2nd June 2007, 9:04 PM
I picked up this game recently. Just so you know, it is basically single player. There is a co-op mode of sorts but all it does is allow the second player to cast your spells and select your ammo for you.
However, whatever your opinion of Children of Mana (it's co-op mode actually existed, but for some reason they just can't seem to recapture Secret of Mana's awesome co-op mode, namely you can't SAVE YOUR GAME when that one is played in co-op, defeating the purpose), this game is great. It's basically Kingdom Hearts style gameplay with the Havoc physics system put into the game. It's not just a nice but meaningless addition though. You'll need to use this physics system to play the game. From knocking over a pillar to smash through the floor to stacking things, it's all standard fare there. What's unique is how well the physics are used in battle. For example, you can basically hit all sorts of things into enemies, and it's surprisingly easy to aim it all. Further, if you see some large round object, you can probably roll around on or in it while fighting, Jack Sparrow style. However, the funnest thing is using magic in conjunction with these physics. There is a slingshot you get and one of the ammo types is "magnet seed". Fire it at anything and it draws everything around it towards it. I fired one at an enemy, and all manner of rocks and broken pillars and other enemies, basically the entire room, got pulled right on top of the guy, killing it and a few other enemies. Only problem was now I had to make my way through the stack of garbage I just made by destroying it all. There's also a cyclone seed for sucking everything up into a tornado, and when it ends it all crashes back down. It's also used during boss battles to great effect, for example the giant crab that sounded like the Overmind (awaken my child and embrace the glory that is your birthright) got flipped on it's back more than a few times by my whirlwinds.
All in all, I'm having a great time playing through this game. As for tone, it's on the lighthearted side, in fact between this and Kingdom Hearts, KINGDOM HEARTS is the darker themed one! You'll figure that out when your adorable fairy friend decides to become sickeningly sweet in making VERY sure you remember it's name (it's Faye, Faye... Faaaaye!). In fact the only way to get rid of that bit of knowledge after that scene is to remove it with a bullet. Also I'm loving every minute of this.
However, whatever your opinion of Children of Mana (it's co-op mode actually existed, but for some reason they just can't seem to recapture Secret of Mana's awesome co-op mode, namely you can't SAVE YOUR GAME when that one is played in co-op, defeating the purpose), this game is great. It's basically Kingdom Hearts style gameplay with the Havoc physics system put into the game. It's not just a nice but meaningless addition though. You'll need to use this physics system to play the game. From knocking over a pillar to smash through the floor to stacking things, it's all standard fare there. What's unique is how well the physics are used in battle. For example, you can basically hit all sorts of things into enemies, and it's surprisingly easy to aim it all. Further, if you see some large round object, you can probably roll around on or in it while fighting, Jack Sparrow style. However, the funnest thing is using magic in conjunction with these physics. There is a slingshot you get and one of the ammo types is "magnet seed". Fire it at anything and it draws everything around it towards it. I fired one at an enemy, and all manner of rocks and broken pillars and other enemies, basically the entire room, got pulled right on top of the guy, killing it and a few other enemies. Only problem was now I had to make my way through the stack of garbage I just made by destroying it all. There's also a cyclone seed for sucking everything up into a tornado, and when it ends it all crashes back down. It's also used during boss battles to great effect, for example the giant crab that sounded like the Overmind (awaken my child and embrace the glory that is your birthright) got flipped on it's back more than a few times by my whirlwinds.
All in all, I'm having a great time playing through this game. As for tone, it's on the lighthearted side, in fact between this and Kingdom Hearts, KINGDOM HEARTS is the darker themed one! You'll figure that out when your adorable fairy friend decides to become sickeningly sweet in making VERY sure you remember it's name (it's Faye, Faye... Faaaaye!). In fact the only way to get rid of that bit of knowledge after that scene is to remove it with a bullet. Also I'm loving every minute of this.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)