Japanese Role Playing Game?s are among some of my favorite games out there, and a part of the RPG genre I hold dearly to my heart. Over the years this sub-genre has evolved in many interesting and unique ways, bringing about some remarkable innovations and, gone against the grain of what is standard in to the whole experience. As much as I welcome these new and exciting changes, I?m a traditionalist at heart and sometimes crave a good, old fashioned JRPG that isn?t trying to be the next FF7 or Chrono Trigger. Crimson Gem Saga, published by ATLUS for the PSP, is a labor of love and a throwback to the old days that stands to both satisfy nostalgia lovers and make its JRPG forefathers proud in it?s simple but entertaining approach.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f374/Leo_Horus/crimson-gem-saga-20090415030418121.jpgCrimson Gem Saga?s story is a rather enjoyable experience with a great, albeit generic story, colorful and charming characters, and witty dialogue. Every JRPG player has played this story a dozen times; an unsuspecting hero gets thrown into random and ridiculous circumstances which inevitably leads him and his group to try and save the day. What keeps the story from being boring, are the charming details that ATLUS is known for, and how the story doesn?t take itself too seriously. The game is littered with humorous references to pop culture, classic JRPG stereotypes, and clichés that keep the player smiling from start to finish. There are a few instances in the story where it?s laid back approach can sometimes get the best of itself and offers up some odd and irksome moments which can even lead to frustration, but the overall quality to the storyline makes some of these bothersome moments a little more bearable. The overall story is satisfying with a well paced beginning, a few bumpy moments in the middle, and an ending that wraps up nicely, but leaves more to be desired.
The characters in Crimson Gem Saga are fairly archetypical, but that doesn?t stop them from growing on you. The games charm shines the most through the main cast with their entertaining personalities and snarky dialogue. You got your unsuspecting hero, your grumpy old man priest, your monk, your wizard,AND your scantily clad elf thief, along with other cast members which contribute nicely to the overall plot. The characters deliver their lines nicely and crack the odd referential joke from time to time, which adds some nice comic relief. The best example of the characters fun personalities is the wizard Henson, whose reactions often reflect that of the actual players, often questioning the team?s motives or pointing out the ridiculousness of certain plot elements adding to the stories laid back approach. It?s easy to get attached to these characters as they grow over time and deliver both a healthy dose of humor and drama to the stories mix which keeps it entertaining.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f374/Leo_Horus/crimson-gem-saga-26.jpgIf you?re a fan of 2D and sprite based graphics then Crimson Gem Saga is pure eye candy. The game may not boast the most superior graphics on the PSP, but it?s colorful environments, detailed sprites, and lovingly hand drawn character portraits make this game a treat for the eyes. Dungeons, the world sections, and locales are all bustling with color and detail and because of the places the story will take you to, the only thing that is sure to be get old is the menu screen. The character sprites contain great detail that exude emotion and blend with the set pieces quite nicely. The character portraits are a work of art all on their own, with great detail, and personality that is shown in them. Overall Crimson Gem Saga?s visuals are great, with careful attention to detail that triggers fond memories of its 16bit forefathers.
Crimson Gem Saga?s sound design does not falter and shares the same consistent quality as the games visuals. You won?t be humming the battle theme to yourself as it?s almost entirely forgettable, but the musical scores of the environments and towns are excellent. Each environment and town has their own music, and they are all catchy tunes that I found myself humming along to. Although it?s the voice work that really takes center stage when it comes to the sound, with a great voice cast that deliver their lines exceptionally well which lets the characters personalities shine. There is the occational quirky voice work here and there, but even if it?s unintentional, it adds to the games parody.
Crimson Gem Saga is a throwback in every sense of the word, as this game favors simple and effective game play over the more modern play styles. Navigation and locales are all standard fare here; towns containing shops with overpriced goods, world areas bustling with monsters, and dungeons littered with subtle clues to get you through the dangers. You?ll be doing a lot of walking as there aren?t any air ships or giant birds to ferry you across the land but thankfully you won?t be bogged down by the notorious random battle as the game took a few notes from Chrono Trigger and displays enemies on the screen. You have a good deal of freedom of how you approach your battles as you can avoid or ambush enemies as you can sneak up from behind an unsuspecting enemy to deliver a preemptive strike.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f374/Leo_Horus/crimson-gem-saga-19.jpgGear can be customized with items you find along the way, that add stat bonuses to your characters, and greatly improve your performance in battle. The game?s Skill system also allows for some nice flexibility as each characters skill tress are unique, and you have the option of skipping over certain skills while unlocking others. This way you can prioritize which abilities you want and when, and you?re going to need to as skill points are shared as opposed to being individually earned for each character. Skills can be further enhanced with medallions which increase the potency of a skill so you can do things like make a lower grade healing spell as powerful as a stronger one, but with less mana cost. All these little features help keep the outside combat game play diverse, even if they are nothing new to the genre, but the freedom is always welcome.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f374/Leo_Horus/crimson-gem-saga-battle-screen.jpgCombat is old fashioned turn based, so that means no ATB bars or real time combat. The combat is rather basic at first glance, but subtle features keep the player from just sitting there taping (X) every few seconds. Players have the chance to increase their attack damage by linking criticals and tripling their damage. A character using a standard attack will sometimes have a small window of opportunity to deliver more consecutive hits if the prompt shows, it?s a simple quick time event but one that isn?t so awkwardly implemented. Characters can also do double and party techniques like Wave strike or God?s Wrath, that can tip the tides of battle, and you?re going to need all the skills you can get because Crimson Gem Saga offers up a decent challenge.
The game never feels too easy, and every enemy encounter carries the tension of being the last. The consistent difficulty is both a good and bad thing as it can lead to absolutely frustrating moments where your party gets slaughtered as the enemies gang up or deliver critical combos of their own. It?s a good thing that battles come with great rewards as the game throws items, experience, and skill points at you. You will spend a good bit levelling up and skill point farming in order to prepare for the next big fight, so be prepared for many hours grind, and this game LOVES to make you grind. These subtle touches to the combat make for an overall solid game play experience that may not really do anything too innovative for the genre, but show that the tried and true method can still be fun.
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Crimson Gem Saga is a JRPG that makes you appreciate those classic titles many of us grew up on. It?s a true throwback to the old days with a nice sense of humor to it all which keeps the game entertaining. Great visuals, solid game play, a charming cast of characters, and a story you will easily sink 40+ hours into makes this a game that old school JRPG lovers will no doubt enjoy. If you can bare the grind, tough out a considerable difficulty, and can tolerate a few iffy story sections for the quirkiness that the story exudes, then it proves to be a fun trip down nostalgia lane. For those who have a PSP and hunger for a good old fashioned JRPG, then I highly recommend Crimson Gem Saga, it?s a game which makes its forefathers proud.Special thanks to Novajam and Newclassic for their editing help.
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