White Knight Chronicles Hands-On Impression

White Knight Chronicles is a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Thus I can say its one of the most anticipated RPG titles of 2010 along side Final Fantasy XIII. It’s a game from Level-5, the developer of the Dark Cloud series that was released for the PlayStation 2 a couple of years ago. In less than a week, gamers in North America can finally experience a new way to enjoy Japanese RPG right from their PlayStation 3. Last Monday, I received the review copy of White Knight Chronicles and since then, I’ve been playing this game immensely.

I have spent close to three hours playing this game and so far, I’m liking it. The servers won’t be going up until the official release date of the game on February 2nd 2010. One of the first things I noticed in the game that struck me is the graphics. Sure everything looks nice but it’s nowhere near to the cinematic quality seen in Final Fantasy XIII.

If you’ve played Final Fantasy XII then you’ll see some similarities in this game. The way Leonard and his crew interact in this game feels like a mix of a MMORPG title and Final Fantasy XII. The towns in this game are massive and there are a lot of things to do in this game aside from progressing through the main storyline. A lot of creatures are littered throughout game and have a striking resemblance to those featured in Final Fantasy XII. You will see a talking frog, and a weird looking rabbit just to name a few.

The battle system of this game is a mix of real time and turned based combat. You’ll get to choose what attacks you’d like to execute and put them on the shortcut screen at the bottom. From there, you can attack to your heart’s content. Although the game is set in real time, you will have to wait for the wheel to fill up and only then can you attack. Leonard and the crew can also multiclass. This basically means anyone in your party can use any type of weapons and magics.

Since the online servers won’t be up until next week, I haven’t really got a hands-on experience with the game. I did however try to do the side quest that was available on both multiplayer and single player modes. Before attempting to do a side mission, there will be a note that will brief you on what to expect and the recommended level. I have tried a level and yes, I died right away. I am guessing this is where the part online mode comes in. Unfortunately, I can’t play with anyone in the press since the server is offline at the moment.

One of the things I have loved in this game is when Leonard got the ability to transform himself to Verto, the White Knight. When transformed into the White Knight you’ll instantly feel invincible as you have the ability to strike down enemies with just one swipe. Although this may sound like the game is easy, I’m afraid its not . As you go into the second dungeon in this game, expect to die a lot (as I did). Upon saying this, just like every other RPG game its mandatory that you level-up because if you don’t you’ll get stuck.

From the point where I’m at, the story is about the Princess having a coming of her age celebration. She was introduced in her kingdom and some group called the Magi attacked the kingdom. Leonard meets the Princess and somehow unlocked the secrets of the White Knight. With that, the Princess gets abducted and Leonard does his job to be her knight and shining armor to save her. Cliched? Most definitely. I’m not passing judgment on this one just yet because there’s bound to be more to it than saving the Princess. JRPG’s always tend start off slowly before things start to pick up.

This is a brief overview of what I have played so far in White Knight Chronicles. I’m guessing I have to spend more than 60 hours on this title. There is a lot to it that I haven’t covered in this preview since I am barely in the middle portion of the game. Check back for our review of White Knight Chronicles early next week.