Game: Radiant Historia

Platform: DS

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Headlock Inc.

ESRB: E

Genre: Time Traveling RPG

Players: 1

What's Hot: Engaging story with political depth and empathic characters, strategic and combo-based combat system, rummaging through time like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel

What's Not: Jumping around the timelines is often jarring and repetitive, no mini-map

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Review by: Brian Rowe

The kingdom of Alistel sits on the verge of annihilation. An unexplained phenomenon has been spreading across the land for centuries, slowly transforming the continent into a desert. Alistel's position, tucked up against the coastline with fertile soil beneath its feet, has made it the target of a full-scale invasion. Behind the turmoil, a dark force manipulates history, while Stocke, the new owner of the White Chronicle, races through time and alternate realities in search of a brighter future.

I was immediately attracted to Radiant Historia's mature brand of storytelling, and I am not speaking of sexuality or bloodshed. Most JRPG characters I encounter are little more than archetypes that rely on overly emphasized traits to define their personas. The characters of Radiant Historia are flawed and driven by individual histories revealed through natural dialogue. Take Stocke for example, whose social awkwardness is initially mistaken for stoicism, or Rosch, whose combat prowess is betrayed by terrible tactics. These aren't heroes with cosmic destinies so much as they are soldiers fighting to save their homeland.

War is almost always the byproduct of political struggles and, just as in real life, the true intentions of those in power are rarely transparent. The conflict between Alistel and Granorg examines the boundaries of loyalty and the roles of authority figures in the lives of average citizens, and it does so without being dogmatic. A lesser game would beat such points to death with extraneous speeches and exhausting melodrama, whereas Radiant Historia understands that some things are best left unsaid and only implied. It is regrettable that much of the narrative force gets lost in Stocke's chronistic wanderings.

Stocke's ability to travel among nodes in time and across alternate planes of reality is both engaging and aggravating. It's up to Stocke to correct the errors in history, possibly by going back in time to save a life or choose a different route, or by crossing to a different reality to learn a new skill. Some decisions lead to failure, while others reveal new branches of possible futures. There is a small bit of detective work required, but Radiant Historia is a linear adventure, so you don't have to worry about juggling too many possibilities at once.

Hitting dead ends and going back in time yields some inevitable repetition. You might play for two hours and never repeat a second, or you might repeat the same 30 minute stretch three times over, back to back. Worse, is when you realize that you've been mucking around in the entirely wrong time period. My main concerns are the feelings of displacement and detachment. The timelines can vary wildly, making it extremely easy to forget what is happening in the other, not to mention jarring when you jump streams and can't remember how you ended up halfway across the continent.

Stocke's comrades aren't aware of his abilities, so he often has to work with previous and alternate versions of them. Although it requires a suspension of disbelief, Radiant Historia has the good grace to maintain all attributes and equipment for your teammates throughout the timeline. There are a handful of characters that can be swapped into your three-member party, and a welcome feature is that any character not in the action still receives XP at a slightly reduced rate.

The blend of tactical maneuvering and traditional, turn-based combat adds depth to choosing a party. Characters have abilities, such as Hook and Push Assault, which can shift enemies around a three-by-three grid. You can also swap places with enemies in the turn-order. While this gives the enemy an immediate attack, it allows you the opportunity to orchestrate massive combos by smacking enemies into the same square and pummeling them all at once.

Despite a handful of attractive settings, Radiant Historia's visuals are rarely more than adequate. Distinctive landmarks are few and far between and many traversable areas are significantly larger than the screen. Combined with the lack of a map, even a rectangular room can turn into a navigational nightmare.

The time-traveling mechanic at the epicenter of this adventure can be as burdensome as it is intriguing, but most of Radiant Historia's faults are easily forgiven. In a genre often plagued by clichés and cutout characters, Radiant Historia's empathic characters and strong themes are surprisingly invigorating.

Brian Rowe is Sr. Editor at GameShark and also manages our YouTube Channel and Twitter and Facebook pages.

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