Rogue Galaxy

The story, characters and scenarios have tiny hints of Star Wars. The awesome, give-me-just-one-more-battle gameplay comes from the creators of Dark Cloud (one of many unique action/RPGs inspired by Zelda 64) but has more in common with the Disney and Square Enix masterpiece series, Kingdom Hearts. You’ll be jumping, slashing, and shooting to eliminate dozens of lethal creatures, amounting to hundreds of rewarding skirmishes. 

Galaxy Quest

A young man’s dream to leave his home planet comes true when a lethal beast breaks into his home village. Several smaller beasts tag along, kicking off the game’s combat system. Windows pop up every time a new move is introduced to explain how it’s executed – they’re clear, concise, and can be passed over quickly by pressing the start button.

The young man’s name is Jaster, and on his way to defeat the beast, the boy encounters a mysterious warrior. He coaches him a little, leads him through the village and conveniently exits before two other characters are introduced: a talking robot and an obese alien. The warrior tosses Jaster his uber-powerful sword, which doesn’t make much sense until the robot starts to scan Jaster’s body. The scan picks up the weapon – one of seven Sacred Galactic Swords – as well as who it belongs to: Desert Claw.

The two clowns come to the conclusion that, if this man has the sword, then he must be Desert Claw. They urge Jaster to join forces with them, promising fortune and boundless trips across the galaxy. Money doesn’t mean a lot to Jaster, but exploring the galaxy – that meant everything. He’s dreamt of going into space since he was a young boy. He couldn’t say no. The offer was too good to resist.

As a premise, Rogue Galaxy doesn’t come out as well as Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy. And while its story is comparable to many of the Dragon Quest titles, its depth or sophistication is nowhere near the Final Fantasy series. That said, what you are about to embark on is a journey you’ll remember for a long time. Rogue Galaxy’s story is not its single most powerful driving force – the thing that guarantees you’ll be there till the credits roll. But you will enjoy the saga, and you will want to be there till the end. 

Warning: Combat May Be Habit-Forming

Rogue Galaxy’s real-time combat isn’t fresh, but the work that went into perfecting its mechanics is very refreshing. Battles are random and can occur anywhere outside a well-guarded village. Most areas aren’t safe. To get a break you’ll have to enter a home or shop. Outside of the times when your party is nearly facing death, a break will be the last thing on your mind. There’s a lengthy quest to embark on, with countless missions that’ll send players all over the galaxy.

Combat is true to the Dark Cloud / Kingdom Hearts formula: fast, free-roaming, and has very few limitations. The speedy, reliable controls and easy-to-manage camera are the source of this game’s force. Battles are fun because of the control system. They avoid most of the repetition issues that plague RPGs by having a changing array of enemies and boss battles, some of which can’t be beaten with brute force alone.

One boss forces you to use a special weapon that forms a walkway to the weak spot on the monster’s back. The boss after that requires the use of a freeze gun to stop it from moving. While moving the monster is impervious to attacks; when frozen, you’re able to penetrate his flesh. 

During a random encounter you’ll see bees that strike high and low (jump to reach them), giant shell-covered insects (knock ‘em over to attack their weak bellies), and scorpions that are almost resistant to your attacks. Booby-trap chests unleash a horrific beast that, if you’re unprepared, will cause the “Game Over” screen to appear in less than 20 seconds. They attack relentlessly and are most dangerous up close. Jaster’s most lethal assaults come from his sword. Attack too zealously and you’re toast. Proceed a little more cautiously (and think about projectiles – use his gun!) and you might have a shot.

Guerrillas roll like Donkey Kong for a potent opener. Shield-protected plants have a natural defense mechanism that fights off attackers. But if you jump on top of them (a move Link and Sora could never get away with), their leafy shell will open up, revealing their vulnerable interior.

Backtracking is a fairly frequent occurrence in Rogue Galaxy, which is why you’ll find teleportation spots all around the world. You can save there, cash in battle points (earned for defeating certain enemies and for completing random challenges like “defeat all enemies in under 20 seconds”), and of course, teleport to previous locations. Battle points increase your rank as a warrior. By using a teleportation station to go back to an old locale, you’ll be shaving hours of additional walk time – and eliminate several unnecessary battles. (Conclusion: goodbye repetition.) 

Revelation Flow is the name of Rogue Galaxy’s character evolution system. EXP increases individual stats, but you’ll need more than battle wins to learn new techniques. Each character has a chart of interlocking upgrades and abilities that are unlocked by permanently equipping specific items. Once equipped, the item can’t be removed. Most have duplicates and are found in chests or won in battle. Some are also up for sale at specific shops. Expect limited quantities. Health items may be plentiful, but most shops only carry a few of the Revelation Flow pieces.

Up to three characters may join your party at any given time, one of which will be under your control. The other two may be guided with predetermined settings and by selecting a specific move as various actions become available during battle. The roster of characters that extends past your three party members may be changed at almost any point in the game, so long as the story permits. Party members are interchangeable at any time during battle.

When you go to change a character or use an ability or item, the game pauses until the selection is made. This steps away from the real-time aspect, but it’s a good feature. It gives us a chance to strategize, an option you wouldn’t have in a straight action game.

The only limit worth noting is that characters must rest after performing a certain number of attacks (or other actions, such as abilities or using items). You can dodge attacks during the rest period, and hold down the R1 button (which makes your character block) to speed up the process. This element wasn’t really necessary, but it doesn’t harm the combat in any way – it just makes it a little more complicated. I can only assume that’s why the developers added this feature. They may have also thought that without it the game would seem too much like Devil May Cry, whose star Dante can attack repeatedly. 

Rogue Galaxy is a beautiful, lengthy, and engrossing action/RPG. Level-5 has outdone themselves this time, creating another memorable adventure worth completing, and a brand-new series to bring to PlayStation 3.

Gameplay: 9.1
Action role-playing that rivals the Kingdom Hearts series, Rogue Galaxy is an out-of-this-world masterpiece. The addiction level can’t be beat – the last non-Square Enix RPG to have this much replay value was Disgaea 2, which was released over six months ago. Before that, it’s hard to come up with any that weren’t produced by Level-5. Their trademark Zelda-inspired combat has been enhanced to levels that go way beyond the Dark Cloud series.

Graphics: 8.4
Beautiful and inventive environments that are a joy to explore. Almost every location feels different. The cel-shading effect (for characters only) is subtle but very well done. Movie clips help the story grow, and while some are CG, the transition from game to cinema is practically seamless. My only complaints go to the mouth movements, which are all but nonexistent, and the bosses, whose cartoon appearance makes them less intimidating.

Sound: 8.5
A wonderful and immersive soundtrack backed by high-quality voice-overs.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
There are moments of surprise – times when you’ll be caught off guard and fall victim to a beast whose strength you underestimated. But Rogue Galaxy follows the golden rule for RPGs: level up and everything is easy.

Concept: 7.9
Rogue Galaxy isn’t an innovative or entirely original RPG – but it is an action/RPG done right. More than right, actually. The combat and Revelation Flow upgrade system are a blast. Gamers will play this one for hours and not want to quit.

Overall: 8.8
Rogue Galaxy is a don’t-miss adventure. The combat alone is so engrossing and rewarding that it won’t be long before you realize that this is a game you just have to finish. You’ll love every part of it – the action-filled combat, the dream-driven plot, and every polygon of the gorgeous graphics. It’s not just one element that’ll consume you – it’s the entire package.