GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 06/06/2006
- Released on: 06/06/2006
- Originally published on GameSpot: Astonishia Story (PSP) Review
Astonishia Story, the latest PSP role-playing game from Ubisoft, is a simplistic and generic blend of clichés and conventions. Despite its utter lack of distinction, the game is still a somewhat satisfying experience because it's built on time-tested mechanics that make it extremely easy to pick up and play. The rudimentary design of Astonishia Story isn't surprising, given that it's a no-frills remake of a 1994 PC game. However, that doesn't excuse the very apparent lack of story, character, and depth in Astonishia Story.
There's nothing astonishing about this game. In fact, it's about as generic as they come.
Despite the title, Astonishia Story doesn't tell much of a story at all. It all starts with a young knight named Lloyd, who is charged with escorting a royal staff from one town to another. Along the way, Lloyd and his fellow knights are ambushed, and the staff is stolen. Lloyd manages to survive the struggle and immediately heads off in search of the staff. In his search, Lloyd discovers that there's trouble afoot in the world, and that an evil elven queen is using divine power to achieve everlasting youth. Unfortunately, she's doing so at the expense of everyone in her kingdom and the world beyond. It may sound interesting, but the story just moves you from one town to another, and from one boss fight to the next. There are attempts at humor, but they're usually too self-referential and out-of-place to be funny, like, for example, characters who admonish you for pirating software and attempting to purchase warez from illegitimate vendors.
Even if you don't pay any attention to the story you'll know exactly where you need to go, because there's usually only one other option at any given time. If you can't find the next event trigger in the town you happen to be in, you can just take a walk to the only other town in the area and you're guaranteed to find what you're looking for. This is nice because it keeps the game moving at all times, but it also makes the game feel very limited in scope since you're always just moving from point A to point B with no room for deviation.
The battle system in Astonishia Story mixes random encounters with a simplified version of the turn-based strategy combat found in games like Fire Emblem and Shining Force. When you're outside of a town you'll see creatures walking around on the field. If you make contact you'll be drawn into a fight with anywhere from three to six enemies. The fights take place on a large battlefield that is divided into squares. Each character takes a turn based on initiative, and in that turn he or she can move a certain number of squares before performing an action. The actions include using items, magic, skills, and running from battle. There are around eight different characters that will join your party at one point or another, but you'll never have more than seven in any battle. Each character has specific skills and traits, and you have no control over the development of the characters in your party. That doesn't leave much room for flexibility, but you'll usually have a fairly balanced party of the usual suspects, including wizards, fighters, archers, and so on. The biggest fault of an otherwise solid, if simplistic, battle system is the fact that it can take five or 10 minutes or more to complete each battle. This can be frustrating when you're just trying to get from one town to another and you get stuck fighting half a dozen battles along the way.
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Astonishia Story (PSP):
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