How should developers start an RPG? By having some big or mysterious event go down to get gamers hooked on finding out what happens next! Good job, everyone! Unfortunately tri-Ace must have played hooky during that day in RPG design class, because the opening hours of Infinite Undiscovery take the emphasis off of grabbing a player’s attention and put it on trying to force the player to gouge their own eyes out with the Xbox 360 controller.

Being innovative in a time-tested genre doesn’t mean throwing things in there which don’t belong or making already-boring tasks longer to “shake things up.” The beginning of the game showcases this perfectly, as there’s dungeon hacking, stealth-action, escort missions, puzzle solving, and even a chase scene in the first several hours—none of which is done even remotely well.

Despite the complete lack of solid writing and one of the worst opening experiences in any RPG, not all is lost. If tri-Ace can do anything well it’s combat, and Infinite Undiscovery proves that. As it is with the Star Ocean series, the combat here is entirely real-time, and enemies are present on the map allowing you to skip them if you wish. It’s essentially a two-button combat layout which keeps the game simple, but somehow manages to also keep it surprisingly fun. Due to its real time nature you only have direct control over Capell, but by “connecting” with fellow companions you can have them direct one of two special maneuvers at your discretion, giving you at least some say in what’s going on. One area which is given more control is healing, and with a simple press of Y in the field you can order the AI to heal injured party members. It’s a welcome change from the usual situation of A) waiting for the AI to heal you, and B) if they aren’t using your limited supply of healing items.

Even with the options of directing the AI in battle, people never really need to as the party AI is surprisingly spot-on. Your allies will use the right spells and attacks at the right time, and generally can hold their own without you interfering with their business. This tends to make the game too easy, as the opposite holds true about enemy AI.

The other area both tri-Ace and Square-Enix are known for is graphics. Unfortunately, unlike the combat the graphics engine in this game is abysmal. If you thought Mass Effect suffered from framerate issues, you haven’t seen anything yet. . Complete freeze frames during a basic open world battle? Regularly? It’s something which shouldn’t happen in this day and age in any finished product—let alone a title backed by two powerhouse studios—and it lessens the impact of the game’s only strong suit—the combat—substantially.

Like its name, Infinite Undiscovery is a very confusing entity. With two highly respected and successful RPG titans behind it, one would think the game would at least be slightly better than the average JRPG. Instead, what we’re left with is a reminder that no matter who you are, the most important aspect of a game being successful and enjoyable is what goes into the product, not the names that are on the display case.

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