Infinite Undiscovery review (Xbox 360)

The action is fast-paced and can be quite satisfying when you're unleashing large combo strings, but there are some problems. One is the camera, which is zoomed in so close that you can't see a lot of your field of action without panning around regularly, particularly if you're hemmed into a corner. Your view is also often obscured by an orgy of sword slices and light effects from special attacks, which can trigger some graphical slowdown. You can use the Y button to call for your party members to use healing spells or items, but occasionally they'll take their own sweet time getting it done, leading to their deaths. If you take matters into your own hands and have to open the menu during battle, you have to run to a hopefully safe location because the menu doesn't pause the game while you're sorting through and trying to find your favorite restorative. Another fun twist is that if you die, you have to just lie there and hope that one of your party members is able to cast a resurrection spell or use an item at some point while your timer ticks down, otherwise it's game over. Once Capell goes down, you cannot issue orders, access the menu, or do anything else until you come back to life, no matter how many of your party members are still up and running around.

In addition to normal fights, there are a few timed events in which you'll have to complete an objective while simultaneously fighting against the clock. Frustratingly, these events can be nested in other battles that are already a good distance from a save point, and if you fail then you'll have to restart from your last save. The same is true of boss battles, an archaic bit of punishment that really saps your momentum while you painstakingly retrace your steps.

Despite all of the loopy paths and redundant dungeons, as well as the sudden-fail conditions and game-over screens that force you to slog onward and repeat content, and cutscenes that like to cascade over one another every few steps, this game is short by RPG standards. At about 20 hours, it's just not that meaty, even with multiple difficulty settings and a sprinkling of side quests and item creation to tinker with.

Visually, there's some nice architecture in the world's castles and fortresses, gleaming marble floors and statuary, and metalworking detail on gates. Outdoor, natural-type environments are a little muddy and bland. Spell details look very nice for your own abilities and those of your foes, with lots of powerful slashes, explosions, swirling shadows, and such. Character models are detailed in armor and appearance, and every so often characters will narrow their eyes and tilt their heads and there's a sense of very natural movement and expression. Much of the time, however, the characters' lips seem to move independently of the rest of their faces in a very odd way; lip-synching is also almost nonexistent. In fact, there are sometimes whole sentences of conversation that go by without the speaker moving his or her lips at all.

The voice acting holds up very well on the whole; each of the main characters has a voice that fits him or her very well, and aside from some emotionally overwrought moments, they manage to hit the proper tone for their scenes. Some of the secondary roles fall a little flat and wooden, and some of the dialogue is positively dopey. The orchestral score is mostly lovely, with rousing battle themes and background music that does its job of setting tone and otherwise not bothering you.

Infinite Undiscovery has all the trappings of a mighty adventure, but it lacks the true soul. Some of that energy is siphoned off by a largely empty and repetitious world, some of it is drained by faulty scenario design, and much of it isn't allowed real depth because of the relatively short length. It's easy to grow fond of the characters and become involved in their plight, but the narrative is only one part of the whole.