Recently, developers have started to realize that handheld consoles are a good way to get RPG’s out to the players so that they can have a lengthy form of entertainment on the go. Aksys Games, publisher of the Guilty Gear games on PSP and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, bring in a fresh new face from Japan and throw it into the mix. Mimana Iyar Chronicles is based on a previously-released PC title and attempts to give RPG fans a game which is both portable and fun.
But can Mimana Iyar Chronicles give players what they want and deliver a reliable and fun RPG experience? Lets go over the HOTs and NOTs of this game.
HOT
Story
The story of Mimana Iyar Chronicles revolves around Crais Sewell. He’s a low down, gambling drunk who is down on his luck and out of money. Right from the get-go he is contracted by the local guild to do work for a young girl that specifically requested him. About an hour into the game you find out she is on the hunt for seven unique gems that have a specific purpose that she keeps hidden from Crais. Both Crais and the young girl, Sophie, both have their own secret past and personal demons to battle with. Little does Crais know that their destinies, and the destinies of all the people they meet both evil and good, are intertwined by fate. Since Aksys Games acquired the rights to publish the game, expect some quirky comedy and pervertness along the way. It is funny most of the time!
Real Time Battle System
The one thing that sets this game apart from all its competitors is the real time battle system. After the random encounter begins, you’re shown the foe or foes you are against and then set loose on them. Using a 2D look, you can run across the battlefield using the d-pad or analog stick and use X to attack. Get the timing down correctly between attacks and Crais will turn gold and attack with more speed and power. You can also hotkey magic to square and either up, down, left, or right. Its an interesting twist on the RPG world that has a refreshing feel from the typical turn-based battle systems in most other RPG titles.
Visually the graphics in this game are really vibrant and eye catching. They may not be the best out there on a handheld, but they get the job done. Another neat thing is the major cutscenes in the game. Instead of just being more text for the reader to scroll through, some of the major points of the game are told in full motion animation. Some are action-packed while others are simply conversations between two or more characters. It is definitely a nice change from constantly mashing X to progress story.
Save Anywhere
There is no need to be looking for a save spot in Mimana Iyar Chronicles. At any point in the game, the Save option will be accessible via the Menu. Since the safety of your characters cannot be guaranteed, I suggest saving often because bosses can do a big swipe on you and you will have retry all over again.
All Characters Can Learn Magic
All of the six characters in your party in the game are versatile can be taught a magic skill. Throughout the game, you can obtain Orbs that can be used by any of the characters. These Orbs represent the elements that contain the world; Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Dark, etc. They all go through levels and finding them is mandatory if you want all of your characters’ to learn magic.
NOT
Random Encounters
Probably the most annoying aspect of this game are the random encounters. It won’t bother you at first as the battle system makes it fresh. This is only the first ten times this will happen. After that, you will start to get annoyed by how little ground you cover before you’re attacked by a mob of enemies. You will, at times, win a battle with very little health to spare and find yourself without potions only to walk 3 steps and be violently slaughtered by the oncoming wave. The game seems to know when you come close to a healing tile because it chooses to send yet another merciless set of creatures upon you.
The game supplies it’s own version of a “repellent” called Spirit Drops that decrease random encounters by 50%. This my friend means nothing at all. It wears off almost instantly, and even after you put it on, you will still find yourself being assaulted gratuitously by hordes of enemies. Random encounters are a staple of RPG games, but this is just unbearable. It kills the experience and wears out the battle system. It makes it a tedious chore to progress to the next objective and really puts a pause on the story.
Both the voice acting in this game and the lines spoken are cheesy and annoying. The characters all sound like whiny children that don’t get their way in a Toys-R-Us store. Each character you meet worsens their attitude the further you progress. You will find yourself muting the game and just reading what they have to say. And even then, it does not get any better. Usually, all Crais has to say is how he fails at everything or just acts like a complete jackass to Sophie. Melrose is obsessed with examining everyone and this garners a sad attempt at adding humor to the game. She pipes in so much that you will wish for a friendly fire option. I don’t think even that could save this game from the terrible dialogue.
No Background Music
Aside from horrendous voice acting and cheesy lines, another thing that makes this game a blight to all RPG games is that it doesn’t offer any background music when exploring dungeons. No tunes are heard when you’re walking around the dungeon maze-like place; I guarantee you will feel bored and fall asleep exploring in this game. In towns, you will get to hear the lovely soundtrack but since most of the time you will be spending time in dungeons, just prepare yourself not to hear anything.
No Map?
Yes you read that right people. An RPG with no map! That’s like taking guns out of an FPS. Which is treason. You will walk into your first cave and be forced to wander for what seems like an eternity trying to find your way to the end boss. You take wild stabs in the dark wandering aimlessly until you find the red tile which means you’re close to the end. Finding that red tile is both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because you’re close to the end and a curse because you know there is another cave after the one you’re in to get lost in. Random encounters make this process of “find the exit and try not to die” even more frustrating because they don’t care about your mission, theirs is to keep pushing you towards your breaking point. A compass or even signs would have been helpful but you will find none here. Not even an old school approach like finding a chest with a map inside would have lessened the frustrating experience.
VERDICT
Mimama Iyar Chronicles is just your typical regular Japanese RPG game. There are very few redeeming features that can save this game from being a flaming heap of garbage such as the Real-time battle system it has to offer. The strongest factor that makes this game average at best is the dungeons with no maps to look at. It is very annoying to explore dungeons for hours without knowing where to go; it is like a maze. Even though the game is quite linear, you will be confused in the branches of passageway each dungeon offers. Mimana Iyar Chronicles is neither bad or good, it is just a regular RPG that any RPG fan will enjoy. Just watch out for the cheesy dialogue and confusing dungeons.
Scott
April 6, 2010 at 8:33 PM“Yes you read that right people. An RPG with no map! That’s like taking guns out of an FPS.”
How long have you been playing rpgs exactly? Dungeons never used to have maps. A dungeon is supposed to be like a maze. It’s only fairly recently that they’ve devolved into a user-friendly, hand-holding point A to point B affair, and they’ve become all the worse for it.
killifish
April 7, 2010 at 7:46 AMUgh! I am sick to death of people saying “RPG game”! That’s like saying “FPS shooter” only more ridiculous!