, so I hope the sequel actually comes out at some point...
Has some yuri elements.
Has some yuri elements.
2004
One of the most needlessly complex games of all time, but that's kind of the appeal. I'd like Nippon Ichi to make another SRPG with this system, because Phantom/Makai Kingdom felt pretty damn rushed...
Don't really feel like rating the entire series; this is the best game in it overall.
Disgaea is one of the best examples of a series that consistently iterates on itself in successful ways. I hope Nippon Ichi survives to make a Disgaea 6.
Disgaea is one of the best examples of a series that consistently iterates on itself in successful ways. I hope Nippon Ichi survives to make a Disgaea 6.
2015
Only entertaining if you're some sort of weirdo who enjoys NES Metroid on a sexual level.
Best map design in any game, period. Also has a pretty robust class system that allows for a lot of viable party setups. Just be prepared to play the game for a really, really long time, because it's really, really fucking long.
Writing is mostly vapid, but the character designs are excellent.
Writing is mostly vapid, but the character designs are excellent.