[Review] Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland (PS3)

Though there are many genres that constantly add morecomplexity and new gameplay mechanics, RPGs are one of the few that have keptthe status quo and remained relatively unchanged. Instead, they focus on strategic gameplay and strong writing to engage players. AtelierTotori is just such a game and part of a series that’s been around since 1997. Whilethe last iteration turned few heads, Totoriis a huge improvement and has already caught our hearts.

Many RPGs start off with an epic battle or event that leavesthe protagonist in the middle of a series of world changing events. Differingfrom the crowd, though fitting into its own subgenre of sorts, Atelier Totori avoids this and puts players intothe shoes of Totori, who is the apprentice of Rorona of Atelier Rorona fame, as she goes on her quest to become anadventurer and continually improve her alchemy skills. Though it may sound likea bore for some, Totori and her companions will quickly capture players’hearts and drive them to continue playing more than any political intrigue orconspiracy. Those who have played Atelier Rorona will be rewarded with a good amount of cameos and references. If cutesy characters aren’t your cup of tea though, be prepared fora flurry of cutscenes that will play at almost every turn, whether they arenecessary components of the story or just a random side conversation.

The graphics themselves are pretty simple and inspirelittle technological awe, though will capture audiences who are into anime character archetypes, which the game has no shortage of, from the cluelessly innocentTotori to borderline tsundere MimiHoullier von Schwarzlang. The relatively small scope of the story helps playersfocus on the characters themselves rather than on the encompassing world, whichwould have only weakened character development. What may be seen as a shallowstory actually works well with the game’s setting and characters and creates agreat chemistry not found in most western or mainstream RPGs.

Combat in the game reminds players of how versatile turnbased gameplay can still be; a progress bar on the bottom constantly updatesplayers on turn order, allowing for battle strategies and decisions for which foeshould be struck first, rather than mindlessly mashing on X until a battle hasended. The assist command is a great tool for players, allowing weak charactersmore longevity and power with assist shielding and attacks. While the ability to attack enemies on the map before an encounter is present, it could have definitely used some tweaking. Players will find themselves swinging away, waiting for an enemy to come near or have a monster walk towards them unfazed. These shortcomings don't amount to much though, because the draw of thegame doesn’t even lie in combat. Rather, taking on quests, which mostly takethe form of monster hunting, resource gathering, or alchemy, will take up thebulk of players’ time and continue driving the game forward. Most enjoyableabout these quests is that players will have to learn and take on several at atime, managing their way through battles, scavenging, and concocting. Asplayers complete more quests, they get closer to Totori’s goal of becoming afull fledged adventurer; with more quests available after the completion ofanother, the game seems to suck players in as the time flies.

Lacking any revolutionary mechanics or an epic, Atelier Totori succeeds with its addictivemission-based gameplay and charming characters. The only drawback is that thesevery strengths tend to draw lines, keeping AtelierTotori from reaching universal appeal. For gamers looking for a quaint RPGwith a character-centric storyline though, this will be a great choice.

Available on: PS3; Publisher: NIS America; Developer: Gust; Players: 1; Released: September 27, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

[Review] Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC)

Eleven years after the original game came out, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is ironically set 11 years before the original. With a different publisher, Square-Enix, that undoubtedly has more Japanese roots and is more reknown for their static, yet emotion driven stories, it was definitely an awkward combination with Deus Ex’s open-ended world that constantly changed with the player’s actions. Thankfully, the Japanese publisher’s signature gameplay and storytelling hasn’t interfered with the western philosophy of design and left gamers with everything they could expect of a sequel.

Everything in the surrounding does a great job of immersing the player into the futuristic world of Detroit, which seems to be the hotbed for the issue of human augmentation. Everyone is a part of the discussion somehow. Items such as eBooks and emails constantly give updates regarding previous missions and the war on augmentation. Overall, protagonist Adam Jensen’s missions feel more relevant unlike in other open-world games where pedestrians walk around blissfully unaware of the world-changing missions the protagonist embarks upon. Many of the NPCs working at Serif industries even comment on the player’s performance, making snide remarks about the Adam's increasing body count or complimenting him on a job done well.

During persuasion segments, the game uses realistic facial cues to convey a character’s emotions and allow players to make the proper decision based on that. Everything from body gestures to slight eye movements are enough to inform players of the right tactic to take. Like L.A. Noire before it, Human Revolution’s renditions of human emotions are almost downright creepy, yet a sight to behold, and only further immerse players into the 2027 version of Detroit. Outside of these persuasion segments and pre-rendered cutscenes, though, it seems as though every character suffers from OCD, constantly twitching their hands and turning their hands in every other direction.

Most impressively, Human Revolution offers a myriad of ways to play through the game. In baddie-riddled levels, players’ options are pretty much split between a stealth strategy and scattering the floor with bodies. Despite this possible oversimplification, Adam's slew of possible augmentations gives way to a variety of play styles. The best part about these is that there are no real tech trees or prerequisites to speak of; players are free to start building up Adam in any way they see fit. Unlike other RPGs that provide simple stat upgrades and encourage balanced skill building, Human Revolution’s augmentations all perform vastly different functions. None of them really conflict with each other, but it will take players both creativity and strategy to find the right combinations of  augmentations to fit the bill, whether it be some battery upgrades along with cloaking for effective sneaking or some augmentations for better armor and aim.

Despite the game allowing players to shoot down every enemy, impatient players will learn that such a strategy leads to a quick downfall. Without any augmentations, Adam can only last a couple of seconds in bullet fire or die from one well placed grenade; the constant threat of a swift death makes for some of the most adrenaline-pumping gun fights and sneaking that players will ever experience. At times though, the game’s AI can be a bit lacking. Some segments find the AI swarming over players, giving them less and less breathing room until cornered; at other times, they may be content firing aimlessly in Adam's direction despite him not having popped up for a good minute. To boot, the game’s ridiculously long load times will quickly detract most from attempting difficult boss fights more than a couple of times. Also, these very same boss battles don’t seem too well thought out. After losing to Barret countless times, I found that he bombed himself to death from grenades after I had only shot him five times, which was a bittersweet victory considering how hard I had tried before.

Human Revolution does many things right. Its world that reacts to the player’s decisions in subtle manners, persuasion scenes that show emotions uncannily resembling those of live human beings, and augmentations that allow almost any strategy to work are featured in few games, much less all together at the same time. However, the shortcomings that the game does have hold it back from being perfect. Nonetheless, these aspects do little to take away from an otherwise masterpiece of a game and gamers looking for the most complete, immersive experience should not let this one pass them by.

Available on: PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Square-Enix; Developer: Eidos Montreal; Players: 1; Released: August 23, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site