Level 5 have a good reputation. It started with Dark Cloud, improved greatly with Dark Chronicles and was kept in check by Rogue Galaxy, although the RPG fans will agree that the middle one was the best of the lot. The Playstation 3 has been a little slow on the pick up when it comes to the role playing game with its heritage in the land of the rising sun. We’ve had Fallout 3, Demon’s Souls (if you like to import, mind), Dragon Age and so on. To be honest, it’s about time we had a sample of a proper JRPG and, just like the bus syndrome, as you wait for one, quite a few come along at once.
Final Fantasy and Resonance of Fate have both recently been released, with the two more traditional titles receiving fairly positive reviews. Finally, Level 5 have given us their first offering on the PS3 and while it stays along similar lines to the heritage of what has come before, it also strays off in a different direction.
To say it is like the Sega Dreamcast classic Phantasy Star Online would be the closest relation I could pick. The main difference between the two though is that White Knight Chronicles also contains a fully usable and quite entertaining single player experience, although the story does have a slight whiff from the flogged dead horse it was carved from. The only major words you need are Princess, kidnap, dead father and rescue. I suppose you could say it’s a lot like Super Mario, although it was never documented about the plumber’s dad dying from a freak piping accident while on a job.
The proper version of the story involves your character playing second fiddle to Leonard, a humble jobs body who is told to get wine for some very important peace time celebrations, as two warring factions come together to end the conflict. Things go horribly wrong once he returns with the fine alcoholic beverage, as the kingdom is attacked by some rather nasty types who disguise their entire war machine in a circus performance (I always knew you couldn’t trust clowns). In trying to flee the situation, Princess Cisna sees her father slain at the hand of a dark knight (she had seen her mother killed 10 years prior, so it wasn’t really going well for her). She is eventually captured by him and taken to a secret location, but not before Leonard receives the power of the white knight to go after her with his band of merry warrior types following close behind.
The graphics are a bit of a departure from what we’ve seen from these guys before. Gone are the cel shaded looks of previous efforts, in favour of something that keeps with the more traditional JRPG cutesy feel. They are decent enough and very functional, but it has to be said for every beautiful moment, there is usually one that looks a tad dated, which is a shame because when WKC gets it right, it can look beautiful and compare to other titles on the market.
The authenticity doesn’t stop at the visuals. The cheesy acting and string laden music is also present. It’s not to say it’s all that bad, mainly because it isn’t, but in trying to make things a little more real by having some passing comments from your party as you travel through the worlds, you will (and trust me, I know this) hear quite a few phrases mentioned time and time again, almost bordering on that little voice in your head shouting “SHUT THE HELL UP..!”.
It’s when you look at the gameplay that you begin to see this interesting mix of old and new, as it mixes a few styles of battle system to create its own. There is a hint of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic here (or Dragon Age for those who wish to keep with more recent games). Actions are done by pressing X, but you have to wait until the action bar fills. Like KOTOR you can also run around the battle area as you fill in commands, but for whatever reason you will always be hit by an enemy, even if he is far enough away to know he couldn’t possibly make contact with you. Normally I wouldn’t mind so much, but when you ALWAYS have to be in range for your own attacks, it does feel like the Enemies Union won their case to have the scales tipped in their favour.
There is the usual case of levelling up, as well as using skill points to purchase magic and special moves that can be mixed and matched on your battle lines, which are situated at the bottom of the screen. These allow you a great deal of personalisation of your characters, as well as quick access to abilities. Combos can also be added to the lines and are created by mixing and matching stuff you learn and buy, but be warned as they can take up action points, so relying on these isn’t the best tactic.
Now, here is where the Phantasy Star part comes in, not to mention this is White Knight Chronicles’ party piece. GeoNet is the online section of the game and opens up a whole new area to you. It allows for 12 people to meet up in a chosen room and set about creating or joining rooms with other adventurers to level up or receive rare items that can’t be normally attained in the single player experience. It might not have the same impact that PSO did when it burst onto the scene, but it does just as good a job as it. The missions online are never too large to get bored by endlessly waltzing around barren spaces, but you never feel completely linear either, which is always a bonus in the genre. The only problem I would have with it is that there aren’t really a huge amount of people on at any given time, as I struggled to find many games I could get into, but you’ll normally find enough to keep you going. Oh yeah; and the other VERY LIKABLE factor is that all this costs no subscription either, so shame on you World of Warcraft and FF XI (and Phantasy Star for that matter nowadays).
This is definitely a grower on you. It starts a bit slow and feels a little lethargic at its inception, but like a shy person getting ploughed with drink at a party, with enough input you’ll soon get it coming out of its shell and reap the benefits as things go on. In terms of getting together and playing some proper JRPG stuff, it does it’s job very well; and the single player is very sturdy and holds together in a way I wasn‘t expecting. Pleasantly surprised is the verdict and I’d say if, like me, you feel that paying money for the game itself is enough cash to be chucking out at any given time, but you want to go questing with other folk online, then I’d have to say this is a good choice to go for.
VideogameUK verdict: 7.5/10
