Since the days of the NES, a system's success has been largely dependent upon the software support of Square and Enix...or SquareEnix. Titles such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Front Mission helped Sony to dominate sales with the PSOne and PS2. But for the first time since 1994, SquareEnix has decided to throw its weight behind a Nintendo system - a hand held no doubt.
SquareEnix has already graced the dual screen with Final Fantasy, Itadaki Street, Secret of Mana and Dragon Quest titles. And with Dragon Quest IX, far and away the most popular gaming series in Japan, announced as a NDS exclusive, it appears to be a forgone conclusion that the NDS will dominate all systems of the current generation, whether they be hand held or console.
As a likely byproduct of their familiarity with the system, SquareEnix has begun to release original properties to the NDS. First, there were the obligatory non-gamer educational titles such as a gardening game and a classical music game. But now we're starting to see the might of SquareEnix manifested in unique properties for gamers. The first is a stylish new action RPG called Subarashiki Kono Sekai.
Read on for Pinky G and Jumpman's review!
(singing) Wake up! Leave your hesitation. Wake up! Time for us to realize. Wake up! Show appreciation. Wake up! Time for us to realize...
Enough with the Karaoke Revolution. That game isn't even popular anymore.
It's not Karaoke Revolution. That's so PS2, Jumpman. There you go again. Always stuck in the past when it comes to gaming. You and Last-Gen Dave need to start living in the now.
Well "N" stands for Nintendo. And "DS" stands for Dual Screen.
I've heard of an NDS before!!!!!!!!! I meant I've never heard of Subarashiki Kono Sekai before!
Oooooooooooh. Naru hodo. Well Subarashiki Kono Sekai is the latest game from SquareEnix. It's an action RPG along the same vein as Seiken Densetsu, or Secret of Mana, but it really utilizes the unique functionality of the NDS....I mean...Nintendo Dual Screen.
Hmmmmmm......RPG, eh? I'm not really a fan of the genre.
This is not your typical random battle, turn-based RPG that can be mind-numbingly tedious. You get to pick and choose your fights. And once you're engaged in battle, that's when the action really heats up as you simultaneously control the battle in two different observed realities manifested on the top and bottom screens. On the top screen is Shiki's reality, manipulated with the D-pad, and on the bottom screen is Neku's reality, manipulated with the stylus.
Two different observed realities?!?!?!? In English please!
On the top screen you control Shiki with the D-pad, and on the bottom screen you control Neku with the stylus as you battle the Noise.
Oh my head is starting to hurt...so what's a "Shiki" and what's a "Neku" and how can you battle a noise?
...with a stylus and the D-pad of course. I just told you that. Pay attention please, Jumpman. As for Shiki and Neku, well they are the names of the main characters in the game. Without giving away too much of the game's compelling storyline, Neku is an anti-social misfit who'd rather listen to music through his headphones than the sounds of life that infect the concrete jungles of Shibuya. Shiki is a young lady, who muri-yari-ni becomes your sidekick in your quest to win the game, death's game. Neku decimates the Noise with his psychic powers whereas Shiki mutes the Noise with her almighty black cat plushy.
Sounds complicated. What happened to the days of old when you had nothing but an "A" and a "B" button to worry about?
The control scheme is actually rather intuitive. And you don't really even need to look at the top screen to unleash Shiki's black cat power attacks. Of course, like any RPG there is the leveling up aspect. In Subarashiki Kono Sekai, you receive XP after each battle, but the amount of XP dpends upon how skillfully you fought the Noise. Similar to Viewtiful Joe, you receive grades in multiple categories after each battle.
Viewtiful Joe? Ahh, an example of 2D done right on a next gen system. Okay, now you've peaked my interest. So is Subarashiki Kono Sekai any good?
I'm diggin' it. The music is awesome. The art direction is awesome. The graphics are awesome. The game play is awesome...
Sounds automatically awesome to me.
One of the best aspects of Subarashiki Kono Sekai is the compelling storyline. Neku is mysteriously afflicted with amnesia one afternoon in Shibuya. Through the help of others, Neku learns that he has been recruited by the Grim Reaper to participate in some sort of game that lasts 7 days. Each day you receive a quest, text messaged to you on your cell phone...yes even the Grim Reaper knows how to text. Complete the quest within the time limit and you live to play another day. Fail, and it's game over. Making the quests a challenge are scores of demon animals called Noise. Succumb to the Noise and the game ends immediately, so save often.
So you'd recommend Subarashiki Kono Sekai, then?
Oh yeah! Two flippers way up. Subarashiki Kono Sekai is one of the best experiences available on the NDS. Be warned, however, that being an RPG, Subarashiki Kono Sekai is text intensive. Fortunately, the kanji is not overwhelming, so a person with about three years of Japanese study should be able to play the game.
Publisher: SquareEnix
Genre: Touch Action RPG
Release Date: July 25, 2007
# of Players: 1-4
Wireless Play: Yes
Online Play: No
IMPORT FRIENDLY – X
LOAD TIME – O
ORIGINALITY – O
GRAPHICS – O
MUSIC – O
LONGEVITY - O
OVERALL - O
CURRENT FAVORITE IN GENRE: Chrono Trigger
Key To The Ratings:
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