Ebonsword
Arcane
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2008
- Messages
- 2,337
I played through this game over the holidays, and I had a blast doing so.
It seems to have flown under the radar here at the Codex for some reason, so I'm hoping this thread will get it a bit more attention.
WHAT IS IT?
It's a modern-day turn-based SRPG where your party has to ascend a mysterious tower to prevent a being known only as "The End" from destroying the world.
Your team is composed of eleven ESPers (although, only six can be fielded at once) who wield various abilities including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and gravity control.
Between battles, you need to converse with your team members in order to improve their relationship with you. Better relationships make you more effective in combat (for example, team members that don't like each other won't assist each other in combat).
SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE PERSONA, THEN?
In some ways, it is. The art style definitely seems to have a Shin Megami Tensei vibe to it, for example.
However, because it's a SRPG, you don't have the mind-numbing amount of random encounters that you get in a Persona game. In fact, you don't have any random encounters at all. Instead, you just get to pick from a list of available missions. Also, the game is FAR shorter than any Persona game I've played. Even a completionist should be able to complete their first playthrough in 25 hours, or so.
Lost Dimension doesn't have the cool demon-combination system of Persona, either. However, to make up for it, each character gets a pretty extensive skill tree of powers to pick from. This goes a long way towards making each of your team memebers play distinctly, especially since most characters get skills that drastically change your tactical options (such as the one character who moves via teleportation so he can move right through doors and past enemies that are blocking corridors or the character who can "link" with another character and use all of their abilities).
SO, WHAT'S THIS "ANYONE CAN BETRAY YOU" BUSINESS ABOUT?
Having characters betray the party in an RPG is nothing new. However, Lost Dimension does put a twist on it that I haven't seen before.
In Baldur's Gate 2, you had a party member who always betrayed you. In Neverwinter Nights 2, the people that betrayed you depended upon your actions during the game.
In Lost Dimension, the betrayers are randomized. And note that I said "betrayers" (plural)--each time you go up a level in the tower, a new character decides to betray you.
So, you may really love the pyrokineticist, and you may use her all the time and talk to her outside of battle, but she can still turn traitor on you and have to be destroyed (there's no way to redeem a traitor in this game).
Luckily, you can figure out who a traitor is before they turn on you in battle. The main character has empathic powers, so he can sense others' thoughts and feelings. After each battle, he will get an idea if any of the team members who fought are potential traitors.
There are always three potential traitors. But there is (usually) only one real traitor. So, once you have identified the potential traitors, you need to expend a Vision Point to delve into the suspect's mind and detemine if they are the real traitor or not.
But it doesn't end there. Just because you've identified the traitor, it doesn't mean that your team will believe you. If the suspect is someone who has been fighting with them and delivering results, they may not suspect them. Instead, they may suspect someone else entirely and want that person destroyed. I have even seen some cases where team members think the main character is the traitor and want him destroyed!
So, you won't be able to finally eliminate the traitor until you can convince the majority of your comrades to agree with you.
THAT SOUNDS KIND OF COOL!
Yeah, it *sounds* cool. However, despite this system being the big USP for Lost Dimension, I kind of have mixed feelings about it.
The main one is that all of the seeming complexity around the system can be solved via grinding. Not sure who the traitor is? Just keep grinding missions with different combinations of party members until you find the suspects. Does your party not believe you when you say that a certain character is a traitor? No problem. Just stop using the suspect character and go grind through some missions and everyone will quickly come to your way of thinking.
Another issue is that losing a beloved character isn't really that crippling. You see, when a character gets "erased", they drop a set of items that lets other characters use their powers. Not only that, but when these items are equipped, they can unlock new (and usually very powerful) abilities in the equipping characters' own skill trees. For example, say the gravity-controlling girl is erased. The main character can equip the item she drops and now gains a power in his own skill tree that lets him fire a gravity-controlled bullet from his gun that does massive damage. And this is in addition to all of the powers that used to belong to the gravity-controlling girl that he can now also use.
Now, these items are "locked" in the sense that none of the powers in them ever improve. However, you have plenty of time between identifying the traitor and eliminating them, so it's not that hard to make sure their essential powers are levelled up before erasing them. Of course, getting those powers levelled requires more grinding...
WAIT, I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS GAME WAS GOOD?
I did. And it is.
However, that's mostly in spite of, not because of, the traitor system.
The thing is, the basic combat engine is quite enjoyable. It's not super deep, but figuring out how to best use the different characters and their varied powers is fun. Also, the game does a good job of mixing the missions up. They almost all boil down to "kill all enemies on the map", but the game constantly keeps you on your toes by doing things like grouping a bunch of sniper enemies together in a position where they can easily combine fire on lone party members or placing explosive items around the map that will blow up and kill you if you're careless with your AoE attacks. Also, the game *loves* to split the party up in various ways, so you'll have to figure out which team members are best to group together in order to accomplish your goals.
AH, COOL. ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?
Well, unfortunately, this game has no Japanese language option and the English dub is embarassingly bad. Seriously, it sounds like Atlus just used whoever happened to be around the office that day to do the dub.
Also, some characters have a ridiculous amount of mostly useless abilities. For example, about two-thirds of the pyrokineticist's powers are garbage. Luckily, the remaining third of her powers are amazing. And, while all of the characters have some useless powers, all of the characters can be great if built right.
Another point I should mention: the story is not one of the game's strong points. But who plays SRPGs for the story, anyway?
Finally, I really like the modern setting of the game. It makes a nice change of pace from all of the fantasy-themed SRPGs out there.
Oh, I played this on the Vita/Playstation TV, but it seems like it was recently released on Steam, as well.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/626600/Lost_Dimension/
It seems to have flown under the radar here at the Codex for some reason, so I'm hoping this thread will get it a bit more attention.
WHAT IS IT?
It's a modern-day turn-based SRPG where your party has to ascend a mysterious tower to prevent a being known only as "The End" from destroying the world.
Your team is composed of eleven ESPers (although, only six can be fielded at once) who wield various abilities including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and gravity control.
Between battles, you need to converse with your team members in order to improve their relationship with you. Better relationships make you more effective in combat (for example, team members that don't like each other won't assist each other in combat).
SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE PERSONA, THEN?
In some ways, it is. The art style definitely seems to have a Shin Megami Tensei vibe to it, for example.
However, because it's a SRPG, you don't have the mind-numbing amount of random encounters that you get in a Persona game. In fact, you don't have any random encounters at all. Instead, you just get to pick from a list of available missions. Also, the game is FAR shorter than any Persona game I've played. Even a completionist should be able to complete their first playthrough in 25 hours, or so.
Lost Dimension doesn't have the cool demon-combination system of Persona, either. However, to make up for it, each character gets a pretty extensive skill tree of powers to pick from. This goes a long way towards making each of your team memebers play distinctly, especially since most characters get skills that drastically change your tactical options (such as the one character who moves via teleportation so he can move right through doors and past enemies that are blocking corridors or the character who can "link" with another character and use all of their abilities).
SO, WHAT'S THIS "ANYONE CAN BETRAY YOU" BUSINESS ABOUT?
Having characters betray the party in an RPG is nothing new. However, Lost Dimension does put a twist on it that I haven't seen before.
In Baldur's Gate 2, you had a party member who always betrayed you. In Neverwinter Nights 2, the people that betrayed you depended upon your actions during the game.
In Lost Dimension, the betrayers are randomized. And note that I said "betrayers" (plural)--each time you go up a level in the tower, a new character decides to betray you.
So, you may really love the pyrokineticist, and you may use her all the time and talk to her outside of battle, but she can still turn traitor on you and have to be destroyed (there's no way to redeem a traitor in this game).
Luckily, you can figure out who a traitor is before they turn on you in battle. The main character has empathic powers, so he can sense others' thoughts and feelings. After each battle, he will get an idea if any of the team members who fought are potential traitors.
There are always three potential traitors. But there is (usually) only one real traitor. So, once you have identified the potential traitors, you need to expend a Vision Point to delve into the suspect's mind and detemine if they are the real traitor or not.
But it doesn't end there. Just because you've identified the traitor, it doesn't mean that your team will believe you. If the suspect is someone who has been fighting with them and delivering results, they may not suspect them. Instead, they may suspect someone else entirely and want that person destroyed. I have even seen some cases where team members think the main character is the traitor and want him destroyed!
So, you won't be able to finally eliminate the traitor until you can convince the majority of your comrades to agree with you.
THAT SOUNDS KIND OF COOL!
Yeah, it *sounds* cool. However, despite this system being the big USP for Lost Dimension, I kind of have mixed feelings about it.
The main one is that all of the seeming complexity around the system can be solved via grinding. Not sure who the traitor is? Just keep grinding missions with different combinations of party members until you find the suspects. Does your party not believe you when you say that a certain character is a traitor? No problem. Just stop using the suspect character and go grind through some missions and everyone will quickly come to your way of thinking.
Another issue is that losing a beloved character isn't really that crippling. You see, when a character gets "erased", they drop a set of items that lets other characters use their powers. Not only that, but when these items are equipped, they can unlock new (and usually very powerful) abilities in the equipping characters' own skill trees. For example, say the gravity-controlling girl is erased. The main character can equip the item she drops and now gains a power in his own skill tree that lets him fire a gravity-controlled bullet from his gun that does massive damage. And this is in addition to all of the powers that used to belong to the gravity-controlling girl that he can now also use.
Now, these items are "locked" in the sense that none of the powers in them ever improve. However, you have plenty of time between identifying the traitor and eliminating them, so it's not that hard to make sure their essential powers are levelled up before erasing them. Of course, getting those powers levelled requires more grinding...
WAIT, I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS GAME WAS GOOD?
I did. And it is.
However, that's mostly in spite of, not because of, the traitor system.
The thing is, the basic combat engine is quite enjoyable. It's not super deep, but figuring out how to best use the different characters and their varied powers is fun. Also, the game does a good job of mixing the missions up. They almost all boil down to "kill all enemies on the map", but the game constantly keeps you on your toes by doing things like grouping a bunch of sniper enemies together in a position where they can easily combine fire on lone party members or placing explosive items around the map that will blow up and kill you if you're careless with your AoE attacks. Also, the game *loves* to split the party up in various ways, so you'll have to figure out which team members are best to group together in order to accomplish your goals.
AH, COOL. ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?
Well, unfortunately, this game has no Japanese language option and the English dub is embarassingly bad. Seriously, it sounds like Atlus just used whoever happened to be around the office that day to do the dub.
Also, some characters have a ridiculous amount of mostly useless abilities. For example, about two-thirds of the pyrokineticist's powers are garbage. Luckily, the remaining third of her powers are amazing. And, while all of the characters have some useless powers, all of the characters can be great if built right.
Another point I should mention: the story is not one of the game's strong points. But who plays SRPGs for the story, anyway?
Finally, I really like the modern setting of the game. It makes a nice change of pace from all of the fantasy-themed SRPGs out there.
Oh, I played this on the Vita/Playstation TV, but it seems like it was recently released on Steam, as well.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/626600/Lost_Dimension/
