Radiata Stories

Jack Russell is no terrier, or even a terror. He is a young man whose over-confidence and histrionics belie his abilities – at least as he begins his sojourn through the world of Radiata Stories.

Radiata Stories is Square Enix’s (and tri-Ace’s) latest entry into the world of minor role play games powered by an imaginative storyline. It follows the tale of Jack Russell, who dreams of following his father into becoming a Radiata Knight. But first he must pass the initiate’s tourney, which he really fails to ready for and as a result he is humbled by a young lady named Ridley Silverlake.

While players do get a bit of hands-on during this introduction, the path is very structured, and you cannot alter the outcome, regardless of your skill. If you start to do well against Ridley, she reaches back and unleashes special moves and powers that Jack lacks. There is about 30-40  minutes of mostly no-hands-on-the-controls before you get to the first mission. The missions start simply enough and the challenge ramps up as you progress through the game.

Despite losing the fight, Jack is still accepted into the folds of the Knights, based upon his heritage and the promise that may bring, and there he meets Ganz, who is his mentor and the head of the Rose Cochon brigade. Ganz, Ridley and Jack are the initial trio, though as you progress, you can add to your party.

Ganz is a bit of a pretentious buffoon, though he does sport a pleasant personality. Ridley is a bit snoot-ish, although she possesses strong abilities. Of course, Jack hates her and she disdains his presence, or merely tolerates it.

One of the stronger points of the game is the combat model used. Players can easily target a mob and use a tap of the O button to rush to attack. Attacking builds up Volty points, which can then be used to unleash special and powerful attacks. Once an enemy is targeted, you will have to button mash to win the battle. Players can also assist team members, and Ganz, though a senior knight, will call for help regularly.

And then there are spells. Mobs use them and some will even have you attacking teammates or effectively put you out of the fight for a short while. Some spells, like immobility ones, can be “shaken” off by waggling the left analog stick.

Unlike games that feature a lot of pop-up mob, Radiata Stories lets you see what is coming. (Though, yes, there are ambushes.) Kill mobs and get drops, including health pots, which much be managed carefully. You do not have “X” amount of lives to squander. Die, and the game is over, and you will have to reload, or if you have not bothered with that, you will have to restart the game.

The game features save points throughout the land and tapping the R1 button will allow players to see where save points are on the map. The inventory screen and status screens are familiar territory. Items found go into an inventory and can be equipped. Status charts your progress as you level during the course of the game. 

Graphically Radiata Stories looks very nice. The Japanese anime-style characters are well done, the environments are colorful and there is a nice selection of monster types. At times, when venturing through a cave or the like, the game almost takes on a two-dimensional look. The world gives players lots of opportunities to explore and to level up. And you can make friends as you journey, and eventually convince them to join your troupe.

The humor is somewhat simple, and the jokes are obvious.

The game does seem to be geared more toward younger players than more experienced gamers, both in the tone of the dialogue and the way the story plays out. Still the game has charm, is colorful, the combat system is well done and this title is easy to play.

Radiata Stories carries a Teen rating for fantasy violence, language, suggestive themes and use of drugs and alcohol.

Gameplay: 7.1
The game’s pacing is slightly slower than one would expect and the game banks on ideas (albeit using different names) that have dotted other similar style games.

Graphics: 7.5
Japanese anime-style characters, and rich colorful landscapes support this story. The animation is average and the special effects have a familiar feel. 

Sound: 7.6
The music is relaxing and at times lulls players into the feeling that this game is nothing to hurry through, which is a good thing as mentioned above. The musical score is full-bodied during cutscenes but a little cheesy and annoying repetitious in-game. The voice acting is average.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Those who have played this type of game before will not find many surprises here. 

Concept: 7.0
The game has few surprises, and at times the storyline seems a little forced.

Overall: 7.3
The game moves at a slower pace, with a lot of cutscenes and dialogue advanced to get players through to the action. The game does have charm though, and the battle is handled very well indeed.