Let me start this review by saying that this is a very enjoyable game. It's very cute and charming, and despite all of it's flaws I really like it. I'm going to split this review in multiple parts, starting with:
Graphics (4 out of 5 stars)
The graphics are quite good, especially for a smaller title like this. The game is partially cell-shaded, giving the characters a cartoony look that is very fitting. The different NPC's all have a unique look, which makes me look forward to every new encounter. Every main level has a unique look and is a joy to behold.
Now for the bad, this game has several smaller sublevels which are poorly decorated and boring. The NPC's and levels themselves are very static. They NPC's stand in place doing nothing and the levels don't noticably change after saving that "world".
Sound (2 out of 5 stars)
There's not much to say here. The sound effects are good. The background music is not bad, but it doesn't stand out either. And the voice-acting, well, there's none. Even at the end of the game, I was still missing some kind of audible feedback when talking. I would even preferred either bad voice acting, or perhaps something like animal sounds for the different characters.
Stability (3 out of 5 stars)
I decided to add this chaper, simply because I had some issues with the stability in this game. On 2 occasions the game stopped responding when swithing levels. And often while flying around, my screen would freeze. I learned quick enough that pressing a key would refresh the screen, nut it was annoying none-the-less.
Player customization (3 out of 5 stars)
The game allows the player to customize his/her appearance by spending skillpoints, during level up as well as finding new items. I really like the skillpoint idea, as you spend your points, you actually see your character change. I would have preferred some more options, especially since I refused to take some skills because I didn't like the way they looked.
So why only 3 stars? The item system utterly sucks. Every item can be found at only one place, so if you miss one piece you can forget about completing your set and the setbonus. There is a set to enhance various skills and every set has a superior version. Of course the normal and superior set are not interchangable, so if you have a complete normal set and find some superior parts you'll have a though choice to make. And let's not forget that you'll get some items when you no longer have a use for them since the game is almost finished.
Gameplay (4 out of 5 stars)
The combat is old-fashioned true turnbased. Every character has a number of action points which they can use during their turn every round. You have your basic attack and then different skills and attacks based on your spend skill points.
When your not fighting, you're finding and completing quests. Some of them allow you to choose between a quick solution through combat or a slightly slower solution consisting of some minor subquests. This was a nice touch.
Underneath the flaws this game is a real gem. Once I started it, I found it difficult to quit because I wanted to know how the story would unfold. I wanted to see the next world with it's characters.
And that to me is the hallmark of a good game. According to my save I finished this game in 6 hours. And it were 6 well spent hours.
Please sir, can I have part 2 now?
