Before I start, an admission. I don't usually play Japanese adventure games (at least I haven't since the Phantasy Star series on the Megadrive) so if you think I may be colouring my review with my dislike of led-by-the-nose adventures and silly characterisation then please adjust my score according to taste. Just because big eyes and small mouths aren't my thing does not mean they won't float your boat.
To cut a long story short play is split between the two main characters; Viese and Felt. After stepping through a magical portal with a magical talking sword (the 'Azoth' from the dubious title) pulled from a rock, Felt goes stomping off adventuring in the world of Belkhyde with other characters he meets along the way. He is able to magically trade items with his friend Viese back home using the magical Share Ring. Viese is able to help Felt in his quest by using her powers as a newly trained alchemist to combine items together to make items and potions.
As Felt and his cronies wander around dungeons, a number of non-scripted random battles occur with the creatures that live in the area. A gauge appears on the screen changes colour from blue to red depending on how likely it is that an encounter will take place. After each battle, the gauge gets shorter. Once it has run out, there will be no more random battles in the area so you are free to wander about without fear of yet another tedious fight. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. The gauge refills on entering a new area. Sadly it also refills on re-entering your current area so backtracking in dungeons you've already fought through can be tiresome.
ombat works on a system involving time cost for actions, where 'Break Attacks' can push the chance of your opponents getting a go. 'Charge Attacks' are used to power up a gauge each character has that is used to power their skills. These skills can range from special attacks to healing. In reality, it plays just like any other turn based combat game. It would have been nice if the fights were a little tougher too. Getting through round after round of combat with random creatures without breaking a sweat does make for a dull game. This is compounded with the phenomenal amount of fetch quests. Go to X, get the Y, bring to Z, repeat. Haven't we all moved on from this? Ah right, "retro". I keep forgetting. Not everyone likes Morrowind-style open ended stuff. Sometimes it's nice to be told what to do.
This game looks and feels like an old SNES game. While retro gamers might coo with pleasure I like to think that games should move on with the times - either through the clever use of the technology to hand or by exploring new ideas. Why not just pick up an old SNES on eBay instead? In summary, if you fancy an unchallenging retro adventure game that will take up a lot of your time and not tax your brain, then this would be right up your street.
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