Magna Carta: Tears of Blood
Score: 86% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Atlus Developer: Softmax Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG
Graphics & Sound: Over the past few years, Atlus has pumped out a healthy supply of great RPGs. In addition to the release of the second act of Digital Devil Saga, Atlus has once again decided to show more love to RPG fans with Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. As far as looks, Magna Carta gets the job done. It is certainly not the best of what the PS2 has to offer, but it is not the worst of it either. Character models are what really make the game shine thanks to a lot of little details; details that make the game stand out a little more than your typical RPG. Magna Carta's character designs are about as androgynous as they come. Even though most of the characters show off nice curves and skimpy outfits, most of them are males. If it weren't for the gruff voices, you'd swear you were playing a game starring nothing but girls. Appearances really add a strange new dimension to the game, especially when the story begins to trace some of their relationships with each other. Getting back to graphics, characters may look like Vegas showgirls, but they certainly don't move like them. There's nothing awkward about the movements themselves, though they lack a certain "flow" and seem stiff. Even simple things like sword swipes look like a few frames of animation may be missing at times. Also, while environments lack the same flair as the game's cast, they still look good. Audio is not one of Magna Carta's strong suits. First off, the game's theme song is laughably bad and should serve as a hint as to what is to come. The rest of the music isn't all that great either, though it’s passable and not so annoying that you'll find yourself searching for the mute button. Voice work isn't all that great either. Magna Carta features a lot of voice work and all of it is really bad. Characters show no emotion while speaking, killing some of the higher moments in the story. And, as much as I hate to harp on the same subject, the pairing of lithe figures and husky voices really throws you a curve ball and never feels right on any level.
Gameplay: Despite the name, Magna Carta has nothing to do with the famous British document, so all notions of a historical RPG where you put down the power of King John and bring the rule of law to England can go right out the window. Magna Carta's story borrows heavily from nearly every RPG you can think of. You have the mysterious young girl with access to powerful magic, two races who just can't seem to get along and are now at war, a cruel queen who has decided to escalate the war... the list goes on. As Calintz, the leader of a small band of rebels known as the Tears of Blood, it is your job to try and do your part in ending the war. Things take an unexpected twist when, while on a mission in the mountains, the Tears run across the aforementioned young girl, setting off the game's main quest -- the search for the Magna Carta, a legendary weapon that is the human's best chance at victory. Story isn't what makes Magna Carta all that interesting. In fact, if it wasn't for the... uhm, "interesting" characters, the story wouldn't be nearly as interesting as it is (and believe me, it's not). What makes Magna Carta so engaging to play is that it eschews traditional RPG mechanics and delivers an experience that is more for the hardcore RPG player who has become bored with the way things "traditionally" work. One of the new systems is the Trust/Mistrust system that is introduced early on. During the game, you'll take part in several conversations with other party members. Your responses determine how much each member trusts you, translating to how well they follow your leadership in battle. If your party members trust you, they'll do just about anything you ask them to do in battle, no matter how crazy the tactic might be. On the other hand, if they don't trust you, they'll be more likely to question your decisions. Combat also adds a slight twist. On second thought, slight probably isn't the best of words to use since the combat system is actually rather complex. When you first encounter the system, it looks like a real-time battle with everyone running around the field in frenzied chaos. This isn't the case. The key to the whole system is a meter that fills on the side of the screen indicating when people can attack. Once a meter fills, the game enters a turn-based style. When a character is in position to attack, a circle appears with three symbols on its surface. Your job is to press the corresponding buttons in time with the symbols as they rotate around the ring. Time your presses right, and you'll land hits. The system is similar to the Judgment Ring in Shadow Hearts, but landing hits is a little harder to do here. Matching button presses is only half the battle. Each of your characters also has a list of combat styles they can use in battle. All have different uses in situations and even come with their own range restrictions -- so even if one style dominates a particular enemy, you need to get close enough to use it. Normally, this isn't that big a deal except for the fact that you can run outside of range fairly easily, something the enemy really likes to do. On top of that, you'll also have to worry about getting high score percentage ratings on each style in order to unlock new moves, manage your chi and other nit-picky things that heap on the game's complex combat system.
Difficulty: Just to recap -- Magna Carta's combat system is complex and not for the faint of heart. If you're more comfortable with traditional RPGs where you choose commands off a menu (or press an attack button), Magna Carta's system isn't for you. It’s not so complex that you can't learn it with a little practice, but if you're not into more complex RPGs, this isn't a place to start. It would be like learning to ride a motorcycle before learning to ride a bike. On the other hand, if you're one of the RPG hardcore players that finds even some of Nippon Ichi's games to be too easy, you'll really enjoy mastering Magna Carta's system since it proves to be a lot of fun once you get a handle on the basics.
Game Mechanics: As if the game's mechanics didn't throw in enough wrinkles, even travel has its own quirks. As you go from area to area, you'll come across enemies on the overworld map. You can choose to run headlong into battles or sneak past them if you're not in the mood for a fight. You can also try to sneak behind the enemy and backstab them, giving you an added bonus. In order to do this, you must first enter Calintz’s ready stance, which cuts down on his speed but allows him to always be at the ready for attacks. If speed is more your thing, you can also run from area to area, though you're more likely to fall victim to surprise attacks this way. Finally, you can also choose to rest while outside to regain health. The danger in this is, like sprinting, you're more likely to be the victim of a surprise hit. When it comes right down to it, Magna Carta really isn't a game for everyone. The story isn't likely to draw you in and the character direction is more likely to inspire jokes than anything else. However, if you're a hardcore RPG player, especially one who is a fan of Atlus's usual offerings, Magna Carta is a game you're not going to want to miss. While hard to master, the combat system is very enjoyable for advanced players and more than makes up for any other shortcomings the game presents.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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