Akitoshi Kawazu's latest game to hit US shores is either woefully misunderstood or a lesson in role-playing gone awry. The first two games in the SaGa series to make their way to America were not well received and the third chapter is not without a number of design decisions that when melded together as a whole, just don't seem to work very well.

In Unlimited SaGa, the latest chapter in this offbeat role-playing game series from Square Enix, players are introduced to a new game element that uses "Reels" - a sort of slot machine mechanism where players must use precise timing to line up colors and shapes to receive advantageous results, while avoiding other shapes and colors that have bad results - but the Reel system isn't just confined to combat; it is used for just about every event in the game. From avoiding pitfalls, to opening treasure to battle itself, the reel system feels too much like a gamble, and less like a cohesive and constant system. Many of the complaints that gamers have with it stem from the fact that it is just too random and in some cases nullifies the hard work that it takes to build skills or gain magical abilities. While the reel system doesn't make the game unplayable, it does make it more difficult than it should be. In combat, the reel system uses a number of colors to decide how powerful an attack is; green and blue are the weakest, while orange and yellow are the strongest. During combat players choose five techniques from their characters they want use. These techniques can then be strung together using the reel (players can either use one attack by hitting X or holding it with O in the hopes that the next attack can be chained to it -- and is some cases can create super combos that players can attempt to activate against the enemy. As I mentioned before, the whole reel system comes off feeling more like a gamble than a cohesive system, and will more times than not, frustrate players to no end.

Another aspect of the game that is odd is Life Points. In addition to having hit points ala traditional RPG conventions, the game also gives each character a set number of Life Points. Basically, if your life points reach zero you become incapacitated. Players can lose all of their hit points and survive as long as they have life points, which really doesn't make much sense from a role-playing stand-point. Players can't recover these points while out adventuring either, but they can restore hit points. The real problem is that monsters can eliminate Life points with some pretty basic attacks so keeping your characters alive - much like the reel system - becomes a real challenge.

The other thing that is difficult to fathom is why Kawazu's team chose to use a graphical style that comes off as "old school". From menus-based areas within towns and backdrop pictures for representing towns and villages, to a turn-based grid-style map (similar to moving a piece on a game board) used for just about every adventuring area, the game just seems out of place in Square Enix' line-up -- a company known for creating games with enough cinematic prowess to rival most Saturday morning cartoons and animated films. While the graphics may come off to some as amateur, Kawazu was shooting for a certain style that feels like old school attempting to meet new school RPG. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out as well. There are a few areas of the game that are animated, but the game lacks animation in several important areas such as moving across maps in the game. The character animations in battle are nice and the still 2D graphics when each character's story unfolds is adequate enough, but Unlimited SaGa's graphics come across as incomplete.

To be fair, the game does offer a lot of content and a pretty decent soundtrack. Players can follow the path of seven different main characters, each with his or her own storylines as they head out on personal journeys tied to the Seven Wonders and the ultimate evil that has impacted their lives in one way or another. Most of the dungeons and traveling areas offer unique challenges (a lot of them in fact) as well as a great deal of exploration that will help build various character skills during your adventure. There's a lot of game to be played if players can come to terms with the underlying game system. Hardcore gamers that enjoy a real gamble, don't put much stock in graphical prowess and have a lot of patience may want to give this game a try. As I mentioned before, there's a lot of game to be had if you can get past the game's quirks.

Kawazu proves once again that, while his latest endeavor may have failed, he at least took a chance with some design decisions that most developers would not have had the guts to do. Hopefully the next installment in the SaGa series will find the middle ground between innovation and playability. In the end, Unlimited SaGa ends up being an odd title in Square Enix' otherwise diverse and mostly successful line-up.