12/19/05 >> PoPoLoCrois (Sony PSP)

Genre: RPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Long, long ago when dragons ruled the skies and fairies roamed the forest ...there was a kingdom called PoPoLoCrois."

 

 

From the moment the UMD loads in your PSP, PoPoLoCrois grabs you and pulls you in it's fairy tale like universe with a rich atmosphere, beautiful art style, and well designed anime sequences grabbed straight from the original television show. Everything from the hand drawn title screen, the original hand painted box art, to even the sepia brown style anime title sequence feels like it was carefully crafted to perfectly preserve the sense of style and wonder PPLC tries to impose on you. Thankfully here, it works.

 

The story is the draw for many RPG fans and PPLC does not disappoint. You play as Prince Pietro; a 10 year old boy who happens to be the son of a legendary hero. Shortly after he was born, his kingdom was attacked by an Ice Devil and his four evil wizards. Nearly crushing the poor kingdom, Pietro's mother transformed into a magical dragon and defeated the beast. Unfortunately, her dragon form was pulled into the Realm of Darkness; trapping her soul and leaving her body in eternal sleep. Pietro's curiosity got the better of him and upon learning of his mother's fate he goes on a quest to recover her soul and revive the mother he never knew.

 

 

I know what you're thinking; it sounds corny and cliché right? Well, wrong. The height of PPLC's story is in its characters. Agetec did a wonderful job translating each and every piece of dialog and the voice actors for each character is fitting. Pietro is young, naive, and brash in his actions. Narcia, the forest witch, is shy and reserved. Even the White Knight, a rather aloof and cowardly "hero" is kept true to his original Japanese script and reeks of personality. The game's focus is on the characters and how they bond with one another and their surroundings. Each character has something specific to say at the right time, they all have their own little personalities, and they all have their own goals and objectives. As you play more and more of the game, you begin to feel that these characters are truly yours; you feel sorry when they get knocked out in battle; you feel remorse when you run out of MP to cast their neat skills; you feel happy when they crush a difficult opponent; and you cry with glee as they level up and learn new abilities. Even the NPC's have their own unique personalities; one male NPC in particular enjoys looking in a bathhouse window... filled with MEN; a surprise "twist" that I wasn't expecting.

 

Throughout the game, you run around rather large locations heading to your next quest which is pointed out for you on a nicely detailed map. As you move from screen to screen, you are punished with a few load times but they are nothing gameplay destroying and are only a minor distracting just like the game's ghosting in particularly dark rooms. The graphics themselves, while not SPECTACULAR by PSP standards, get the job done. The environments are detailed, the sprites look good for a 2D game, and the animations are pretty and contain neat effects. They're nothing to write home about, but they get the job done and in the end, it's better to have good 2D graphics than mediocre 3D graphics; something a few PSP games could have learned from.

 

 

Battles take place in real-time (meaning they take place on the same map) but use a turn based tactical movement system. Movement happens on an invisible grid (until you move at least) and you can position yourself behind enemies to double your damage. Here you can also execute skills which have different ranges and effects; for example, Pietro's Wind Slash attacks all enemies in a straight line while the White Knight's Wind Jump attacks any enemy a few square's away from his position. You can also use a focus move which increases your damage on your next turn and if you time it right, pull off a devastating combination attack. Some tactics are used in battle such as digging traps in confined locals to trap enemies. Admittedly, the battles are oddly balanced; some enemies can be taken out in a single hit while others can destroy you in a few well placed hits. The first boss is especially difficult and an odd choice for an enemy within the first hour of the game. You'll even notice that some of the stronger enemies give out less experience then their lesser brethren.

 

 

The music is exceptionally weird and yet oddly satisfying. There's a large assortment of songs that use bells and whistles (quite literally), drums and baritones, and even wind up spring music. This huge potpourri of sounds lends to the atmosphere and creates a world that's epic yet lighthearted. While there is a lack of sound effects on the exploration maps (including the odd exclusion of a "door open" sound effect), the noises used throughout the game sound cute and only help to lend to the atmosphere. Even the voice acting during the anime sequences and character actions are exceptionally well done; something that's amazing because bad voice acting and anime are synonymous.

 

Overall, PoPoLoCrois is probably the best rpg the handhelds have to offer. Despite its cute nature, it has many adult themes hidden about and the game is a sure winner to any hardcore fans of rpg's. While I wouldn't recommend it to someone starting out in the genre, it is a welcome addition to a world filled with angst ridden characters, long-haired pretty boy antagonists, stories that take themselves way too seriously, and pseudo-religious bull-crap plots. If you're looking for a great adventure that's a throwback to the older days of lighthearted, epic games then PoPoLoCrois is definitely for you. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

Pros

+Visual charm and appeal

+fun combat system

+great localization and translation

+nicely scripted characters and scenes

+wonderful music

+about 30 hours of gameplay

 

Cons

-Some graphical ghosting

-lack of overall sound effects

-odd pacing and difficulty balance

 

Overall

A must have for any die-hard or even casual fan of rpg's who are looking for a throwback to the days of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Fan of rpg's? Definitely buy it.

 

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Game Score: 8.9

 

Reviewed By: Contributed