Atlus is a company known for publishing games not considered "mainstream." When you compare a conventional RPG series like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior, with something along the lines of Persona or Digital Devil Saga, you begin to get a feel for what I’m talking about. I expected a lot out of Riviera: The Promised Land, simply because I usually don’t expect much from Atlus games, and I’m usually impressed. The small amount of reading up on Riviera that I did showed this RPG could have been something special. Unfortunately some key "innovations" fall flat, and the adventure hews more closely to conventional lines then Atlus led us to believe it would. Rivera isn’t a bad game, but it’s definitely not the "promised land."
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before...
The beginning of the game puts the player in the shoes of Ein. Ein is one of the Grim Angels, defenders of Asgard, and the normal human realm. Since the Gods are on hiatus, the demons of Utgard see this as their opportunity to strike, and begin quickly marching towards another Ragnarok, which is better known as the Apocalypse. Since the world was rebuilt from the last great war, the Magi (who rule in place of the Gods) have full intention of defending the world, so they awaken the Grim Angels to fight the demons. I was really into the way this game was using Norse mythology in the beginning, since most games usually opt for more traditional mythos, like Greek, or Roman.
"Rivera ends up providing more aggravation than innovation."
|
Riviera starts out promising enough, but quickly takes a turn in to been-there-done-that-before territory after an hour of gameplay. While Ein is one of the “legendary” Grim Angels who are thousands of years old, he doesn’t seem to know a whole lot, and he strangely has a lot of moral qualms with his mission; “grim” isn’t a word I’d use to describe him, if you catch my drift. However, his partner, who is also a Grim Angel knows pretty much everything, has no moral issues with the mission, and is magnificently stronger. Because of this, the tutorial is strangely written, and from a story standpoint doesn’t make much sense.
It’s during this initial hour the story could have laid the foundation for a really unique tale, but at the pinnacle of a boss battle, Ein is magically whisked away. There’s’ a short sequence where Ein’s reluctance to follow orders is attributed to his “pure heart,” he’s pretty much referred to as “the chosen one,” and he wakes up in a forest village with amnesia. My jaw literally dropped as the game’s promising plot quickly mutated into an astounding amount of RPG stereotypes right before my eyes.
From here on out you can probably guess what goes on, but if not, let me tell you: Ein of course slowly regains his memory, wrestles with demons from his past (both figuratively and literally), uncovers devious plots and double crosses, and of course he needs to prevent the Apocalypse. You’re probably thinking you’ve played a game or ten with that story before; I know I have.
Innovations-schminovations
I wouldn’t have a problem with the story if the gameplay offered was both fresh and engaging - after all, the tale is tried and true. However, in the case of Riviera, I would have preferred gameplay that felt less “fresh,” and slightly more conventional, because the new ideas explored here would have been better left uncharted.
The sub-par feeling in the gameplay is immediately apparent; you first notice it when you learn how to interact with the environments. You’re not able to walk around freely and explore on your own; the character enters the room or area, and you choose what gets done from a list of options. You can either move on to the next room or area, or you can pick from a list of commands. These commands range from “check random object/crack in the floor,” to “talk with towns-person.” It’s the most linear exploration I have seen in an RPG, and at no time did I feel like I was exploring.
Checking for items and clues on the map is also done in a very cumbersome manner. You’re given a set of points in which you use up when investigating something suspicious (though talking to people is free). Is that suit of armor glinting? Well, get ready to use a looking point because you’ll need to. If you run out of points, you won’t be able to check for more items or investigate anything.
Battle Engine Awful-iqua
You’re able to refill your “looking points” meter by winning battles, and you’ll get more points depending on how well you perform. Performance is measured with how many items you use, and how many turns it took you to win. Honestly, getting a rating after every battle didn’t sit so well with me. If you like to experiment with things like I do, your rating will go down because you’ll probably take more turns and use more items. The lower your ranking, the less “looking points” you’ll get. This creates a counter-productive feeling, because while you need “looking points,” the battle system encourages exploring new options due to one of its main features.
Each weapon in the game has a different effect when used by another character. For example, if you use the stronger Grim Angel’s sword at the beginning of the game with Ein, he’ll not use the sword to attack, but instead use a fire spell. It’s interesting to see what characters get out of different items, but there isn’t an easy way to figure this out other than experimentation.
"... good music is wasted on such a poor game."
|
It’s also important to know this because you can only pick four items per battle for all your characters. This includes items like potions and stat-boosters. While this puts emphasis on planning before a battle, if you make the wrong choice you could really screw up, and even die. You could also use up items you’ll need later on, since you can’t switch them out. It’s not a very “n00b-friendly” game, and it doesn’t make any sense; it just feels more complex and specific than it needs to be.
It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
Even though I have some real problems with Riviera, there are a few standout features that make this worth a look for RPG enthusiasts. The music and sound is superb. I’m fairly sad that such good music is wasted on such a poor game. It evokes memories of a time when Squaresoft was supreme on the SNES, and it’s a nice feeling to remember. There are also several points where the characters speak small lines, which are well placed and have decent sound quality.
There are also points where you have to perform button-pressing sequences in order to do something. For instance, in order to pull a sword from the ground, you have to press something like up, down, up, A, B in six seconds. There are a few moments where you need to do this, and they’re usually well placed. Also, if you fail, it can change the path you’re going to be taking, since this game has “multiple paths.” It’s just a shame you’re not free to explore them.
Riviera: The Promised Land is a very flawed game. It’s a game that takes a lot of chances, but for the most part ends up providing more aggravation than innovation. Atlus enthusiasts will probably enjoy it, and RPG fans might get something out of it, but everyone else should stay away.
