Mana Mana
Apparently my short break from FFIV DS is going to be a bit longer yet... but that's okay. I've been giving Dawn of Mana that much-deserved chance in spite of the hordes of naysayers.
Up side? I do love this game. The feeling of it from the visuals and the characters is everything I ever loved about Secret of Mana back in the day. It almost makes me wish that Square-Enix would remake that game with this game's good points in mind.
But only if they'd fix that god-forsaken, broken-to-all-hell camera that's determined to make me dizzy and give me tears of frustration first. x_x The controls too... it's pretty plain Square's developers aren't too adept at planning adventure games, because that's pretty much what this IS... just with a rather sadly dodgy game engine behind it.
Still, if you're like me and you love the games more for the stories they have to tell than for sheer gameplay alone, this game is worth some kind of investment. Complaints about the camera/controls aside, I DO like this game. I just think I'd probably be utterly obsessed with it if it were somewhat easier to play.
So here's a bullet list of opinions. XD
Things I Like:
Sadly, the sheer unpopularity of this game means I'll probably have to shell out for the 'official' print guide to get anywhere; not many FAQs exist out there on teh intarwebz to help players in a pinch. And I really want to finish this game; the story presentation is the beacon making me want to press onward in spite of hardships and frustration. XD
Keep trying, Squeenix. Don't let the Mana series die yet... ;_; Try taking a cue from the gang at Nihon Falcom; they know how to make a stupidly fun Action-RPG engine work, believe me. ;)
Up side? I do love this game. The feeling of it from the visuals and the characters is everything I ever loved about Secret of Mana back in the day. It almost makes me wish that Square-Enix would remake that game with this game's good points in mind.
But only if they'd fix that god-forsaken, broken-to-all-hell camera that's determined to make me dizzy and give me tears of frustration first. x_x The controls too... it's pretty plain Square's developers aren't too adept at planning adventure games, because that's pretty much what this IS... just with a rather sadly dodgy game engine behind it.
Still, if you're like me and you love the games more for the stories they have to tell than for sheer gameplay alone, this game is worth some kind of investment. Complaints about the camera/controls aside, I DO like this game. I just think I'd probably be utterly obsessed with it if it were somewhat easier to play.
So here's a bullet list of opinions. XD
Things I Like:
- Gorgeous visuals, well-done cinema scenes
- Lovely, lovely voice acting for all the mains. And the variety of accents given to the elemental spirits is just too cute. XD
- Speaking of voices; I'm a huge sucker for games that make the characters talk (as in actual lines; not just grunts and shouts of battle) in boss fights. Tales makes me happy with this; this game does it too-- and it's usually your clue to the strategy you need to defeat said bosses. Bravo, Squeenix.
- Frequent references and nods to characters/concepts from Secret of Mana, tying the stories pretty darn close. =P
- The soundtrack. It's YAY. Normally I'm not as fond of Kenji Ito's work; it sometimes tends toward the maudlin... but this is perfectly suited, and considerably deeper than other soundtracks in the series. I'm also a huge sucker for Tsuyoshi Sekito's work nowadays, both as an arranger and composer. The man does some kickass battle themes.
- Snaring enemies and bashing them into each other is stupid fun. >:)
- The ungodly schizophrenic camera. It requires near-constant manning of the camera control just to see what you're doing... and makes navigating more complex environments damn near impossible. You simply can't keep your bearings.
- The terminally retarded 'guide' arrow that seems incapable of realizing that while Keldy can do LOTS of things, he CAN'T walk through walls to reach his goal.
- The fact you MUST 'panic' your enemies by lobbing stuff at them in order to reap the rewards of the kills. Whippin' it good IS fun... but I want some hack'n'slash in my Action-RPG, thanks.
Sadly, the sheer unpopularity of this game means I'll probably have to shell out for the 'official' print guide to get anywhere; not many FAQs exist out there on teh intarwebz to help players in a pinch. And I really want to finish this game; the story presentation is the beacon making me want to press onward in spite of hardships and frustration. XD
Keep trying, Squeenix. Don't let the Mana series die yet... ;_; Try taking a cue from the gang at Nihon Falcom; they know how to make a stupidly fun Action-RPG engine work, believe me. ;)