Title: Nostalgia
Developer: Tecmo, Ltd.
Released: October 27th, 2009
Platform: Nintendo DS
Cost: $34.99
Verdict: Great turn-based RPG, that will take you back to the good old gaming days.
Pros: Graphics and controls are well done. Good audio variety.
Cons: If you’re looking for something revolutionary, look elsewhere.
Having a name like Nostalgia, I expected this game to be like the plethora of turn-based RPGs that came out on the heels the first few Final Fantasy games. They, unlike Final Fantasy, tended to be unoriginal in their storylines, and the controls just never seemed to make sense after spending so much time with the FF games. What did they call Ether in their games? I became tainted by the familiarity of the names of items and spells in FF, and wasn’t able to overcome it. For me, it was just easier to play the real McCoy.
While Nostalgia isn’t revolutionary, it is still different enough from all the others to stand out. Maybe it’s the platform, maybe it’s the storyline, but something about this game kept my attention. True, the storyline progresses somewhat slowly, but isn’t that true of most classic RPGs? Nostalgia is based in the 19th century in places familiar to us, like London, Cairo, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. However, in this alternate 19th century, the adventurer’s transportation of choice is the airship. One such adventurer is the legendary Gilbert Brown, who disappears leaving nothing behind but his airship, the Maverick. Upon hearing of his father’s disappearance, our hero, Eddie, decides to become an adventurer (much to his poor mother’s chagrin) and off we go to the streets of London to begin our adventure. Along the way, as with any good RPG, our hero collects a ragtag band of new acquaintances to accompany him for various reasons. They’re as diverse as the lands they travel to. My favorite is, of course, the feisty red-head named Melody (you just can’t make this stuff up folks).
The controls are exclusively button based, which I prefer for this platform and when playing games of this sort. The bottom screen is your map while traveling, your attack order and stats during a fight, and your world map during flight. In all cases, the most important information appears here, while your main game play is happening on the top screen. Every character has his or her own specialty, of course, and if we use the most basic terms, the band includes a warrior, rogue, wizard, and healer. While there isn’t a lot of character variety, you definitely get a chance to learn how best to use each of the characters’ strengths. During your travels, you can hit ‘Y’ to speak amongst the characters you’re traveling with. This is especially helpful when you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to be doing, and find yourself wandering aimlessly (or is that just me?) Supplies are purchased just like any other game, at a store. One thing I love about these stores is that when you’re buying equipment, it tells you (before the purchase) how, exactly, it will change your stats. This not only makes it very quick to decide whether it’s worth the purchase, but it also let’s you know (if you didn’t already) who should equip this item. While battling in the airship, Maverick, each character controls a different function on the ship. You can customize the ship inasmuch as you can decide which types of the differing weapons you’ll use. For example, Eddie controls the ship’s blade and if you choose to put a trident blade on the ship, rather than the light blade, Eddie will be dealing with different stats during airship battles. It’s very easy, and, unlike other airship games I’ve played, very self explanatory.
The graphics in the game are very well done. The maps are clear and colorful, and the icons are detailed so as to make them immediately recognizable. Whether in a fight, or exploring, you can vividly see everything that’s happening on those two tiny screens. The conversation boxes are also clear and easy to read. The only drawback to the graphics is the boxiness of the characters, but they still look better than most of the nostalgic RPGs. What I love about the audio for this game is that it varies. The sounds are somewhat hollow, which is another reminder of the classic RPGs, but they change at every place you go, during battles, airship travel, etc. This variety more than makes up for any lack of audio richness in my opinion.
This game reminds me of my favorite RPG: Skies of Arcadia. The characters are similar and, of course, there’s the presence of airships. However, this story isn’t like most of the others I’ve seen. Though there isn’t a lot of replayability here, but the combination of new storyline and familiar controls makes for a great game that you can jump into and enjoy immediately. Kids will enjoy this game as well, and with everything I’ve mentioned about ease of control, you can rest assured that they won’t be asking you every 5 seconds for help. With the world map that is true in placement and relation between destinations, coupled with destinations that actually exist, they may even learn something. So sit back, relax, and allow yourself to enjoy this guilty pleasure. Don’t worry, we won’t tell them it’s not real-time fighting.
Popularity: unranked [?]
