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| Forever Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Playstation 2 - From Software - Action RPG - T - 1 Player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The most startling aspect of Forever Kingdom is the fact that underneath a myriad of problems, there is a really great action-RPG buried within. This game will most likely appeal to fans of the first Evergrace and die hard Phantasy Star Onliners, as it plays like a mix between the two. As long as you are not expecting something exceptional, you will likely be pleasantly surprised with this title.
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| Forever Kingdom comes off as an underdog from the get-go, being the sequel to the flawed Evergrace. Since the PS2 currently has such a weak lineup as far as games of this genre go, Forever Kingdom might actually be a nice addition to your library. If you can get passed all the imperfections, you will find a profound, if not short gaming experience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The game begins with the familiar Darius, joined by two new adventurers, Ruyan and Faeana, in a time period before Evergrace takes place. With what seems to be a total act of randomness at first, the group of young travelers meet the evil wizard Darsul and his giant sword wielding minion, Drumhort. Darsul casts a curse upon the party, binding their life force together. When one feels pain, the other two do as well. The evil duo rush off, and the group is left searching for a way to undo the curse. The plot may seem a little weak right off the bat, but it mainly serves as a primer for what will eventually unfold. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The curse actually acts as a major gameplay element. The three characters in fact share one life bar, and damage inflicted on any party member will be felt by all universally. Fortunately, you are free to switch between any of the three characters on the fly with a tap of the L1 button. However, the party's AI is actually pretty intelligent so you won't have to worry about babysitting the other two characters in the heat of battle. You will, on the other hand, need to reposition them in tight spots, as they tend to block you in corners and small areas. Your party will attempt to move out of your way if you push against them, but their effort is slow and ineffective, leaving your best option to that of switching to the outmost character and manually moving them out of your way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The most well-designed aspect of Forever Kingdom's three man party system is the ability to combo your magic attacks in conjunction with the other characters. Each member's accessory item is capable of delivering a brutal magic attack, known here as a Palmira Action, with the press of that character's corresponding button. As demonstrated by an impressive in-game tutorial, you are able to link multiple Palmira Actions consecutively to string together combos which reward you with greater treasure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Forever Kingdom marks the return of the impressive dress-up system first implemented in Evergrace. Searching for the various aesthetic-modifying items, armor, and weapons for your party to equip will most likely be the major factor in pushing forward, not to mention partaking in the returning 'game plus' mode which allows you to replay the adventure from the beginning with all your equipment and experience intact. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Unfortunately, the game is hindered by various little problems. As expected, the camera can freak out in tight situations and occasionally drops into a first person view when needed, which can tend screw up your sense of direction. Something that strikes me as odd is the fact that you can only carry nine of each item. If you pick up an additional item when that particular item is maxed out, it simply dissipates. There is also a money cap at 99,999 and any additional money that is grabbed also goes nowhere. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The play control leaves much to be desired. The characters feel very sluggish overall and simple tasks such as merely striking an object can become frustrating due to the fact that your characters tend to dart at unexpected angles when you tell them to attack. The character models also clip into the environments much too often. Large weapons tend to disappear into their owner's leg or into the ground. There is a virtual laundry list of minor complaints like these, such as various text misspellings and a dropped framerate in unexpected places. But worst of all would be the inexcusable lack of subtitle support on some characters. The majority of NPCs are complete with speech, but for some reason, the shopkeeper is not. So if you have the subtitles turned off and you speak to the shopkeeper, the end result is...nothing. You get a blank area where the text should be with a prompter. Without exiting to the in-game options menu and turning the subtitles on, there is no way of interpreting just what exactly the shopkeeper is trying to communicate. This just demonstrates a lack of effort and ultimately shows that the game was rushed in the end.
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| As mentioned before, if you can get passed all these problems, Forever Kingdom is a pretty satisfying action-RPG experience. The game does sport one of the most original and captivating soundtracks in recent memory and the constant item searching will leave you exploring for weeks. Although the majority of gamers will most likely be turned off by its many flaws, the few that enjoyed Evergrace will undoubtedly fall in love with Forever Kingdom. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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