A Lackluster Third Act - Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel

 As I mentioned in a previous post about Atelier Rorona, I have a love-hate relationship with games developed by Gust.  When it comes to Ar Tonelico games, however, there's mostly love.  It's funny, really, because these were the last sort of games I expected to ever like.  For those unfamiliar with them, think of them as what you get when you cross an Atelier game with a dating sim with a turn-based RPG.

Sounds like a crazy combination, right?  What's even crazier is that it works.  Or at least, it did until Ar Tonelico Qoga:  Knell of Ar Ciel came along.  When you look across the Ar Tonelico games, the first entry, Melody of Elemia distinguished itself as simplistic, yet quirky and interesting enough to sustain one's attention.  The second game, Melody of Metafalica, in short, improved on just about everything from the first game (except for quirks in the localization process..).

Unfortunately, rather than further refining what made the series likable, ATQ takes a number of steps back, showing a far inferior combat system, less interesting characters, and a less robust crafting system.  While at the core, it still has many of the things that characterize an Ar Tonelico game, it is a sadly lackluster ending to a series that showed great promise.

So what happened with the third game?  You'd think that the potential of the PS3 would allow for a game of even greater magnitude.  Did trying to be more poetic by using "qoga" and "knell" in lieu of the numbered entry and usual subtitle change up things that much for the worse?

Well, you'd be surprised. . .

Not so metal Alchemist

I have a love-hate relationship with games developed by Gust.

I hate that often, there's an annoying glitch, bug, or just poor quality control which, in the best case, serves as a minor annoyance, and in other cases, is absolutely gamebreaking: And not the type that works in your favor.  Yet, many times, there are things that I love about them which allow me to overlook these flaws:  They're (usually) aesthetically pleasing (if not in terms of sprites, than the lush background).  They have a number of interesting gameplay mechanics going for them.  Perhaps most importantly, however, they usually end up being the sort of games that you can sit down, veg out to, and play casually through -- at least in an initial playthrough, as long as you're not trying to be a super completionist.

Enter Atelier Rorona.  Like a few other Gust games in the past, this game suffers from random freezing, which can destroy hours of progress if you haven't been diligent in saving.  On the flipside, it is one of the most gorgeous games produced on the PS3.  For me, however, the beauty of Atelier Rorona wasn't in pure aesthetics, but it's relative simplicity:  Something much needed at a time of year when things get hectic for me at work.

A Delayed Acquisition

How I acquired this game is a funny story.  Originally, when it was first released, I happened to chance upon it at one of Gamestop's ever-frequent (though they'll try to convince you that they're not that frequent) Buy 2, Get 1 free used game sales.  In a previous piece, I lamented how there were very few PS3 exclusives that justified my purchase of the system:  Something that, to this day, I, as well as others, I'm sure, still struggle with, as we hope for the release of some game that makes us happy to own this iteration of Sony's console:

Not that we're pointing any fingers.

So when I came across this game, I was somewhat relieved, yet still not fully convinced that I wanted to purchase the game (even used, it was still $45 bucks).  Fortunately, someone made that decision easy for me:  The guy who snatched up the game after I had put it back while I debated a bit too long on my decision.

Pretty sure it was this guy.

It was for the best, as by the time I finally got around to purchasing it, it had dropped to $26 or so.  Patience is a virtue after all.  But enough of my acquisition story:  You're probably curious about the game itself.

Theoretical Sounds

In my previous post on Raidou 2, I only gave a passing mention to the music of the game, noting that the first game had a far superior battle theme.  What I also neglected to mention was that one of the boss themes did a good job of captivating the sometimes eerie mood the game had:

However, this isn't a post that merely reminisces about how much the soundtrack of Soulless Army  is as opposed to King Abbadon:  It's not.  Both have admirable soundtrack composed by the same person (Shoji Meguro), and most of the Soulless Army tracks find their way into the second game (Remember what I said about the Arakana Corridor in the previous post being a trip down memory lane?  You'll find the above theme playing their as the regular battle theme). 

Furthermore, while maintaining many of the key themes from the first game, Raidou 2 adds a few new ones that perfectly suit the mood of the game.  For example, there's the foreboding theme of parts of the Tento Caverns, where many of the mysteries surrounding the Tsukigata clan's ties to the supposed deity these woods are named after:

Also, even though I found Geirin's constant use of "theory" "conjecture" and "process" ungodly annoying, well, there's no denying the guy has a pretty catchy theme:

Speaking of annoyance, remember those Fiend battles I mentioned?  The ones that made me put down the game in frustration?  I also mentioned that I came back quickly.  Yes, a better part of it is sheer stubbornness.  The other part is that if I'm going to get my ass kicked in a game and come back for more punishment, it'd better be to a damn good theme:

Of course, the game also does laid back themes pretty well.  One thing that I'm glad remain unchanged between the games?  The theme of the Narumi detective agency, aptly named on the soundtrack "The Lazy Detective Agency":

Whether you're playing the first or the second game, you're in for a musical treat if you play either.  Even if you don't particularly care for Shoji Meguro's compositions, it's pretty hard to argue against the fact that he always manages to find a score that suits the mood of his games.  On that note, I leave you to reflect with this theme, played during some of the more somber turning points of the game:

Considering how bizarre the MegaTen universe is, finding music that suits the mood certainly makes Meguro a musical genius, wouldn't you agree?

No theories were conjectured in the process of writing this post: Devil Summoner 2.

Well, that's done.

After a long, arduous struggle, I've finally  finished Devil Summoner 2:  Raidou Kuzunoha versus King Abbadon (hereafter referred to as Raidou 2, because screw typing out that long title).

Let me clarify something first:  On many levels, Raidou 2 is vastly superior to its predecessor, Devil Summoner:  Raidou Kuzunoha versus the Soulless Army (hereon referred to as Raidou 1, because screw typing out that long, yet awesome, title).  The combat's been refined and polished, the demon roster and fusion options have been vastly expanded, there's access to a greater variety of equipment, multiple endings, plenty of sidequests, and a return of demon negotiation.  Yes, on many levels, Raidou 2 is a much better Shin Megami Tensei game than Raidou 1.

Unfortunately, it's not as good of a -Raidou- game as Raidou 1.

Wait, what?

While Raidou 2 is certainly an enjoyable game to play through, in the process (..I've come to loathe that word, and you will see why) of attempting to return to its MegaTen roots, the game's creators churned out a product that is superior in many ways to the first, yet loses a great deal of the spirit of what makes a Raidou game, -Raidou-.  This is a problem further compounded by a somewhat stiff translation in some parts, as well.

Read on to find out more about my experience playing, as well as why a nervous tick happens every time someone mentions the word "theory" "conjecture" and "process".

Emasculation Quest Part 1 - Ys: The Oath in Felghana

Some time ago, I had the pleasure of finishing Ys:  The Oath in Felghana.  While the game itself is fairly short (you can probably complete the entire thing -- particularly if you've played previous incarnations -- in about 6-8 hours), I hit a few snags along the way which delayed its completion.

Namely, hubris.

Ys:  Oath in Felghana is an upgraded version of Ys III:  Wanderers from Ys.  The game originated on the PC Engine CD, and since then, has been ported to a number of consoles:  Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and PS2 to name a few.  Years later, Falcolm upgraded the engine, changed some gameplay mechanics, and pretty much remade the entire game for the PC, which was later ported to the incarnation I played -- the PSP version.  Ys III has been around the block more than a few times, in terms of ports.

Yes, even more than Lunar.

I played the game back in its Super Nintendo days quite a few times.  I knew the story, I knew the basics of which points I had to go to next, I remembered most of the bosses.  As for the upgraded and change in gameplay mechanics?  I was told that the game played closer to Ys VI:  The Ark of Naphistim.  No problem!  I finished that game (amazingly) in a weekend and had a blast.  What else could have changed?

Quite a bit, actually.

Namely the difficulty.

If you go in playing Ys:  The Oath in Felghana assuming that this a similar game to the Wanderers from Ys game you played in your youth, then you'll be sorely mistaken.  Even on some of the lower difficulties the game can be a humbling experience, but if you manage to tough it out you'll be rewarded with a game that has an amazing story, well-written dialogue, and, per norm with Falcom, one of the most amazing soundtracks ever.

Almost Got 'Em #1: Breath of Fire III

As I promised I would, I've begun going back through my game library and finding the old classics I've left unfinished. These are all titles I made it all the way to the end of, and then stopped right before vanquishing evil for good and all. There's a lot of ground to cover, but I began this journey of a thousand steps with Breath of Fire III. After about 70 hours of gameplay, reliving my favorite moments from this classic from Capcom's library (including one of "Hey, I didn't suck all those years ago! This last boss really IS hard!), I can count this one as off the Backlog.

I first picked up Breath of Fire III when it was practically a new release. I loved the first two games, the second one especially I could play for ages. With the third, I found a title which still tied in to the history of the first two games, but was a unique story at the same time. It didn't lose any of the charm the first two had, and in fact used the hardware advantages it had to add to the traditional presentation the series is known for. Vibrant colors, lively cities, sweeping adventure and subdued, subtle moments; this game had it all. I played it for dozens of hours, all the way through to the end.

Though many of those hours were spent listening to the jazzy overworld theme.

Then, in the last dungeon, I stumbled across the last boss before I was ready for her. She made mincemeat of my team and I hadn't saved in hours.

So, that was that. I turned it off and never played it again. However much I loved this game, whatever kind of attachment I had to seeing it through all the way to the end, it just wasn't worth it to me to walk through that last dungeon again. I'm sure at the time I told myself "oh, well that's an upsetting loss, I'll put this down until tomorrow." Well, tomorrow took about 13 years to get here, but it's finally arrived. Breath of Fire III has been vanquished, and it's time to move on to the next game on my list.

But playing through it gave me reason to stop and take stock of why this gem never really caught on. It did well enough in sales and reviews, and as I've previously stated, it's at least as fun as some of the best-selling games of today, but Breath of Fire III tends to get lost in the shuffle when talking about the great RPGs of the Playstation-era. So before I get into my personal experience with going back and enjoying my adventure with Ryu and the gang again after all these years, let me begin the first part of this post with a different topic.

Timing a release.

More important than you might think.

And that's just one example.

When you're releasing some new media, you want to make sure you don't do so at a time when something similar, and possibly superior, is also hitting the market. You want to offer something unique to the world, at least for awhile. You want to be the thing that everyone tries to copy; the first of a new wave of pop singer, the first comic character in a string of gritty reboots, the first fast food restaurant to offer a new and exciting way to kill yourself.

Narrowly beating out Wendy's lard milkshake.

The worst thing to be is something released almost simultaneously. At least the hordes of copycats which invariably follow a success can ride the coattails of the initial wave of public interest for awhile. If you come out with your media at the same time as something else which catches on more easily, that's the end of you. It was the poor timing of this nature that gave us a world where Garbage succeeded instead of Republica, where 30 Rock graces television sets instead of Studio 54, and where Armageddon is remembered as "that meteor movie" instead of Deep Impact. Although to be fair to Deep Impact, it predicted that there would be a black president, whereas Armageddon predicted that Liv Tyler would be a solid leading actress, and so far only one of these predictions has come true.

He's hoping he can reach a middle ground with the meteor.

Of course, there's one more form of bad timing. The kind that happens when you release something in the same category as something else which was SO big, and SO popular, and SO pervasive in the market that fans aren't going to be happy with anything less than more of that same thing. Instead of drumming up interest, this monument to a genre actually hinders your success, because people take a look at what you have to offer and say "well that's nothing like that other thing we like." Fans don't expect you to reinvent the wheel, they expect you to be the exact same wheel as the wheel they already own and have driven the last hundred thousand miles on.

With that in mind, let's talk about Capcom's first post-Final Fantasy VII RPG release, Breath of Fire III

David and Ayn talk BoF3

As David puts the finishing touches on his Breath of Fire III post, he and I discuss ending plot points.  Be warned, spoilers lie below.

David 10:06 pm
One thing I realized while thinking about the game that I didn't even really realize while playing;
Myria has absolutely no henchmen.
The only thing that keeps you from getting to her are natural physical barriers.
The only recurring villains in the game are the crime syndicate, and you've killed their main muscle and their boss by around the halfway point.

Ayn 10:25 pm
If you think of it.
That's pretty damn impressive.
Well she does have one henchman.
Teepo.
As well as deception.
Who needs henchmen when you pretty much have the world fooled that you're a benevolent goddess?

David 10:38 pm
I suppose that's true.
It's quite a big step down from the Dark Dragon Empire and the Church of St. Eva though.

 Ayn 2:55 pm
I still maintain the Dark Dragon Empire was the coolest.
It's just a damn shame BoF1 was early in the series so they didn't have the time back then to properly develop it.

David 2:56 pm
It still did a better job of exemplifying what a big deal Myria was.

Ayn 2:57 pm
Yeah.
In 3 she had..
Teepo.

David 2:57 pm
Moreso than her first line of defense in BoF3, sand.

Ayn 2:57 pm
Sand is serious business. Fuck that desert.

David 2:58 pm
The desert wasn't as bad as I remembered it.
Granted I had a map this time.

Ayn 2:59 pm
Pretty sure in the world of BoF3, Myria made sure all the cartogrophers were killed along with the brood.
Hence a desert as the first line of defense is brilliant.

David 3:00 pm
So really her first line of defense was keeping people lazy and ignorant.

Ayn 3:00 pm
Yes

David 3:00 pm
I may have seriously underestimated how cunning Myria was here.