Enchant Arm - New RPG by From Software for X360 (and now Playstation 3)

[Romier S]

I've managed to find very little detail on this new game. There are a slew of screenshots available but little else. The game is being made by From Software (the same developer that brought us Otogi, Otogi 2, Metal Wolf Chaos, Armored Core, and the King's Field series). Enchant definitely takes some inspiration from Final Fantasy in the art department. It looks visually impressive thus far and I'm definitely interested in hearing more about it.

[iainl]

Well, one piece of good news is that it isn't so stupidly dark as Otogi. I really, really wanted to like that game, but I couldn't see what was going on.

[Josh]

RPG devs sure like carnivals these days. Supwiddat?

[Romier S]

Well, one piece of good news is that it isn't so stupidly dark as Otogi.

ok, I'd have to ask which levels exactly? Otogi was a fairly bright game for it's first half and even the levels in the second half were light despite being filled to the brim with Lava and shadowy ghosts. I had a number of complaints as far as the camera was concerned but I never had an issue with the games brightness (which could be adjusted rather easily). Otogi 2 was the very definition of lush and bright for a good majority of the game. There was quite a heavy emphasis on bloom lighting in a great many levels (in both games in fact)....

[GreenMonkey]

OMG what a pretty RPG. And for Xbox. See, this is more of what it takes to sell me an Xbox.

 

Any word on it...is it an actual RPG, or an actiony-RPG like Dark Cloud?

[Romier S]

is it an actual RPG

Oh it's a full on actual JRPG. Turn based combat system with party is the early word as well.

[JoeyN]

Very Nice. That shot of the dragon brought me back to the first time a group of us got the the boss in LVL1 of PSO on the Dynamic Xbox version

 

capt

[iainl]

ok, I'd have to ask which levels exactly? Otogi was a fairly bright game for it's first half and even the levels in the second half were light despite being filled to the brim with Lava and shadowy ghosts.

 

Actually, I'm now suspecting it's a problem with some XBoxes, having looked around a bit. My problem was specifically level 3, though 2 wasn't much better. The platform jumping to get to the boss temple was just about impossible, as I couldn't make out the platforms from the gaps (and no, the camera wasn't helping matters either).

 

For some reason, both this and the Matrix game require me to max out the brightness settings on my TV for me to see practically anything, while other games are fine (OutRun 2 is a riot of sunny goodness, for instance). Mercenaries wasn't much better, but just about manageable. However, it seems that it might be a problem with the cheap-arse TV chip that Microsoft use when being run under RGB Scart cables. If I could put up with going over to shitty composite, I'd apparently get all the brightness I want.

 

Just another reason to hope for backwards-compatibility on the 360, then.

[GreenMonkey]

Turn based combat system with party is the early word as well.

 

 

YAY :drool

[Rob B]

cool good find Romier dare I ask? MMO?

[dogbert]

This has been officially picked up for the West by Ubisoft.

[Romier S]

Here's the final box art for Enchant Arm in the US:

 

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[ChrisBardon]

I liked the look of the trailer for this, and I'm really interested in playing it. It'll all come down to the combat/levelling system though, which seems to be the make or break point for most RPGs.

[Union Carbine]

This has already been released in Japan, right? What were the reviews like for it, anybody know?

[Romier S]

What were the reviews like for it, anybody know?

Extremely mediocre. Complaints about the combat system being broken, the game not looking quite as good as the screenshots made it out to be, and a myriad of other small problems. I've no idea if Ubisoft/From Software corrected any of the problems for the US release (my gut answer to that is a no.).

[Bassmasa]

Could the cover look any more like a FF ripoff? I generally loathe JRPGs (hence my selling the PS2 and no interest in PS3), and this looks pretty run of the mill....

[Camp]

I'm just glad they added the 'ed' to the end of Enchant.

[GreenMonkey]

Extremely mediocre. Complaints about the combat system being broken, the game not looking quite as good as the screenshots made it out to be, and a myriad of other small problems. I've no idea if Ubisoft/From Software corrected any of the problems for the US release (my gut answer to that is a no.).

 

 

Ugh, you reminded me that it's Ubisoft. I learned my lesson about blind buying from them with Lunar DS.

[Camp]

Ugh, you reminded me that it's Ubisoft. I learned my lesson about blind buying from them with Lunar DS.

 

Just remember they are only the publisher in both cases. They didn't make the game crap they just put it in stores so you could buy crap.

[Tonner Cyn]

I'm pretty sure I'll be picking this one up, unless some reviews come out calling it complete crap. This style of RPG is more my type than the action RPG (Untold Legends, etc.). Not to say I can't enjoy that type of game, but I'm looking forward to the XBox getting a more traditional turn-based RPG.

[Tonner Cyn]

I should be picking this one up on my way home from work. Not sure I'll get to play it tonight, but when I do I'll post some impressions. Of the game, of course .

[PoisonJam]

IGN review.

 

 

Summary:

 

Enchanted Arms is quite good for a first attempt at a 360 traditional RPG. You won't find anything exceptional here, nor will you find anything new. If you're looking for a solid, turn-based RPG, then you could do far worse than Enchanted Arms. The good options for auto fighting, fast forwarding through battles and scores of golems to hunt are brought down by several unfortunate shortcomings. The battle system is generic and battles occur far too often for their own good, making for gameplay that can get boring at times. The story delivery needs a complete overhaul, starting with the character's dialogue. Still, for traditional RPG fans, the good will outweigh the bad and an enjoyable experience is there for the taking. Any game that allows you to fight a giant pizza-faced monster can't be all bad, right?

 

I found this interesting:

 

The best extra is the Xbox Live battles that you can partake in. There, you can load your golem team and pit them against the rest of the world. Rankings are there, so you can see just how strong of a group you've amassed. The online interface could use some work as there isn't a good lobby system or an easy way to rematch somebody once you're done fighting. The basic outline is there, though, and it's completely functional. Hopefully other RPGs in the future will take the blueprint laid out here and expand upon it.

 

Sounds like a solid rental, if I can find a video store around here that stocks what looks to be a relatively obscure title.

[Magness]

I picked this one up at Walmart for $49 and am really liking it so far. I have to give fair warning here though - the gay character is WAY over the top... Think Xander in Drawn Together over-the-top... So if offended by that stereotype - avoid this game. I also recommend you turn audio back to Japanese and just read the subtitles.

 

O.k. having said that, there has been a funny sense of humor to the game so far - but I'm only a couple hours into it. The graphics are as good as the reviews have made them out to be and the sound design Other than the voice acting has been very good too.

 

The combat has been Great. Its been a while since I played a straight turn based game and I've missed it. Think Return to Krondor: Grid based movement with ranged and melee attacks limited to/based on your distance from your target, you que moves for the whole team and then activate them when you've setup everything for your "turn" and you can even do combos like in Valkyrie Profile and similiar games.

 

Haven't tried the online modes yet but, will probably get to that this weekend

[ChrisBardon]

Sounds promising-I like the idea of a more strategic battle system in a traditional RPG. Don't know if I'll buy this, but I have it on my renal queue, so I'll get to it at some point.

[davedbc]

Since I'm still getting over a rather nasty cold that's been going around, I ended up spending quite a bit of time with the game today. Basically, the reviews are so far pretty much on target - the game is certainly well done, very capable and I'm enjoying the playthrough. However, it is a bit more linear for my tastes (esp. in an RPG) and while there hasn't been anything that's been done especially wrong, there also hasn't been anything done fantastically well either.

 

Graphics are good (not great), the spell / attack animations look good, but the environment is simply not this generation. The few non-engine cutscenes are good, and they're not too overabundant (*cough* FF *cough*)

Sound - while I don't hate the English voices as much as everybody else, the Japanese track is certainly better - I do like that the option is there for either track. Nice touch. The other sound effects, however, are really quite nice.

Gameplay - obvoiusly the most important factor - and it's very "solid". So far the balance has been about right, but perhaps a touch on the easier side. The combat system is a definate highlight. I'm really happy there are also the number of options during combat including a fast forward feature during the animations you've seen way too many times, an auto combat for fights that really aren't even a challenge (all RPGs have them), etc. Speaking of which, I ended up going the wrong way at one point and backtracking through a previous area just before quitting tonight and it does not appear that enemies level up in prior areas - so if you return, they're still at the same strength when you left the area the first time - however, your party is certainly NOT. Oh, and yes, there are sections where the random battles are just a bit too frequent - but hardly a game-stopper.

 

I guess my recommondation at this point would be to either rent it, or wait for a price drop to around the $29 - $39 price point - a much easier pill to swallow than at $59. However, if you're a huge JRPG nut, then you'll probably be very sastisfied even at full price.

 

It's late, I'm tired, and the cold medication is wearing off - so sorry if I've rambled a bit, but those have been my impressions thus far after about 10-12 hours (? - not really sure, forgot to check the time on the save when I shut down? )

 

Oh, one thing that does kinda rub me the wrong way, however, is that the achievements seem very "tacked on". Just one stupid gold coin picture for every achievement and all of them are "secret" ones. Is it a big deal - no, but kinda stupid all in all.

 

Cheers