Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtuless Review (Switch)

 

Somewhere out there will be someone who has completed all the Disgaea games, and not just the seven mainline titles but the spinoffs and probably Phantom Brave and a host of the others NIS titles. We are happy to be honest and say that isn’t us and we also didn’t make it all the way to the end of this Disgaea entry. But unless we wanted our review to come out next year we had to stop playing at some point. And just in case you think we are tapping out early, the developers claim a 400-hour run time on this one so just go with us here.

We found Disgaea 6 solid, but it struggled to keep our interest in the long run, especially compared to other games in the series. The new look in particular didn’t settle well with us, but we are glad to say that Disgaea 7 is much more visually appealing and consistent in it’s style. This in part comes from the game taking inspiration for its look from the Edo period of Japanese history. This has allowed for a lot of the rough edges and visual clutter to be stripped back and give us something that looks modern, but also keeps the series looking good enough for current systems.

This time the story follows a rich and spoiled tourist girl called Pirilika who has arrived in the universe to take in the unique culture and understand more about their Bushido code. Unfortunately, she finds that the universe has been overrun by demons working for the big bad Shogun Demmodore Opener and has thus lost it. She’s soon joined by a grumpy samurai named Fuji who is drawn to the magical sword she happens to be carrying around in her bag. It turns out the sword is one of seven founding weapons and the two set off to find the rest and overthrow the evil Shogun.

In terms of mechanics, the core ones never really change when it comes to Disgaea. Levels take place across grided environments with characters having different movement, magic, and attack stats. Various obstacles and bits of the map add or take away various bonuses and most levels are completed by either defeating a boss or eliminating all opposition. This is a massive oversimplification of course as every stat of every character can be changed and manipulated in countless ways until you have the ultimate team of heroes ready to march through to the end.

As an added complication, levels often have the series tradition of geo panels present as well. These are coloured squares which are linked to a node which adds effects such as upping attack power or healing. If you destroy nodes in the right order and in the right places, it’s possible to clear all the coloured squares and gain a huge bonus.

Unlike some previous entries Disgaea 7 does a very good job of drip-feeding news systems to you. You’ll start out with very little to sort out aside from the basic battles but as you progress through the worlds more and more shops and buildings will unlock back at your base. There’s a hospital of course and weapon and items shops which are self-explanatory, but you’ll soon get the juice bar to allow bonus boosting of stats and the dark assembly where you can go and try and get new rules implemented, change upcoming levels or a host of crazy other things. There are bonus missions, cheat rooms, squads, and the meta game of the item world, it all seems sometimes like you’ll never get to the end of it all.

For those new to the series, the item world is a series of randomly generated levels which occur when players want to jump inside an item or weapon. For each level you beat the object will get stronger and you can find item world citizens as well which add more bonuses once completed. Considering you can do this with every single item in the game you could lose thousands and thousands of hours here if you really wanted to.

Most games in the series have a sort of gimmick added into them. In the past we’ve had monsters being able to be turned into weapons, tower battles (where characters stack on top of each other) and ridable giant creatures. Vows of the Virtueless brings ‘Jumbification’ into the mix. When a character fills its meter it’s able to grow to gigantic Kaiju proportions. Characters become so big that they don’t even fit on the battlefield anymore. Instead, they stand at the back or to the side and can unleash huge area effect attacks. Giant characters also add effects to the whole battlefield both positive and negative. Of course, this also makes them more vulnerable as multiple enemies can reach the edge of the battlefield and all attack at once.

Overall, Disgaea 7 is up there with the series best. It’s easy to access for newcomers while also being incredibly challenging as you progress to the depths of the game. Mechanics are complex but introduced slowly so that you are never overwhelmed, and the writing is top draw and encapsulates all the humour and quirks we have come to expect. Whether you are new to the series or a veteran this is one of the best games of its kind and it works extremely well on the Switch. Highly recommended.

Overall 9/10

 

Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX Review (Switch)

The Raiden franchise is experiencing a sort of reverse revival at the minute. Raiden V was the first release followed by IV and now III has appeared (with the arcade original also hiding on the Eshop). No doubt Raiden 2 and some of its spin off games are also on the horizon. In our view the more Raiden games we get the better as it’s an often overlooked series that hasn’t ever really had a bad game.

In terms of mode there’s nothing particularly spectacular here but you get the normal arcade mode, score attack mode and once completed a boss rush mode. You can also change a few cosmetic things such as wallpaper for the side of the screen and various life and bomb options. There’s the ability to flip the screen as well if you want to play in TATE mode. Topping off the features are of course online and local leader boards.

The game itself plays fairly similarly to the other Raiden games in that it relies on more standard blasting and survival than the many of the modern bullet hell shooters. Maximising your score comes down to chaining kills and not getting hit so it’s a stripped back affair that is quite refreshing in a lot of ways.

You have three main weapons which you can use which are equipped by coloured power ups you pick up within the levels. Each of these can be levelled up to become more and more powerful as well so knowing what you want for a particular level is key to scoring and survival. One of these weapons fires bullets in every direction while the other is a straight powerful laser. The last is the super bendy beam laser the series is famous for. You also have a classic style smart bomb and secondary missiles that fire continually.

There are seven levels in total and while they are tough, Raiden is a fair game at heart. Your ship is a little slow but then you aren’t diving through the sea of bullets that a lot of these sorts of games inflict upon you. Bosses fall much into the same category with them making you manoeuvre carefully but never fully overwhelming you. That said, it’s funny how often you seem to die despite this so it can be deceptive. And we really do wish the ship moved around a bit quicker.

The graphics looks good in both docked and handheld mode and enemy fire is distinctive enough from the backgrounds to be seen clearly. Even being colourblind we didn’t have any issue with things blending into the background. The choice of sound options are all solid and add another element for players to customise. The game does slow down in places but there’s a whole different debate to be had about how slowdown in retro shooters effects the gameplay. Personally, we would like to see it ironed out but there will many happy that the game plays in the way it always has.

Overall, this revival of Raiden III is most welcome and will be essential for fans of the series. We do prefer both Raiden IV and V as they are a bit more polished and distinctive but then that’s to be expected as we are going back through the series in reverse. On its own merit it’s a fun and solid shooter that offers a lot to veterans while also being accessible enough to newcomers and more casual fans who just want to blast away for short bursts every now and then.

Overall 8/10

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 Review (Switch)

Somewhere out there will be someone who has finished everything NIS has ever put out. But it’s likely that most of you will have a gap somewhere in the company’s extensive back catalogue of 1000 hour games. The La Pucelle games fall into this category for us. When NIS was releasing everything in the West on the PS2 this one somehow slipped by, so we are pleased to see it return on the Switch.

La Pucelle Ragnarok is the game released on the PSP containing all the DLC and extra content that the version contained. Rhapsody A Musical Adventure is making its debut in the West and is basically NIS’ take on a Disney musical – and yes, it is hilarious.

A few may initially be put off by the fact that la Pucelle is one of the earlier releases from NIS. However, we had a different experience with it than we were expecting. There aren’t as many systems in place and it is a bit rough around the edges but the fact the game is stripped back compared to some of the ludicrously complex later entries in the DIsgaea series and titles like Makai Kingdom actually makes it a perfect entry point for newcomers and people looking for a place to dive into the companies output.

The characters and writing are up to the usual standard and both games are genuinely funny and twisted in the way only games from NIS can be. The main difference here from their other titles is that here you are focusing in on a couple of characters who will grow and level up over the course of the adventure. You can bolster your ranks by defeating monsters and converting them to your cause but most of the game is focused in on the characters you start with.

The mechanics will be familiar to those who have played Disgaea and the like, just a bit more stripped down. The turn-based strategy combat still unfolds on a grid where characters have a movement limit and then can choose which attacks to do and which direction to face. You also need to think about positioning to make sure you are being backed up by your surrounding characters as this gives bonuses and extra attacks to your team while also bolstering your defensive options. Leaving characters exposed on their own will see them eliminated quickly.

The key ‘gimmick’ is to do with the different coloured streams of elemental magic that round around the battle fields. These can create effects such giving bonuses to attacking or healing for both your team and the enemies and characters can stand in the streams to block and redirect them around. If you can get one of the streams to completely surround and area it can then be ‘purified’ which causes a huge chain reaction which damages enemies within the area and gives a massive bonus to the player.

The maps in Rhapsody seem somewhat smaller which does take away some of the tactical element as enemies and your team seem to be on top of each pretty much straight away. It is also somewhat easier than Ragnarok due to this as levels are much shorter.

Overall, we are really glad that NIS has decided to bring the La Pucelle games to the Switch. They are showing some age but we found it great to take a step back from the hundreds of systems that have been layered over the companies games year on year since this first released. The core story is good and the characters are likable and we found ourselves drawn to it for far longer than a lot of similar game the Switch has to offer. It’s a great place to start for those looking to get into the world of JRPG strategy games.

Overall 7/10

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 Review (Switch)

The Switch is fast becoming an Ark of overlooked NIS gems and now we have another collection of games set to take up several thousand hours of our time. Classics Volume 2 contains underappreciated PS2 game Makai Kingdom and PSP game Z.H.P: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman. As you can probably tell these are going to be games that require some serious dedication from the player but then that is NIS’ whole ‘thing’.

Makai Kingdom released fairly late in the life of the PS2 and came after the Disgaea and Phantom Brave games had established themselves on the system. This version, subtitled “Reclaimed and Rebound”, contains even more content than before and it is one of the most in-depth games you are ever likely to find. Even in terms of NIS games this one is detailed with a seemingly never-ending list of things to do and level up.

The writing and humour live up to the standard we now expect from the company and the crazy plot will sit well with fans of Disgaea. Basically, Zetta the “Bad-Ass Freakin’ Overlord” accidentally destroys his own Netherworld and ends up getting confined within the pages of book and then things start to get weird. It follows much the same look and pattern of other NIS games with the mechanics more akin to Phantom Brave than Disgaea. Instead of the grid system you are given range circles which show how far characters can move and attack and the elemental aspect of Phantom Brave returns with characters being created from raw materials such as rocks or trees and imbuing characteristics of those objects.

Makai Kingdom is arguably NIS’ biggest and most in-depth game. If you are a fan of this sort of thing and want something that’s fairly easy to get into but has limitless depth then this might just be the game you fall in love with.

Z.H.P: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman is something a little different. It’s much closer to the Rogue template and has players guiding a single character through dungeons repeatedly dying and levelling up their base stats. The dungeons are randomly generated each time - aside from the boss encounters which will require large amounts of grinding to get past. It’s like if someone took the item world concept from Disgaea and tried to expand it into its own game. It’s strangely addictive and we found ourselves glued to it for hours at a time.

The plot of this one is wonderful as well. The real hero of the piece is on their way to take on Demon General Darkdeath Evilman but is hit by a car and dies when they step off the pavement without looking. The mantle is then passed onto an ordinary person who is just passing by who then must begin training to save the day and rescue Super Baby.

Overall, This collection is another solid release from NIS. A re-release of Makai Kingdom was long overdue and it’s great it can now join other classics from the company on the Switch. We hadn’t encountered Z.H.P: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman before but it fits perfectly here and is a real highlight. The amount of grinding may put some off, but the humour and charm of both games will likely see them find new fans, and they should because both are genuinely great games.

Overall 8/10

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol 1 Review (Switch)

While Disgaea has gone from strength to strength in terms of releases, a number of other NIS releases have seemingly fallen by the way side. Phantom Brave for instance has remained fairly dormant aside from a PSP and Japanese only Wii release since it first arrived on the PS2 back in 2004. With Nippon Ichi now seemingly looking to revive some of these forgotten franchises through the ‘Classics’ series gamers are getting to experience them again. As well as Phantom Brave, this collection also contains the even more obscure Soul Nomad and the World Eaters and both are well worth looking at. 

Phantom Brave follows the story of a 13 year old girl named Marona who is protected by a phantom named Ash after losing both her parents to an evil spirit some years before. Marona is a young Chroma – a sort of sword for hire, and your initial goal is for her to earn enough money to buy the island she lives on. 

The humour and art style is very much in keeping with other Nippon Ichi games though it is perhaps a little less full on than when Etna appears in Disgaea. This is a PS2 game at heart and there is little chance of disguising that. The menus now look lovely and HD but level textures look decidedly muddy, sprites are pixelated and it is hardly a graphical tour de force. That said it looks a whole lot better in handheld mode. Soul Nomad is set up in much the same way.

There’s also a bit of a clunkyness to it but on the whole the Switch controls work well for both games. Once you have got used to the controls it’s clear that Phantom Brave remains a really good game and the depth of the thing begins to come to light quite early on. It shares a fair bit with Disgaea in terms of it being a turn based RPG and in terms of classes and skills levelling but there are key differences that the game is built around. The most obvious is the fact that you no longer have the grid system and instead everything is done with range circles. This really took us some time to get used to and to be honest it seems an odd design decision that doesn’t really add anything. 

A more significant and important difference is the summoning system which is the games whole ‘thing’. Instead of lining up characters to take into battle your game will revolve around Marona summoning phantoms to aid her. Marona confines phantoms to objects which then come to life for a set period of time. For instance, if you want a tough fighter then confine them to a rock to give them strength and defence bonuses. Mages are best confined to plants as that boosts their magic ability. The options are long, complex and incredibly deep. The catch is that after a set number of turns the phantom will turn back into the original object and not be summonable again. This means that if you aren’t careful you won’t be strong enough to down the enemies and complete the level.

The range of classes you can summon is huge and then you can give them all sorts of weapons and objects as well. You can also give phantoms bonuses by confining them to objects which are receiving environmental bonuses. There’s the whole being able to pick up and throw things off the map as well but we suspect your head is already spinning enough.

If Phantom Brave isn’t hard core enough then Soul Nomad will push you that little bit further. The game revolves around the idea that your hero is bonded with this crazy super powerful being. You can draw on this beings power to overcome enemies but if you sue it too much then ‘Gig’ will overpower your body and cause chaos again.

As well as this risk/ reward element the game also focuses more on a sort of squad system where when you engage in battles you fight as a team instead of one on one. It seems to be where some of the ‘room’ mechanics have stemmed from for later Disgaea releases with part of the research element of the game about setting up new rooms that allow different formations and bonuses depending who is in which slot. Perhaps even more so than Phantom Brave, Soul Nomad will take hours upon hours to truly understand the nuances of.

Overall, Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad are both showing a bit of age in their presentation and control scheme but put that aside and both are good games. Phantom brave in particular has got to be one of the deepest and most rewarding games out there. It’s a massive level grinding dream which is easy enough to get into but will take hundreds of hours to master. There is also a stupid amount of secrets in here and it would take the most dedicated of fans to see everything both games have to offer considering you get all the extra content included from the various releases over the years as well. Even if a lifetime of grinding doesn’t sound like you it’s well worth giving this if you are a Disgaea fan or someone who is into strategy games and wants to take on something a bit different.

Overall 8/10

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny Review (Switch)

Just when you think you’ve cleared your Switch backlog here comes the next version of the everlasting time sink that is Disgaea. It’s pause for thought that someone out there may have spent a large portion of their waking life playing Disgaea games. 1, 4 and 5 are already available just on the Switch and multiple versions of all the games span all the way back to the series debut in 2003 on the PS2. It’s a testament to the quality of the series that such a niche genre has had consistent Western releases for so long. And we’ve played all of them.

This time the story focuses on a lowly but arrogant zombie named Zed who’s realm and way of life is threatened by an unnamed God of Destruction. However, Zed has the unique ability of Super Reincarnation which means not only that he cannot permanently die, but also that each time he does he comes back to life stronger. Naturally, Zed sets out across the Netherworld to defeat the menace and win the day. As stories go we found it to be solid but perhaps not as weirdly humorous as some of other games. (But then how can you beat a vampire that shouts SARDINES! As Prinny’s charge into battle).

It’s an intimidating series, but Disgaea 6 is the first game in the long running franchise to put in real allowances for newcomers with numerous things now in place to try and placate the ‘grind’. It’s impossible to go through every system without effectively creating a hundred point list but some of the more obvious thing include – experience being able to be shared with non-fighting characters, an adjustable cheat menu, auto-battling and game speed-up systems. But don’t let this put you hardcore Disgaea fans off because these new systems have actually been built into the makeup of the game with level caps being raised to 99999999 and the Dark Assembly and other options available to add twists onto just about everything.

The auto-battle system can also become like a meta game in itself. Much like games like Final Fantasy 12 you can programme your team with all sorts of detailed instructions meaning taking the time to properly prep your team will likely become an obsession for many players before they try and beat the levels from a more managerial setting.

The wealth of systems we have come to expect from Disgaea are all still here. So the lifting, geo symbols, team system, teams attacks and character creation systems remain. It looks like the occasionally seen system that allows monsters to be turned into weapons is absent though. The particular gimmick of this game (aside, from the speed up systems), is that of mounted units and large monsters. Mounted units have greater movement and combat reach and the oversized monsters are incredibly strong and can attack multiple panels at once. It’s an interesting dynamic to add to levels which can often feel condensed and cramped and certainly adds another level of both attacking and defensive strategy.

So far so good, but the problem is we really struggled to engage with Disgaea 6. It just seems a little off in places and it’s hard to really identify why. The most obvious aspect is perhaps the new 3D look of the game. We’ve always had an issue with the colours being used in Disgaea (geo panels especially), but the added detail to levels seem to serve to make them cluttered and it’s really difficult to see colour dependant objects on the map. At times we were even struggling to find the cursor. Non-colour-blind gamers out there may well feel differently about this of course. To us it just looks a bit too busy.

The other thing that stands out a bit is how strangely the characters move - especially in the base area. It just looks really odd. It’s like frames of animation are missing and when you jump it feels like Zed has no weight to him. The base area is also incredibly cramped together which obviously means less wandering around but also less grandeur and opportunity for flourishes in what should be your super evil lair. Again, it’s not a big thing but it just didn’t feel quite how Disgaea should.

Overall, the mechanics of Disgaea 6 are as strong as ever and all of the new additions are both welcome and integrated brilliantly. The story and overall visual design may not be quite as inspired or anarchically crazy as before but that is somewhat of a minor point. If you like Disgaea then here’s another time sink for you and if you’ve never played it before then this is a great place to start. Just because it’s not our favourite Disgaea ever (SARDINES!), doesn’t mean it’s still not better than almost every other strategy RPG out there. You’ve finished the other three Disgaea games on the Switch now anyway right D00D?

Overall 8/10

R-Type Final 2 Review (Nintendo Switch)

It’s been a long time since the last new R-Type game. We should know because we reviewed it way on the PS2 and gave it a respectable 8/10. The thought of a sequel to the original R-Type Final certainly got us and many a shooter fan excited and now it’s here via a successful kick starter campaign and it’s certainly not taking any prisoners.

For those new to the series the R-Type games are side scrolling shooters where you single handedly take on the Bydo Empire. The key gimmick of the series is the ‘Force’ unit which players attach to their ship. It acts as both a barrier and a projectile battering ram, while also be able to fire on enemies. The strategic use of the unit is key to making progress through the game and intelligent use of it can make short work of otherwise insurmountable enemies.

The other thing that the original R-Type Final was known for was the legion of unlockable ships. This idea returns in the sequel with an ever present selection of units which are unlocked by completing levels and using resources. These become more and more diverse as you make your way through the game and are remarkably different which gives players plenty to play around with in order to find the perfect one for them.

The other key thing here is this certainly feels like an R-Type game. The opening is a thrilling return that sets the scene for players blasting off to fight the enemy and the levels remain maze-like constricting nightmares where players are more likely to crash into objects or waves of enemies than be overwhelmed by a swarm of bullet hell fire. In this respect at least it does all the right things.

However, it’s far from a perfect game. The environments themselves don’t look quite right and often have a roughness to them. This paired with fairly busy background graphics mean enemies and bullets can become lost in the environment which led to many a death which we simply didn’t see coming. These types of games are certainly not the place you want to be downed in a way that seemed unfair or unavoidable and it adds a level of frustration that could easily have been avoided. It also means we have to raise the issue of accessibility again with the colour palette not friendly for colour blind players at all. The fact that restarting after death seems to take a small lifetime doesn’t help either. At least there are checkpoints and all the continues you could ever want – but don’t expect to be getting all your hard earned firepower back all at once.

The slow restarts and visual issues wouldn’t perhaps be so noticeable if the game wasn’t so absolutely, crushingly, hard. This is one of the toughest games we’ve played in a long time and it took us a significant while to even get off the first level. Once we did adapt and start making progress though the levels are never less than thrilling in a sort of ‘OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO DIE’ kind of way. It’s also worth noting that the difficulty level chosen effects the game massively with the first level moving from having to off a small alien creature to taking on series icon Dobkeratops in its full glory as you up the intensity.

Unfortunately, the branching structure of the original game which had players experiencing different versions of each level based on how they did in the previous one seems to not be implemented here. The game is also meant to have adaptive difficulty but we didn’t see much of a change during our time with it apart from the game throwing us extra continues.

Overall, R-Type Final 2 certainly isn’t a perfect game but then none of the R-type series really is. When it clicks the levels are thrilling, claustrophobic and intense and you’ll find yourself really drawn into it. But then you’ll die and it’ll take forever to reload the checkpoint and the frustration may well start to set in. It’s certainly one that fans of the series will love but it’s a somewhat harder sell to newcomers who aren’t invested in the same nostalgic way. The first R-Type Final seemed pretty much complete but this feels somewhat bitty and disjointed in places which is a real shame. That said it’s great to have the series back – but if someone could remaster the first of the two games that would be great.

Overall 7/10

Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo Review (Switch)

Following on from the excellent Shooting Stars Alpha we now have another six shooters packaged together to offer further blasting fun on the go. Like before this can be purchased as a special edition but we will be focusing on the games here. The Bravo collection compiles two series with Samurai Aces 1-3 and GUNBIRD 1, 2 and oddity GUNBARICH included.

As you would expect, all six of the games are worth playing but there is perhaps less variety between them than in the previous collection. Gunbird 1 and 2 are fairly similar and allow players to pick from a selection of colourful characters who fly horizontally up the screen blasting away looking for tech bonuses. Characters range from a witch on a broom to a steampunk robot and each plays significantly different from one another to make repeated visits enjoyable. As you would expect, bosses are excellent and the look and design of the levels keeps energy up and makes them a delight to look at.

The first of the Samurai Aces games pretty much takes the 1945 template and changes out the planes and setting for that of flying ninjas and ancient Japan. It also turns the action up significantly and the game is pretty full on compared to the others in the two collections. Again, the interesting visual design helps to keep the interest and dedicated players up for a challenge will find much to draw them back in time after time.

Samurai Aces 2 and 3 change things up a bit and scroll horizontally instead of vertically. Characters have a few different attacks here aside from just the standard ‘shoot’ and ‘bomb’, such as a charge attack and it allows for a more flexible approach to the action. The games are still absolutely solid though so don’t expect to be sailing through the stages anytime soon. Clever use of the charge shots can also reap huge points as well for the expert players out there.

The oddity of the bunch is GUNBARICH which isn’t really a shooter at all but something much closer to ball and block games such as Arkanoid. Players still have control of a whimsical fantasy character but now instead of shooting you have to flip a ball back up the screen to destroy all the blocks. Your character can move around a fair amount of the screen with the aim being to remove every block on the stage before moving onto the next. It is a fun diversion but it’s certainly not up there with the likes of Arkanoid itself or other games that have put their spin on this genre such as Kirby’s Block Ball.

Like with the Alpha collection the biggest potential issue is that the games don’t really have much in the way of extras. There are a few display options (yes, you can play with the Switch vertical), but nothing in the way of museum extras of other interesting information. When you consider the detail that has gone into some of the other collections on the system then this is a noticeable omission. If you get hold of the physical release there is a ton of stuff to go through there but that does come at a premium price.

Overall, we are more than happy to dive back into another six of the best from Psikyo. This is a great way to give the games a higher profile on the Switch and the nature of them means they are perfect for playing on the go. The GUNBIRD games especially are long time favourites of ours and we would recommend this to anyone looking to scratch that blasting itch.

Overall 8/10

Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha Review (Switch)

A number of Psikyo shooters have found their way to the Switch eshop but now six of them have been collected together and released under the banner of ‘Shooting Stars Alpha’. A special physical edition is available with a number of extras but here we will be focusing on the games themselves. This collection contains three games from the Strikers 1945 series, Sol Divide, Dragon Blaze and Zero Gunner 2.

All six games are excellent action packed, adrenaline fuelled, shooters and there is also an unexpected amount of variety between them. The Strikers series are vertical scrolling shooters and the most straightforward of the games on offer. Each game has a selection of different planes (getting more modern as you progress through the series), for you to blast your way through hordes of enemies with. Each stage is wonderfully chaotic with gold bars acting as the collectibles needed to boost your score. The games follow the standard set up of being able to shoot and use a smart bomb and the key to achieving high scores is mainly about staying alive and chaining shots together.

The boss battles are suitable impressive as your little plane dives between waves of bullets from a massive foe. These tend to be in two stages with a robot often detaching to carry on the fight after the first part of the big boss has been downed. The third game offers the ability to take down a boss in one hit by waiting around for a particular spot to change from blue to red and then getting your plane close up for the killer shot and a massive points haul.

Dragon Blaze is another vertical shoot’em up but this time you are flying on the back of a dragon through a fantasy themed world. If anything, it’s even more chaotic than the 1945 games and as a result the difficulty is considerable higher. The big gimmick here is that you can separate the rider from the dragon. This gives you double the fire power and also allows you to put your dragon into sections of the screen filled with bullets and still do damage yourself. It’s an intense and rewarding game that seems fresh within a somewhat crowed market.

Zero Gunner 2 is among the more interesting shoot’em up games out there. It scrolls both vertically and horizontally and utilises a ‘lock-on’ system which is vital for moving and positioning your helicopter. When locked on players can manoeuvre their helicopter around the target to provide new angles for attack and evasion. It takes some getting used to as movement is different to most games of this type but once it clicks it is a highly enjoyable experience.

The only true horizontal scrolling game of the collection is Sol Divide. Like Dragon blaze, this is another fantasy themed game and players pick one of a handful of warriors to adventure with. This has the most complex of the combat systems in the collection with players being able to use a melee attack and a number of magic spells as well as the standard shot option. As you power up you can call on everything from fireballs to spells that slow down enemies or rain down thunder upon them. It is also crushingly hard as enemies are bullet sponges from the off. This means mastering of all the systems is vital to progression

The biggest potential issue for buyers is that the games don’t really have much in the way of extras. There are a few display options (yes, you can play with the Switch vertical), but nothing in the way of museum extras of other curio information. When you consider the detail that has gone into some of the other collections on the system then this is a noticeable omission. If you get hold of the physical release there is a ton of stuff to go through there but that does come at a premium price.

Overall, this collection is providing six excellent games together in one package. If shoot’em ups are your thing then this is really not to be missed. There is a nice mix of titles as well which showcase different elements from the genre and the games vary in base difficulty so players of all abilities will have somewhere to start. If you have enjoyed any of the games individually on the eshop then this is really a must buy.

Overall 8/10

Disgaea 4 Complete + Review (Switch)

We are big fans of the Disgaea series at Retro 101 and have been more than happy to dive into the ‘complete’ versions of the games as they arrive on the Switch. Disgaea 4 always had a lot of personality so we were excited to have a reason to return to it once more.

This time around the plot revolves around a Prinny trainer by the name of Valvatorez, a once powerful tyrant who has renounced much of his power based on a promise he made many centuries ago. A noble demon, he never breaks a promise and when a group of Prinnies are taken away by the government for execution he leaps into action to save them. Why you ask? Because he promised them some sardines for tea and they were taken before they could eat them. Yes. Really.

Of course as things progress it gets much more complex than that and before you know it you’re on a mission to overthrow the powers that be with a bunch of rag tag companions, failed demons and several Prinnies. It’s possibly the maddest plot yet and it’s beautifully written and funny throughout with a lot of fourth wall breaking, several of the characters believing they are the main hero and one thinking they are the end of game boss.

Imortanly, the game is easy to see on the Switch screen. Graphics are smooth and while that removes the pixel style of previous games it certainly helps out with knowing what is going on. You can also pan and zoom around the battlefield easily which gives you all the angles you need.

The standard systems are still in place so if you’ve played Disgaea before you’ll know what to expect. There were new systems introduced here as well such as tower combat given more flexibility and monsters being able to morph together to create bigger monsters or turn into special weapons for human characters. You can also place special buildings on a game board then place characters around them to gain special effects such as gaining experience from the head of that building. The more levels you complete the bigger the board gets and the more buildings you can place (after senate approval of course).

While it’s not too tricky to pick up for fans of the series it’s not massively newcomer friendly. With a fair few systems added to what was already there it means there is a huge wealth of stuff to take in. There is a very short tutorial section but you’ll have to do a lot of playing around to see how things work if you want to really get into the meat of the game.

The levels don’t exactly ease you in gently either. While enemies are generally of a manageable level the layout and design of stages is somewhat advanced. Very early on we were taking on intricate patterns of Geo Symbols which in previous games haven’t appeared until quite some way into the game. By world three we were already facing strings of snipers and archers placed out of reach on panels that allowed double shots and health recovery.

There are certainly very few levels where you just rock up with your squad and hit the enemy until they disappear. This isn’t of course a bad thing but we can certainly see how it might be too much for newcomers. While we’re on the subject there really needs to be a colour blind filter implemented in some way as well. Having so many different Geo Symbol colours is fine but it’s impossible to identify what panel is what when it gets so crowded with different colours and characters.

Small issues aside this is a highlight of the Disgaea series. It has the more flexible difficulty curve of Disgaea 2 while having a sense of humour and quality characters that rival the original game. If number crunching, levelling and bizarre characters are your thing then there isn’t anything out there better than this. It’s certainly going to last a very long time as well with all the additional content included. If you aren’t shouting SARDINES! Within a week of play we’ll be amazed.

Overall 9/10

Disgaea 1 Complete Review (Nintendo Switch)

It’s been a long time since the first Disgaea game graced European shores and turned a large number of the population into obsessive number crunchers with an eye for multi-coloured squares. Since Hour of Darkness we’ve had five more entries into the mains series and countless spinoffs on the handheld platforms. Now, the original Demons are back in ‘complete form’ and ready to remind us just how difficult the original was.

Disgaea complete essentially adds in all the content from the various versions of the games. So you get ‘Etna Mode’ (an alternate version of the game where Etna accidentally kills Laharl whilst trying to wake him up) and a few additional battles (We couldn’t quite work out if the DS content was in there though). It also looks very crisp and lovely in its new HD guise. It is a bit of a shame that the direct sequel D2: A brighter darkness was not included though.

Story mode is really only a small portion of the game and follows Laharl who awakens to find his father has died and his kingdom has been taken over. What follows is the demon lords quest to reclaim his crown. The bulk of the game though is found in the Item World (A dungeon world within items), with its randomly generated levels and the addiction of the seemingly never ending levelling process – you can level up anything, if it is counted as an item in the game, no matter how obscure or weak it starts off, you can level it up so that it becomes fantastically powerful and capable of trouncing all those who stand in its way. You will visit here often as even a few levels in you find characters woefully understrength.

The game does involve grinding but it really depends on how you play – if you are strategic about it then it won’t involve too to clear the main story. After that, it really is a mad loop of levelling up, gaining new skills and transmigrating characters – this is essentially a reincarnation process where they start at level 1 again but have better stats and keep some of their skills from their previous incarnations. 

Each stage allows you to deploy 10 units to conquer and berate the enemy with, the best tactic as always is to start throwing your units around the map (as well as monsters into one another – they level up as you throw them and the experience multiplies exponentially. This is also useful when attempting to persuade senators in the Dark Assembly… simply throw them into one senator whilst making sure they still agree with you). This can be awkward to line up correctly sometimes but when it pays off it really is a great feeling.

Mana is gained each time you slay an enemy on the battlefield, this can then be used to create even more powerful characters and to petition senators within the Dark Assembly to do things such as approving new classes, levelling up enemies along with the weapons and armour available to buy in the shops, extortion is even possible – although you’ll have to be quite strong in order to be able to pass that through as a law!

Along with the Lifting and throwing mechanic, combos and apprentices are the Geo Symbols.  Many of the levels have coloured squares adorning the floor. These relate to coloured triangles set somewhere around the level, each of which gives a different effect to the square. These can range from giving extra experience points to causing physical damage or even making you (or the enemy), invincible. Not good for anyone with colour blindness but it means you have to be careful what you are doing and plan ahead. The symbols sometimes move around as well which adds even more to deal with.

Destroying the geo symbols can set off a chain reaction that destroys all the squares and damages anything standing on them. If in the process, you destroy another symbol then you can get a domino effect which zooms around every colour square and ends in a huge explosion of colour. This results in a massive bonus to your end of level score (Another system in play), and can give you extra treasure.

Overall, the first Disgaea game still has a lot to offer. The sequels have added more systems to add to the complexity but the characters and story are at their finest here. It serves as a great entry for newcomers as there are less mechanics to worry about while experienced players may well have forgotten how challenging it is and want to dive back in to prove themselves. The fact you now have it on the go rally helps as well. While it’s true more could have been done here (maybe add the option to remix systems from newer titles, add the sequel D2 or other Disgaea games, smooth out the difficulty curve etc.), you are getting a serious amount of content for your money with a shiny new look and we can’t really criticise that.

Overall 8/10

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance Complete Review (Switch)

It seems like a life time ago that Etna erupted onto the scene in the first Disgaea game. From that moment massive number crunching became a way of life for many console gamers and there have been few games since that are so humorously twisted and crazy. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is the sixth console game in the series and first appeared on the PS4. The complete addition has now its way to Switch and as you might expect it has more than enough packed into it to keep you occupied for hundreds of hours.

As usual the plot revolves around an overlord trying to take power. This time it is Seraphina who is the daughter of the king of the Gorgeous Underworld. Along with a host of other odd overlords she bands together with the mysterious Killia to try and destroy the evil demon emperor Void Dark who has decided to take over the entire universe. There are also Prinnies.

It’s another mad cap adventure with Seraphina fascinated by the fact she can’t use her magic to charm Killia and the two jet around the universe on a giant space ship which is used as your hub between levels. Instead of different regions for each episode you are now going to different realms which adds a nice epic feel to the game as you try and repel Void Dark.

We could spend pages talking about all the systems in Disgaea by now and this version adds even more into the mix. All the previous systems such as the geo-panels and skill levelling return and work much in the same way as the last version of the game. There is a new revenge mechanic which raises damage given and reduces damage taken when a bar is filled by your team being attacked. Overlords also get special attacks when in the revenge state – these are wide ranging and include skills like turning into a giant or charming the enemy.

Later in the game there is also a squad system which allows your team to be split into different groups and differing effects then being added to the leaders of the group who take the battle field. The item world is now more ridiculously packed with things than ever with copious amounts of random events and encounters that you’ll need more than one lifetime to uncover. There are also side quests to complete and extra levels that stretch way off into the distance after the main campaign has ended. This game could literally last you forever and it’s highly unlikely you are going to see all it has to offer and now you have all the DLC to get through as well.

Despite all the systems we found this fairly friendly for newcomers to the series. Each new element is explained well (and also quite quickly), and there is the option to skip tutorials for anyone who already knows how they work. It’ll certainly take a while to get to grips with things but there isn’t an assumption that gamers will have followed the series all the way to this point so if you’ve ever wondered about Disgaea this is as good a place as any to start.

One very good change is a slight adjustment to the geo-panels. As well as being slightly textured now they also display more information when highlighted. This information includes what colour the panel is which means colour blind gamers no longer have to see their best strategies scuppered by a light green block sitting in amongst the yellow ones. The item world has also had a slight shift with an emphasis now placed on winning each level rather than just charging to the exit.

If there is one slight criticism we have it is that the dialogue doesn’t seem as on the mark as in the best of the previous games. The exchanges between Seraphina and Killia never really reach that of Etna and Laharl or Adell and Rozaline. It’s still very solid and entertaining but just lacking a bit of magic and chaos and nothing that made as chuckle as much as Valvatorez and his continual battle cry of SARDINES!

Overall, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance keeps the series’ trademark high standard of quality going. This has to be among the deepest strategy games ever and if there’s anything with more content outside of an MMO we’ll be amazed. If you like Disgaea then this is a justification to own a Switch and you can’t really give a game much higher praise than that and with the ability to now take it everywhere you go this could become all life consuming in a way little else can.

Overall 9/10

Phantom Brave PC Review

While Disgaea has gone from strength to strength in terms of releases, Phantom Brave has remained fairly dormant aside from a PSP and Japanese only Wii release since it first arrived on the PS2 back in 2004. With Nippon Ichi looking to test its franchises in the PC market the game has been given another lease of life and if anything it’s even more complex and hardcore than Disgaea. 

It follows the story of a 13 year old girl named Marona who is protected by a phantom named Ash after losing both her parents to an evil spirit some years before. Marona is a young Chroma – a sort of sword for hire, and your initial goal is for her to earn enough money to buy the island she lives on. 

The humour and art style is very much in keeping with other Nippon Ichi games though it is perhaps a little less full on than when Etna appears in Disgaea. This is a PS2 game at heart and there is little chance of disguising that. There is a blurring filter and the menus now look lovely and HD but you are still going to be stretching and scaling the picture with effects to fit modern displays rather than the game being rebuilt from the ground up. Level textures look decidedly muddy, Sprites are pixelated and it is hardly a graphical tour de force. 

The interface is also clunky. If you’re not using a controller there is a quite counter initiative mouse and keyboard system in place. You may be able to move characters with the mouse but you can’t for instance then use a scroll wheel to cycle through options. It took a while to get used to. Save yourself the hassle and just use a controller.

Clunkyiness aside there is a really good game here and the depth of the thing begins to come to light quite early on. It shares a fair bit with Disgaea in terms of it being a turn based RPG and in terms of classes and skills levelling but there are key differences that the game is built around. The most obvious is the fact that you no longer have the grid system and instead everything is done with range circles. This really took us some time to get used to and to be honest it seems an odd design decision that doesn’t really add anything. 

A more significant and important difference is the summoning system which is the games whole ‘thing’. Instead of lining up characters to take into battle your game will revolve around Marona summoning phantoms to aid her. Marona confines phantoms to objects which then come to life for a set period of time. For instance, if you want a tough fighter then confine them to a rock to give them strength and defence bonuses. Mages are best confined to plants as that boosts their magic ability. The options are long, complex and incredibly deep. The catch is that after a set number of turns the phantom will turn back into the original object and not be summonable again. This means that if you aren’t careful you won’t be strong enough to down the enemies and complete the level.

The range of classes you can summon is huge and then you can give them all sorts of weapons and objects as well. You can also give phantoms bonuses by confining them to objects which are receiving environmental bonuses. There’s the whole being able to pick up and throw things off the map as well but we suspect your head is already spinning enough.

Overall, Phantom Brave is showing a bit of age in its presentation and its mechanics in terms of controls are a little clunky. That aside this has got to be one of the deepest and most rewarding games out there. It’s a massive level grinding dream which is easy enough to get into but will take hundreds of hours to master. There is also a stupid amount of secrets in here and if you had this and Disgaea PC you’ll probably not have time to play anything else in your lifetime (You get all the PSP and Wii content as well so get ready for the long haul). Even if a lifetime of grinding doesn’t sound like you it’s well worth giving this a try as it remains unique and how many games can say that?

Overall 9/10

Disgaea PC Review

Written By Natalie Houghton

It may be slightly late to the JRPG PC party but Disgaea PC is here and struts in up a veritable bag of mixed feelings. Touted as the ‘definitive edition’ which is quite a big claim, it has prompted ire from numerous fans of the series as it hasn’t quite managed to live up to this lofty aspiration.

At this point in time, there are still many issues with this buggy version of the game, said issues may be fixed and I know that it is developer Nippon Ichi’s first foray into the slightly discombobulated world of PC gaming but honestly why, yet again is a PC game released in such a shoddy state? I have numerous questions all along the lines of  ‘was it not thoroughly tested?’ ‘Are there no standards on Steam anymore?’ and ‘Why is there no option to change the resolution?’ I could probably write an essay on the subject of poor sub-par ports of PC games… I’m looking at YOU Tales of Symphonia. In this case, the developer does appear to be listening and there have been a few patches which have fixed some issues (I could actually get the game to run on my laptop after a few patches which initially didn’t even start up). 

For reference I played the game on two PC’s, one desktop (i5 6600K, 16Gb DDR4, 8Gb Radeon R9 390) and one slightly older laptop (i5 3210M, 8Gb DDR3, Geforce GT 640M). The game was flawless on my desktop and horrendous on my laptop so I managed to experience both sides of the same coin. 

Disgaea PC is essentially a port of the version which was originally released on PSP. This means that the ‘Etna Mode’ – an alternate version of the game where Etna accidentally kills Laharl whilst trying to wake him up is available, however Plenair from the DS version of the game is not included. 

Interestingly enough, it is possible to play the whole game with a mouse as long as you have a fairly dextrous and precise hand. Playing with a keyboard is fine but it feels slightly awkward. I’d recommend playing with a controller if you have one – if you’ve ever played the Playstation versions of Disgaea then this works in exactly the same manner - queue nostalgic breeze.

If you’ve never played Disgaea before and don’t mind giving it another whirl and you’re lucky enough to have a PC that runs it without any issues then this is worth a go but if you played Disgaea the first time around and enjoyed it enough then I probably wouldn’t bother. It is the same deep grid-based strategy game that it has always been, complete with likeable characters, amusing banter and gazillions of levels to be gained.  

Story mode is really only a small portion of the game, the bulk is found in the Item World (A dungeon world within items), with its randomly generated levels and the addiction of the seemingly never ending levelling process – you can level up anything, if it is counted as an item in the game, no matter how obscure or weak it starts off, you can level it up so that it becomes fantastically powerful and capable of trouncing all those who stand in its way. 

The game does involve some grinding but it really depends on how you play – if you are strategic about it then it won’t involve much grinding to clear the main story. After that, it really is a mad loop of levelling up, gaining new skills and transmigrating characters – this is essentially a reincarnation process where they start at level 1 again but have better stats and keep some of their skills from their previous incarnations. 

Mana is gained each time you slay an enemy on the battlefield, this can then be used to create even more powerful characters and to petition senators within the Dark Assembly to do things such as approving new classes, levelling up enemies along with the weapons and armour available to buy in the shops, extortion is even possible – although you’ll have to be quite strong in order to be able to pass that through as a law!

Each stage allows you to deploy 10 units to conquer and berate the enemy with, the best tactic as always is to start throwing your units around the map (as well as monsters into one another – they level up as you throw them and the experience multiplies exponentially. This is also useful when attempting to persuade senators in the Dark Assembly… simply throw them into one senator whilst making sure they still agree with you). This can be awkward to line up correctly sometimes but when it pays off it really is a great feeling. 

I played Disgaea a long time ago, back on the PS2 originally (I’ve never played the PSP or DS ports) and I had hoped that this would be a fresh re-invigorating lease of life for this title considering how the gameplay hasn’t really aged at all but alas it wasn’t to be at this point in time. 

Ultimately, Disgaea PC is a sold tactical RPG mired by a terrible port. 

Second Opinion by Gareth

While I agree with most of what Natalie says here I think she is being somewhat harsh. The game still runs along nicely enough to overlook the rough edges and even now the humour and level of depth available are not easily found elsewhere. That said I didn’t have half as many issues as Natalie did with actually running the game. It may not be as polished as the more recent Disgaea games and there is a lack of options but it’s still very enjoyable and quite unique compared to the mass of PC strategy games out there

Natalie’s Score 6/10 (would easily be an 8/10 if the port were not so bad)

Gareth’s Score – 8/10

Rodea: The Sky Soldier Review (Wii U)

It’s been a very long road for Rodea in making it to the West. It was originally set to come out on the Wii but delay after delay has meant it now finally reaches us a generation later. For the dedicated among you, you can buy a special edition of the game which comes with the motion controlled Wii version included. Sadly we couldn’t get hold of that so our review will be solely focusing on the Wii U version of the game.

The plot is confusing. As far as we can make out it’s about a robot with a heart that is tasked with protecting a princess of a flying realm which is invaded. Upon the princess’s capture she gives half of something called ‘the key of time’ to Rodea and this prevents the invasion somehow. (We’ve read the official plot blurb and still have no idea). Rodea is found 1000 years later by a young mechanic girl just as the invasion starts again and sets out to save the world.

The game is a 3D platformer at heart with stages set out where you have to reach a certain point and then normally defeat a boss of some kind. The twist is that Rodea’s favourite mode of traveling is by flying. By jumping in the air you can then set Rodea on a flight path at the touch of a button. The analogue sticks are used to move a reticule around which can then be used to change direction. While flying pressing the ‘B’ button unleashes a spin attack which can be used to smash through enemies. The spin attack can also be chained to allow the destruction of multiple enemies in sequence. It takes a while to get used to but does work. There are also a host of other gadgets like weapons and slide boots which are added as you progress and help keep things varied.

While the games cut scenes look suitably lovely the in-game world shows a few too many signs of its non-HD heritage. The graphics certainly show up the fact that the game was originally designed for the Wii and while effective they often look muddy and bland with levels lacking a discernible character. That said at least there aren’t any draw distance issues.

The game draws influence from both Sonic Adventure and Nights into Dreams but a more accurate comparison with regard to its overall flow and feel would be Gravity Rush. The flying mechanic is pretty much the same and the need to hit enemies glowing weak spots is also remarkably similar. Sadly, for much of the time we were playing it we were thinking about going away and playing Gravity Rush rather than progressing further in Rodea. That isn’t to say Rodea is a bad game it just lacks the same cutting edge and dizzying highs of the Vita’s offering.

There are a lot of positives in the game and despite the visuals the level design is strong. There are multiple routes through the courses and ample opportunities to rack up high scores as you race between smashing enemies and picking up the various floating collectibles. There is also an excellent feeling to flying around and, once you’ve upgraded a bit, you get a real sense of speed. 

Rodea is a funny game to place. It doesn’t really do anything wrong but the time for it to have come out and really blown us away has long since passed. We enjoyed our time with it and there isn’t much else like it around but it also didn’t leave a massive impression and there was an overall lack of spark and magic that stops the game reaching its true potential. There’s certainly enjoyment to be found here but the transition from being a Wii game is too rough around the edges. If it had been built again from scratch we could have seen this being something very special, as it is it’s just an enjoyable diversion for platform fans that does things a little bit different.

Overall 6/10

Colour Blind Issues - No
Review Code - Yes

Lost Dimension Review (PS Vita)

Written by Natalie Houghton

The world now faces total destruction... after being suddenly attacked from out of the blue with half of it being destroyed in an instant. An agent of the coming apocalypse appears issuing an ultimatum "kill me within 13 days or die". The only ones who are capable of stopping this are the 'gifted' - a group of teens with special powers who swiftly have the fate of the world thrust into their hands. In all honesty it sounds like the typical anime 'teens with super powers' trope but it really does manage to transcend that stereotype as not one character is over powered in any way - they are relatively normal humans that each have a gift. Their powers range from levitation, pyrokinesis, precognition, super strength and the ability to copy anyone else's abilities.

You awake at the bottom of a tower, with no memories of how you got there... the only thing that you do know is that 11 other supposed comrades surround you and that you must climb to the top of the tower and stop the man otherwise known as 'the end' from firing his arsenal of nukes and destroying the rest of the world. Sounds simple, right? Wrong... the caveat is that there are traitors amongst your ranks.

Overall, this serves as the primary plot device and I have to admit that the traitor system is quite innovative and the way in which you have to sniff out the traitors is engaging but not impossible - the main character, Sho has the premonition ability and he can also hear other team member's most private and deepest thoughts, by utilising this and diving into the inner depths of a character's psyche. This means he can figure out who the traitor is and influence the rest of the team on who they should vote for in one of the many judgement rounds that you are besieged with at the end of each floor. 

This involves the team voting for one of them to effectively be killed off where they will be erased from this world, dissolving into absolute nothingness, leaving behind only their 'will' - a usable item, so for example if your healer turns out to be the traitor and you vaporise them, then one of the other characters can equip their ‘will’ and use their abilities so you won't be without healing for the rest of the game. Interspersed throughout the dungeon climbing, it is possible to bolster the trust of each team member by raising their camaraderie level as you talk with them and learn more about their situation, the way they feel about things and what they plan to do in the future (if they survive.. that is).

The plot had me hooked. Who is 'the end'? Why is he doing this? And who is the traitor this round? I hurriedly played the game until its conclusion as I so desperately wanted to know... only to find out that it does require a couple of play-throughs to reveal the true ending. Second play-throughs are much easier however, as you carry across your already existing camaraderie and you are automatically given gift exp so you can start with some abilities.

Lost Dimension itself is half a visual novel and half a tactical RPG. From a visual novel standpoint, the animation is rendered in a way which makes it appear almost 3D, it is sublimely crisp and clear and the transitions between each character are smooth although the dialogue can be slightly jarring at times when you start losing characters.

The other main half of the game is the tactical battles, they are simple in appearance but are quite challenging as they have a tendency to occasionally throw you straight into the deep end. The battles are taken in turns between your team of 6 and however many enemies are present. Your team can each move within a set radius of their original starting point, if any enemies are in range they can then attack - but beware the enemies will usually retaliate with a counter-attack if they can. The main tactic that you'll need to both equally utilise and beware of in order to win is the assist mechanic where any characters that are within range of each other will assist their ally in their attack.  For example: If Sho attacks an enemy and two other characters are nearby, not only will Sho attack the enemy - but his two allies will as well. This can lead to some incredibly powerful combos that will allow you to pound the enemy into oblivion. 

Sound during the battles is superb and I thought that the song which played during the final boss battle was quite pleasing as well as being motivational - I'd definitely want to put it on my MP3 player. There is no Japanese voice over available, although the English voice acting is not too bad for once. There are a few slightly strange quirks with this though. for example one of the characters speaks with a fake English accent which is slightly odd as she can't seem to work out if she's pretending to be in the middle of a Victorian tea party or in the east end of London "Care for some tea, mate?". She speaks like this because she thinks it sounds cute which is a bit hmm... I'll just scratch my non-existent beard on that one.

Overall, this is an excellent tactical J-RPG let down only by a slightly anti-climactic ending. But it still has its charms and is well worth playing so go on... get lost in another dimension!

8/10