Radiata Stories Preview

Jack Russell, not the terrier but a large-eyed slightly cocky young man, wants to be a Radiata Knight. After all, his father was a legendary knight and Jack wishes to carry forth that tradition … well, Ok, maybe he is in it for the glory.

To be accepted, though, one must first do well in the tournament, and Jack – without truly preparing – heads to town to compete. His first opponent is a quiet (and somewhat snobbish) young lady named Ridley Silverlake. It seems Ridley’s family also has a legacy attached to the Radiata Knights, but unlike Jack, Ridley has been training for the position since she was a young child. Rightfully so, when she and Jack are paired in the opening round of the tourney, Ridley makes short work of Jack.

Still, Jack’s father was renowned and should Jack have the same innate abilities, he would be a valued asset to the Knights. Much to his surprise he is accepted into the fold and assigned to Ganz, who will mentor Jack. Ganz is also the son of a famous knight, Gawain. With Ridley, an erstwhile mage/healer type named Clive (also new to his order) and Jack in tow, Ganz sets out on the first mission for the Rose Cochon, the knight detachment to which he is assigned.

Of course, the first “simple” mission is fraught with peril, all geared to teach players how to work Jack, overcome spells and prepare for the grander adventure to follow.

Unfortunately, it is almost 45 minutes of mostly no-hands-on-the-controls before you get to that first mission. 

Radiata Stories is a pending PlayStation 2 release (slated to hit store shelves in early September) from tri-Ace and Square Enix. A preview build of the game was sent to GameZone for a look at, and this is a game that is something of a mixed bag. The game, early on, has a linear side-scrolling path from point to point, with pop-up monsters that transport you to a three-dimensional battlefield for a session of real-time combat.

The combat is really pretty well done. Players can target a mob and then with just a tap on the O button, rush to attack. Of course, you do have to hit that button again and again because the combat is not sandwich-auto attack (hit a button, walk away and come back to see how you did). Each stroke of his weapon builds up points in the volty meter, which when you get 10 points you can unleash a powerful attack that knocks back foes. Filling the meter to its fullest gives an even stronger attack. The knockback is useful when you have a compatriot in trouble, and you can expect Ganz to call for assistance quite frequently.

Also, managing your heals is vital. Die and it is game over. Mobs will also put spells on you, including ones that can have you attacking your own team mates. Should a slow or immobility spell hit you, you can shake it off by working the left analog stick – this is a nice touch, indeed.

Radiata Stories is a blend of role-play elements with some of the more traditional genre-specific elements, such as drops for the party (which include heals and powerups).

The game’s controls are simple and easy to grasp. The soundtrack is solid, but it still has the feel of a game targeting younger players. The musical score runs the gamut from appropriate to audio that almost feels at odds with the game situation.

Graphically the game is polished. There are some stereotypical moments (Jack yelling “Nooooooo!” when he finds out where his bunk is, comes to mind), but the game has a nice variety of monsters to fight and locales. There is a fluctuation between almost a two-dimensional look during the travel sequences (especially in the dwarven caves) and the lush three-dimensional feel. The characters have the big-eyed anime feel, and the game has a very colorful look.

Radiata Stories has a few failings, but does have charm. The concepts are not entirely new, but Square-Enix and tri-Ace have put a solid graphical stamp on the game to give it a very nice feel.