VIDEO GAME REVEIW: Space opera style adventure awaits in ‘Rogue Galaxy’
In November of 2000, veteran Sega developer Overworks released “Skies of Arcadia” for the perpetually mourned Dreamcast. “Arcadia” was a lavish, lighthearted role-playing adventure that allowed players to explore the skies as Vyse, an ambitious young pirate accompanied by a diverse band of miscreants that called themselves the Blue Rogues.
An inventive and compelling departure from the grim, cyberpunk-flavored outings that made up the bulk of the RPG collective at that time, “Arcadia” was hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the seminal gaming experiences of the “last-gen” console generation.
A cult hit that has since been lost to the ages despite getting the upgraded re-release treatment on the Nintendo Gamecube, “Arcadia” imbued the cliché-laden RPG genre with a seven seas-themed sense of exploration and unpredictability that would make the mascara-wearing Johnny Depp proud.
Numerous recent role-playing game releases like the obscure but charming “Grandia III” and the flawless mega-hit masterpiece “Final Fantasy XII” have resurrected the grandiose, swashbuckling sky pirate motif from Davy Jones’ Locker with varying degrees of success. The latest developer to take a cutlass stab at this aero-nautical theme is Level 5.
Responsible for renowned PS2 titles like the “Dark Cloud” series and “Dragon Quest VIII,” Level 5 has succeeded at tapping into “Arcadia’s” sword-and-stern-based milieu and putting wind back in the genre’s sails with their latest cell-shaded opus, “Rogue Galaxy.”
The wide-eyed resident of a sand planet who dreams of one day traveling the cosmos, Jaster Rogue sounds like just about every other science fiction protagonist from Paul Atreides to Luke Skywalker.
And as the focal personality of “Rogue Galaxy,” Jaster represents all of the jocular space opera’s abundant strengths and underlying weaknesses. While the plucky adventurer-in-training perfectly fits the mold of the archetypal space-faring hero and his quest is one that gamers have traversed numerous times, the clever design and varied gameplay functions behind the charismatic space pirate keeps his tried-and-true journey engrossing.
As Jaster, players will travel to a number of strange and exotic worlds, befriend a host of bizarre intergalactic scallywags, and eventually confront the maniacal Dayton Corporation, all in search of the legendary planet Eden and its lost technology. Despite the rudimentary nature of the game’s core story, the journey players experience in “Rogue Galaxy” is bolstered by a slick, anime-inspired visual style that pushes the aging Playstation 2 to its graphical limit.
From the game’s fluid and colorful FMV cinematics to the sprawling cityscapes and lush environments that make up the galaxy’s sweeping locales, “Rogue Galaxy” is certainly easy on the eyes. “Galaxy” also features some exceptional voice acting courtesy the talents of “Boy Meets World’s” Will Friedle and anime veteran Steven Blum.
While “Rogue Galaxy” lacks noticeable depth and creativity in the story department, the game more than makes up for this when it comes to engaging gameplay elements. The game’s battle system is very similar to the real time, action-oriented swordplay found in Square Enix’s “Kingdom Hearts” series, but there are a few noticeable differences. Like the aforementioned “Kingdom Hearts” and the latest entry in the “Final Fantasy” series, combat is seamless, and it takes place on the same visual playing field as the dungeon-crawling portions of the game.
During battle sequences, players have the option of attacking until their attack meter runs out, at which point players can choose to switch between two other characters or quickly charge the meter by blocking. The meter eventually replenishes whether players choose to block or to evade enemy attacks. Unfortunately, situations may arise where this window for successful attack time is greatly reduced and the necessity for a filled attack meter becomes a severe hindrance.
Borrowing from the old-school classic “Chrono Trigger,” the combat system also allows players to perform Tech Attacks with other party members, initiate special “Burning Strike” moves once they have collected enough power orbs from defeated enemies, and even lift certain foes and throw them at other nearby enemies. While this aspect of the game could benefit from additional refinements, combat is just the tip of the iceberg for Jaster’s universe-spanning voyage. Like Level 5’s previous time-consuming offerings, “Rogue Galaxy” is filled to the brim with addicting side-quests including the option to trap and train a variety of bugs for “Pokemon”-esque Insectron Tournaments and upgrade and synthesize weapons through the use of a customizable factory and a magical frog.
For a company that became well-known for turning the RPG genre on its ear by introducing world-building mechanics, weapon customization and time travel in their flagship “Dark Cloud” series, Level 5’s work on “Rogue Galaxy” may seem pretty by-the-numbers in comparison.
But while the game features a cast of zany, under-developed space pirates, a storyline that could function as a case study of the most common anime and RPG storytelling conventions, and a borrowed and somewhat unpolished battle system, everything in “Rogue Galaxy” is presented in such a unique and refreshing manner that the final product is something worth investing a few hours in. Make that fifty or so.
Mack Perry is the video game critic for The
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to mackp@cc.usu.edu