I don't think I'm alone when I'm say that I'm constantly looking for a Japanese turn-based strategy RPG that matches up to Final Fantasy Tactics. That game had a combination of difficulty, story and customization that still hasn't been duplicated in just that way in any game of that genre since. Nevertheless, that game made me a major fan of the genre and I tend to grab and play any of those sorts of games that I can find.
It's clear that many games in this particular genre have tried to emulate the combination of traits that made up FFT. Copying other people isn't an action of the best class, but at least it's better than those developers who try to make games of the genre that totally do away with the basic rules of strategy. Unlike many others, I very much disliked both Disgaea and LaPucelle for this reason. To make a long complaint short, these two games happened to forget the pleasure of defense and positioning in gameplay.
Now, at least half of the Growlanser: Generation package will thrill those who share my sentiments on turn-based RPGs. ATLUS has been busy trying to bring a lot of these cool Japanese games over to our shores, with more or less success. This time, they packaged two games of the Growlanser series together, "The Sense of Justice" and "The Dual Darkness". Only one of these two was worth bringing over.
I started out with "The Sense of Justice". I was wowed from the very start when I was able to customize my character with the ability to raise his stats and gain abilities in a manner that would match my personality. Even FFT didn't allow me to do that.
Moreover, battles were fought in a way that could only be described as a mixture of turn-based and real-time. Basically, every character would get a turn to move at greater or lesser speeds (depending on the character) to a destination on a particular battle map. Upon reaching that point, or sometime in between, that character can do an action. This is extremely fun and allows for much flexibility and pleasurably unknown factors. Suppose you're on your way to strike an enemy near an elevated oak tree. On your way there, you get jumped by an enemy who was hiding in a bush. Or perhaps you decided to change your mind on the way and assist an ally elsewhere. Or suppose you want to lead a group of enemies along a certain pre-determined path--even this is possible. The designers of this game created plenty of game scenarios that required the use of this technique and also provided multiple ways of completing missions. That's what I call very fun.
On top of that, "Justice" doesn't forget rules of defense and guarding, long distance attacks versus close combat, elevation and weight. The game makes sense; it's not out of control. See, games that are out of control (like Disgaea) are very fun for me at first, and then the true shallow nature of it comes out and that bores me. I would much rather have a controlled game that lends itself to deepness and replay value, both of which are high in "Justice".
There is also deepness in the storyline of "Justice" one that is almost as prestigious as that in FFT--involving kingdoms, edicts, wars and populations. Most folks were pissed with the fruity storyline in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance because it lacked an epic, medieval nature. "Justice" doesn't disappoint in this regard, though you get the clear sense that you're missing something beforehand in this game. It's true; all throughout the game, you're reminded of the fact that there was another game of high adventure before this one. Sometimes this can be annoying, but at the same time you begin to get the impression that you're involved with something great and beyond yourself.
You couldn't tell this by the main character, however. Wein Cruz, representing a deep mystery that is actually very hard to discover even after multiple replays, looks about as tough as a Barbie doll. His best friend, Maximillion Schneider (love that name) is a man who looks like his wife. Well, whatever...despite appearances, they are only two of a group of characters that you grow to care for. Beating the game once isn't enough, since only through multiple completions can you access different characters and the deeper secrets behind the story. Since the game is so fun, this is actually a pleasure to do.
Still, if you have a thirst for a new story like me, you'll eventually want to play the second half of the package, "The Dual Darkness". And then you're going to be disappointed just like I was. Even at the start, you can't personalize your character to the same extent as you could in "Justice". That's one point down. Instead of being able to customize your character in a very specific way based on how you answer questions, now they only ask for your blood type. This will determine how many choices you have when making a choice during certain points in the game. This irritates more than helps, as you may have two highlighted options while not being able to touch the 3 or more darkened ones. It’s almost like you're being teased.
When comparing the graphics between the two games "Darkness" has a slight edge, although this isn't saying much to begin with. Turn-based strategy games have a tradition of not being major eye-candy, outside of the special effects you may see in spells and special moves. GROWLANSER GENERATION is no exception to this. If you're not fond of playing games that still use Playstation One style sprites and pre-rendered backgrounds, then stay away. Games of this genre tend to have more of their focus on "mind-candy", rather than eye-candy.
Music, on the other hand, is a place where there is much room for a turn-based game to shine. Such games tend to have long battles, and having great music along with it helps so much. Once again, I bring up Final Fantasy Tactics as the example of perfection in this regard. Well, neither of the games in this package come strong in this area; you won't be humming these soundtracks or looking to buy them. Sad thing is, the music in "Darkness" is even worse than that in "Justice". Too many of the songs are repeated, and it seems as if every town has the same song. I really hate that.
But these truly minor points can be forgiven if the strategy was in play like before. But it isn't. See, while "Justice" forced you to think and to use all of your skills in battle, "Darkness" is just too easy and boring. Justice had a nice mixture of complication and simple rules leading to success, "Darkness" seems to have lost all creativity and complication in the various battles. Moreover, the storyline seriously lacks. It’s full of cliches and bore; they even admit that they're copying Final Fantasy 7 through a joke, as if we would laugh along and let it slide.
Finally, where "Justice" was a true turn-based role-playing game, it seems as if "Darkness" is trying to be a role-playing turn-based game. There is a difference. Mainly, folks who love the former genre want more strategy than talking, to be more on the battlefield than in towns, and to have missions involving killing people rather than finding items.
You can tell when a developer is really trying to make a good game, and you can also tell when a developer is just trying to throw something out there to sell just on its name. I got that impression with "Darkness". As far as I'm concerned, if you throw away a story and good strategy, you have a very boring game. It's a shame too, because this game has to be rated along with "Justice" since they come together in a package. You end up paying more than normal for one good game, actually, because the other game really doesn't stand out in a special way at all.
Until "The Sense of Justice" is sold separately, I would wait until the package goes down in price before buying it. An expensive game doesn't seem so pricey if it's good, but it seems even MORE expensive if it's bad. You'll get both feelings with the Growlanser: Generation experience.
