Week #3 - Soma Bringer Review

It's been almost 2 years since the last Monolithsoft release, and I've been wondering what they've been up to. So it was surprising when Soma Bringer was announced because it really looks as far from a Monolithsoft game as I would have expected. As an action RPG, and with less attractive art that seems a lot more childish than usual, one would expect this to come from any random developer - but not one known for it's deeper storylines and excellent art direction.

Based on the media released before the release of the game, I had pretty high expectations of the gameplay above all, because the art certainly wasn't the selling point. Fortunately the game delivers strongly on that front. At its heart the game is a dungeon crawler not unlike Diablo or Phantasy Star Universe, but the action elements are geared towards rewarding players for technical skill as well as having a good character build

The break system in the game introduces a timing system where the player gets to decide how to end a series of successive attacks on an enemy resulting in different effects. When enough successive attacks are executed on an enemy, the enemy will go in a Break state, the move you use to break the enemy will determine if the enemy is knocked back, juggled in the air, or knocked down. Based on this launching move, successive attacks while the enemy is still in this state of Break will result in much more damage.

Skills are configured by the player, there are 4 face buttons that each can be mapped with a skill, items are mapped onto the same buttons and the L button toggles between item and attack modes. The game features 8 playable characters and a choice of 6 classes each with completely unique skill sets. The skills sets for each class is also divided into weapon specialities which further seperate character builds even within the same class. With this many options, there's a huge variety of play styles to choose from.

The gameplay is well balanced, and while it is rarely extremely difficult, the game the game is never too easy. Enemies serve largely to wear you down as you progress like in most dungeon crawlers, while the bosses will be the ones that truly pack a punch. The enemy design in the game is excellent, and along with the solid character animations and huge range of weapon designs, it really makes for a pretty solid experience throughout. Aside from the main scenario, the game also features several EX Dungeons that have randomly generated floors, and 2 higher difficulty levels (each unlocked when you beat the main game on the lower difficulty level).

Storywise, the game is divided into a prologue and 6 main Acts. Each Act, like in Diablo, contains a main hub area where you can talk to NPCs, buy items and weapons, and get optional quests. The main hub then leads to various fields and mini-dungeons that eventually lead to the main dungeon of that Act.

The scenario is largely focused on developing the main cast of characters and you learn more about their pasts and relationships with each other as the story progresses. Along the way the worldview is also fleshed out as you travel to different parts of the world and learn more about the people that live in it and the technology that drives the world. It's not as deep or expansive as the Xeno games, but for the genre, it above and beyond what most dungeon crawlers do.

The actual writing and pacing of the game is very much what can be expected from Soraya Saga, but with a lighter touch this time. Even in a smaller scope the script fleshes out events and characters well, and the story on a whole is conclusive but leaves just enough of the worldview and characterizations open to leave you wanting for more.

The most unfortunate part of the game would be the art style. Clearly either Nintendo or Monolithsoft decided that it would be a good idea to try to appeal to kids, probably because of the platform the game is on. The art is mostly childish and generic, and while there are some bright spots in some of the background and location designs, the actual artwork and backgrounds leave much to be desired.

Mitsuda's soundtrack is fantastic as expected, although not quite at the level of his classic work. There are some really solid exploration tracks for fields and dungeons, and the town hub themes are generally unique and create a good atmosphere. What disappointed me a little was the final boss theme which lacked the drive or uniqueness that Mitsuda usually puts into a final encounter theme. Thankfully the story ending tracks more than made up for that and left a lasting impression on the score.

The sound production in general is pretty solid, and the every attack and enemy has convincing effects. Procyon Studio definitely put a solid effort into all areas of the sound in this title, no doubt because it's the first collaboration between Mitsuda and Takahashi since Xenosaga Episode I.

Overall I had a great time with the game, and I strongly recommend it to any action RPG fan looking for a fun dungeon crawling time on the DS. This is one of the best dungeon crawlers on a portable that I've played, and even the poor art direction isn't stopping me from playing it after I've beaten it. There's quite a bit of content even if you're only playing it once, as the game is easily 15-20 hours long. If this is a sign of what to expect from Monolithsoft post-Nintendo takeover, then it's a very good sign indeed.

Featured Products:
Soma Bringer (DS) - $48.90, Out Now!
Soma Bringer OST (3 CDs, 59 tracks) - $31.90, Apr 2nd 2008

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Week #2 - All About Soma Bringer

Okay I'm a little lazy this week, so I'll be pasting something which I've actually been writing for an official thread on NeoGAF. It's not going up until next week, so I figured I'll share it here first.

This has been a pretty interesting week - Kosovo finally gained independance, Castro stepped down, and Musharaff's party suffered crushing defeat at the elections. Oh and Hellsing IV was released. Okay so it's not as important as the other things... or is it? :-)

Anyway this week I'll be posting pretty much all there is to know about Soma Bringer before the big release date this coming week. I personally can't wait, and I hope it's as good as Sekaiju no Meikyuu (Etrian Odyssey), since that was the last game I looked forward to this much. Enjoy!


Soma Bringer


Title: Soma Bringer
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action RPG
Developer: Monolithsoft
Publisher: Nintendo of Japan
Official Site: Nintendo's Soma Bringer Site
No. of Players: 1-3 players over ad-hoc
Price: 4800yen
Buy it now!

The Story

In a world where the a magical energy source known as Soma drives the technology and daily lives of all its inhabitants, there lies a huge continent named Barnea. In recent years, the natural balance of Soma has been disrupted by the arrival of mysterious beings called Visitors. To investigate these occurances, Secundadeians - the organization that regulates Soma in the world, creates a military division to deal with these Visitors - the Pharzuph. The story follows the seven members of the 7th Division of the Pharzuph. What they discover on one of their missions will determine the fate of the world...


The Characters


Welt - The newest member of the 7th Divison. He was selected for the elite combat unit that is the 7th Division because of his enthusiasm. He is also affectionate and has a strong sense of responsibility.


Idea - A mysterious girl under the protection of the 7th Division. She was found in a large pod, with no memories of her past other than her own name.


Einsatz - The commandering officer of the 7th Division, with the rank of captain. He has a calm demeanor, and is flexible leader that isn't bound by rules and regulations. He is extremely popular with his subordinates.


Jadis - The vice-commander of the 7th Division. His personality is a complete opposite of his large physique, and he's always made fun of by his subordinates. But when it comes to the crunch, he's always there as the superior officer.


Millers - Her speciality is martial arts, and is an accomodating person who thinks of her companions. She's always looking out for Welt as he's a new member.


Cadenza - He is calm and gentle, but is also very alert. He's protective of Welt and Idea, while always playing mediator when Millers and Forte argue.


Granada - She's the silent type who doesn't share her feelings openly. Seen as a possible candidate for a commander role. She also has an knack for orgami.


Forte - She has a cheerful personality and is generally the mood maker of the team. She has a natural connection with the flow of Soma energy, and is also in charge of the team's equipment. Whenever she's with Millers, they always find a way to start up an argument.


The Gameplay

Selecting a Character:

There are 7 character initially that you can choose from at the start. The character you pick will be the one you are controlling and playing as in the entire game. It is also the singular character you customize in the game. Depending on which character you play as, story events and dialogue will differ slightly, but the main story will remain the same.




Classes:

Battlers - Uses one-handed and two-handed weapons, can dual-wield. This class has the most HP and is melee focused.

Koas - Uses one-handed weapons and spears, can equip shields. This class is balanced between offense and defense, and uses holy magic as support.

Darks - Uses two-handed weapons and spears. This class uses dark arts and can sacrifice the user's HP to deliver additional damage.

Gunners - Uses bows and guns. This class focuses on range combat and status attacks, while relying on traps and survival skills.

Kanbus - Uses hand-to-hand combat and two-handed polearms, and can dual wield. This class is for melee combatants that prefer using combo attacks and assasination skills.

Somas - Uses Staves. This class is a magician class that uses mainly spells to target elemental weaknesses.




Weapons Specialities:

Each class has its own limitations on what weapons can be equipped. At the start of the game you will pick one of those weapon specialities to start with, which determines your starting equipment. Each weapon speciality has it's own skills that can be learned. They are divided into ranks, and once you reach the required rank in that class, you will be able to learn the skills in that rank for the weapon specialities available to that class. As you level up in the game you will gain AP (Ability Points), and you will use these points to learn and enhance the skills available to you. It only takes 1 point to learn a skill, but the more points you put into a skill, the more effective it is. Each skill has a maximum of 20 levels. The different weapon specialities are One-handed Weapons, Two-handed Weapons, Dual Wielding, Spears, Bows, Guns, Hand-to-hand, Two-handed Polearms, and Staves.




Character Points:

Besides gaining AP as you level up, you also gain CP (Character Points), which can be used to increase the character's four base statistics. These base statistics determine the strength of physical and magical attacks, as well as maximum HP/SP, defensive power and so on. The statistics that can be boosted are Strength, Magic, Health and Skillfulness.




Battle System:

The combat in Soma Bringer is meant to be simple to execute yet extremely customizable and strategic for the player. Each of the four buttons on the DS (X, Y, A, B) is mapped to an action. This action can be a normal attack, an attack skill, a non-attack ability or a spell. Simply by pressing that button, the mapped move will be executed. Two sets of actions can be customized, and the player switches between the two sets using the R button. Items are also mapped onto the four buttons, and by pressing the L button, the game toggles between battle mode and pocket mode. In pocket mode pressing a button will consume the item type mapped to it. The select button toggles between 5 different camera modes of zoom, and the start button will brings up the menu. While you can bring up the menu to change mapped actions at any time, the game does not pause when you access the menu, so it would not be wise to do so while in the middle of combat.




Break System:

When combos and consecutive attacks are pulled off on a single enemy, an exclamation mark (!) will appear over the enemy. Continuing to pummel the enemy in this state will lead to a (!!), and finally when 3 exclamation marks appear (!!!) the enemy will be in a "break" state and any attacks in this period will result in tremendous extra damage. Certain forms of attack and timed combos can more effectively bring an enemy into break state than others. Although, just as enemies can be put into break states, so can the player.




The Music

The soundtrack for Soma Bringer is exclusively composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. This is the third game helmed by Tetsuya Takahashi he has composed for, and it is the largest soundtrack ever composed by Mitsuda. Spanning 3 CDs, there are a total of 55 tracks in the game. The Original Soundtrack release will contain an additional 4 bonus tracks presented in their recorded MIDI form. These tracks are the full length versions of 4 tracks from the game itself which were shortened because of space constrains. Pre-orders of Soma Bringer will also ship with a special Premium Soundtrack CD that gives a taste of the full soundtrack. Mitsuda has said that he feels that his work on Soma Bringer is probably the best audio quality possible on the Nintendo DS, and he has really pushed the hardware to it's limits. There will be two different sound mixes available in the game depending if you are using the DS speakers or headphone - because he wants to tune to sound quality in the game to be the best possible reproduction for the player based on which form of audio playback is being used.


Title: Soma Bringer Premium Soundtrack
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
Discs: 1
Price: Free Pre-order Bonus


Title: Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
Publisher: Procyon Studio (Sleigh Bells)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution
Official Site: Procyon Studio
Discs: 3
Tracks: 59
Price: 3360yen
Buy it now!

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Week #1 - The Once and Future King

It's been a while since I regularly wrote about something to keep the juices following. I decided to start this little journal so some friends and I can chronicle gaming stuff weekly. Stuff we've played, stuff that was announced, the usual works. Anyway, enough introduction stuff, let's just get on with it.

This past week has been rather interesting to me personally for a singular reason - Monday was the 10th anniversary of the original Japanese release of Xenogears. I remember making my first purchase of a Japanese Playstation game all those years ago, having looked forward to the release for some time.

The elements of Xenogears always appealed to me even before it was released. Unlike Final Fantasy VII back then, the backgrounds were not pre-rendered but totally 3D and rotatable. The characters themselves remained sprites, and the game was filld with anime design stylings from the characters and the unique costume designs, to the giant robots, weaponary and floating cities in the sky. It was something that I had never seen before on that level in a game before.

Anyway, as ten years had gone by, I felt strongly that it was time to revisit the game again. Even if it was simply for the purpose of nostalgia and memorial. Even if I don't end up liking it as much. It was just something I felt that I had to do.

As it turns out, the game is every bit as good as I remember it. The Mitsuda music remains one of the strongest actual in-game soundtrack that I have experienced. Something about the music flows with you and through you in each situation and location you experience. While much of the graphics have aged, the game still holds a very strong bar on art direction and actual execution. The different towns and cities are lush and detailed. Each room is filled with a unique sense of occupancy. The world in Xenogears does not simply exist for the player to visit and to allow a single story to play out. It feels designed to actually be a place where people could have lived and died, independant of the main character's existance.

So through most of the week I played through Xenogears, from Ave to Nisan, leading up to the climatic desert sequence where Id shows up for the first time. There's something about scenes like that which will remain in memory forever. The lifting of the Yggdrasil and and destruction of fleet. Good times. Kislev was darker, and the sewer was as annoying as I remembered it. The boss was much easier, possibly because I know the game so much better this time, but still the sewer was not fun. At least it's over.

Then to my surprise, on Thursday something else happened. Nintendo finally updated the Soma Bringer website, not just with more information but with several videos and trailers as well. Before this, Soma Bringer was a pretty mysterious game. What we knew was that it would be the first Nintendo game developed by Monolithsoft since the buy out. From the screenshots and sparse information provided, it looked to be just another average action RPG from a has-been developer targeting a younger market on the DS.

Just last month, it was announced that Mitsuda would be composing for the game. Just great, I thought to myself, another low budget Mitsuda DS cash-in project. Sigh. Luckily, I have be proven wrong. When the videos finally arrived, Soma Bringer looked great. It even sounded great. So why did Nintendo choose to hide media from the game until a mere two weeks before release? Who knows, maybe it saves them money, maybe they don't believe in hype. That doesn't explain Super Smash Brothers Brawl's excellent website and hype. Oh right, Soma Bringer isn't developed by Nintendo. Suddenly it all made sense.

There have been indications that Mitsuda isn't the only familiar face working on the game. Soraya Saga who co-authored Xenogears and Xenosaga Episode 1 with her husband, Tetsuya Takahashi, has indicated on her own site that after years of abscense from the videogame industry that she had co-written a new RPG script for 2008. Coupled with the fact that Mitsuda seems genuinely impressed and excited with this new project, it's not a stretch to consider that he could finally actually be working with old friends on this game.

If that's true, then I look forward to whatever this odd reunion has installed for me in two weeks. Xenogears is one of my favorite instances of videogame storytelling, and while I am excited at the possibility of that same experience from Soma Bringer, it is actually the gameplay that intrigues me the most. A mix between Seiken Densetsu's gameplay and the highly customizable nature of Diablo means that if they pull this off, it could well be a Monster Hunter experience with a deeper plot and developed story characters.

Can the Xenogears team that made that gem a decade ago finally reunite to prove that they have talent in recreating magic beyond recycling the same concepts and ideas like they attempted on Xenosaga? Will Takahashi prove to be more than just an overambitious artist that managed to make a single hit? I know I can only wait, and find out for myself when the game is released, but I hope that others will give Monolithsoft the chance to return to the stage.

And so with that, I continue my trek through the world of Xenogears, I hope I finish it before Soma Bringer arrives.


More Info:
Soma Bringer Official Site
Soma Bringer Trailers

Where to preorder:
Soma Bringer (DS) - $48.90, Feb 28th 2008
Soma Bringer OST (3 CDs, 59 tracks) - $31.90, Apr 2nd 2008

Where to buy:
Xenogears PSOne Books (PS1, NTSC/J) - $32.90

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