|
|
|
Makai Kingdom: | ||||||||||||
|
|
ord Zetta is one bad overlord. In fact, he is so bad that he has been called the overlord of overlords, and he not only rules his own netherworld but also swaggers through the others, supremely confident, ready to vanquish any that stand before him. But that was before Pram, the beautiful oracle, predicted his fall. Furious, Zetta seeks the sacred tome to learn what causes his fall. He finds that it is his own foolishness, and in a spate of anger destroys the tome, which—by some console-gaming twist of fate—also consumes Zetta's netherworld and imprisons the megalomaniacal overlord in the sacred tome. Makai Kingdom is the story of Zetta, his friends and their struggle to free Zetta and rebuild his lost netherworld.
It's a turn-based story cut from the same cloth as Final Fantasy Tactics, or Nippon Ichi's (Makai's designer) own Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. The game flow is simple: create characters, fight turn-based battles using up to eight of the created characters, compile weapons, advance characters, move the plot forward and fight again. There is no multiplayer.
Combining souls with inanimate objects such as rocks or flowers creates the characters, which is a pretty cool twist. The inanimate object with which you choose to combine bestows bonuses on the created character. For example, combine with a rock and the character is birthed with a higher defense value.
The skirmishes are reminiscent of battles from any number of previous tactical role-playing games. There are, however, some more twists. In addition to standard fantasy weaponry, such as katanas and swords, your soldiers also fight with rifles, bazookas and similar modern military hardware. Even cooler, you can bring Mechs, tanks and motorcycles to the battlefield. There's nothing like facing down a spell-wielding mage with a canon-toting tank.
Hampered by unimpressive artwork
Much of what has been done in Makai Kingdom has been done before. We've all seen the tactical battles, convoluted story and cartoon characters, but in this day of cookie-cutter first-person shooters and done-to-death franchise sequels, the game's depth and challenge are a refreshing change. Leveling the characters and fighting the battles are absorbing. It's just so cool to maneuver the warriors and vehicles, execute the perfect attack and obliterate an end-level boss.
Also cool are the hidden levels within the map. Eliminating a key enemy character or destroying a clearly marked piece of terrain reveals previously unavailable areas within the current level. These levels frequently alter the battle parameters by imposing penalties, such as paralysis, or bestowing benefits, such as attack boosts, to your troops. Even better, the levels include some of the best weapons in the game.
The game does have problems. The art is, well ... retro would be a kind word. In fact, Makai Kingdom looks more like a PlayStation title than a PS2 game. The characters have that simple, big-head-little-body look, the terrain is blockish, and the spells and weapon effects are unimpressive.
On the other hand, some folks call the characters charming and the special effects old school. Yet, despite which side of the graphical fence you fall on, there is no debating that the game's excellent battle system, intriguing twists and exotic weaponry make for a keeper.
Bazookas, rifles and katanas ... what more could you want? —Mark
|
 |
|
| Home |
Copyright © 1998-2006, Science Fiction Weekly (TM). All rights reserved. Reproduction in any medium strictly prohibited. Maintained by scifiweekly@scifi.com. |
