Rogue Galaxy

Written by Tom Clare in PS2 Game Reviews, Tuesday 26 February, 2008

Released: 2007
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Sony
Genre: RPG
Platform: PS2

When it emerged that Japanese developers Level-5 were working on a space-based role-playing adventure, it was hard not to be enthusiastic given their previous track record on the PS2, which has included the likes of Dark Chronicle and Dragon Quest. Rogue Galaxy follows in this fine cel-shaded lineage, and though it took forever to reach Europe, it has been more than worth the wait.

The story is an inevitably lengthy one that sees Jaster Rogue, a young orphan from a backwater planet, being whisked into space, discovering he is of a special bloodline and that he's more or less the only hope for saving mankind. Star Wars lawyers at the ready then, though the chief difference is Jaster travels the galaxy as part of a troop of space pirates - though you're still technically the good guys.

Technically and aesthetically, Rogue Galaxy delivers more 'wow' moments than any other game since the original Tomb Raider. There is so much to admire - the characters are gorgeously drawn and animated, with great attention having gone into their gesture, body language and fluidity of movement - even the ordinary villagers look better than most games leading protagonists. The architectural ambition and scale is utterly mind-blowing - it's at such a level that it makes Dragon Quest look positively humdrum by comparison. Walking out onto the planet Zerard for the first time is like being planted into a scene from The Fifth Element, with flying cars, crowded streets and a complex, unique network of buildings as far as the eye can see; all intricately detailed and beautifully shaded.

It's as a diverse as it is pretty; jungle-planet Juraika is awash with pretty streams and waterfalls, and given a dense feel by the impossibly-lush green forestry. The locations become ever more eye-popping; Alistia for example (a planet that isn't even compulsory being technically only a side-quest), features beaches, ship-wrecks and coastlines that stretch on forever; whilst the darkened skies of Vedan are dominated by gigantic towers that can be seen from virtually anywhere on the map. There are some ace, high-production FMV sequences but sharpness aside, they don't out-do the in-game graphics engine by a great deal - which is testament to how good the visuals generally are; virtually every shot of Rogue Galaxy is a work of art.

In other words, it looks pretty darn good. What's more impressive still is the lack of loading times between areas; you can move from the cabin of your ship, across endless terrain, up a tower or two� and there's never a hint of a stoppage unless you are blasting off to a different planet - and even then it's a brief one. There's rarely ever any slow-down despite the sheer volume of scenery and the only noticeable pop-up is when NPC's appear in front of you on occasions. Okay, so as I've proved, it's easy to get distracted by how good the game looks, but how well does it play?

RG fuses age-old exploration adventuring with a host rather more original combat-system. Firstly, the battles are in real-time rather than turn-based and you are never pulled out of your current location either which is a nice touch, as it allows you to escape the battle if you run far enough away from your enemies. The divide between towns and dungeons is blurred as there are several seemingly-residential spots that remain open to attack. Each character has two forms of physical attack (a melee weapon and a projectile of sorts) as well as a bunch of spells, helping make for some smooth, action-packed and exciting fights. There are a few niggles however; the use of the D-Pad for locking-on to targets is poor as it would have been better suited to the shoulder buttons; certain tall enemies (who can only be damaged by jump attacks) are for some reason immune to all types of magic, and there are enemies that need to be charged to cause them damage and this is an inconsistent and frustrating method of attack. Though the battles do inevitably become a little repetitive over long periods, character expansion occurs at a much greater rate than in your average Enix RPG; it's rare that you'll come across a boss and not have at least a fighting chance against it.

The controls mimic Dragon Quest's very closely, which means you have the same excellent rotatable camera and the all-important first-person view allowing you to pour over the glorious surroundings. As well as this, the characters move perfectly and there's the added bonus of being able to talk to your allies in the field of play at any time you choose; hearing their opinions on the current situation or the area where you are. Save points are handy as not only do they heal your party and provide a storage point for items, but they act as teleports to previously visited save points; very handy for getting to specific areas quickly.

Weapons can be upgraded through use in battle, and then combined via a curious toad that you pick up early on in the journey - he can analyse hundreds of weapons and recommend the best combinations in his 'Frog Log'. Armour does not play a major part in the game (except that you can buy some element-specific shields); instead you can collect a number of fantastic alternative costumes for all the characters; ranging from tribal attire, to beach clothes and some comical knitted jumpers.

There are sections of the game where dungeons/caverns are clearly cloned and for many, the "big for big's sake" repetition may start to irritate, but there's plenty to do besides travelling and fighting. You can go on quests searching out clues to unique items; catch, raise, breed and battle insects in the 'Insectron' tournament; develop new items in the Factory (this is far more complex than it aught to have been though), and even become a bounty hunter, seeking out specific quarries, luring them with a specific item and then defeating them for points in the hunters rankings.

Rogue Galaxy leans slightly more towards its storytelling than Dragon Quest. You have a character in Jaster who has a decent bit of personality and he, along with the rest of the primary cast, has his past and motivations examined quite thoroughly during the course of the game. He is joined by the likes of Steve; an android striving for humanity and adventure; Zegram, a gruff, secretive pirate-type; annoyingly-cute bosses-daughter Kisala and best of all; hyperactive, coffee-obsessed, part-man, part-dolphin scientist Jupis Tooki McGanel. The downside is, cut-scenes (stunningly-crafted as they are) run on for too long at times, with certain segments offering little more then small talk or cliched motivational speeches, though you are given the option to skip certain sections - useful if you're having to replay a boss fight with a long build up.

Generally, the voice-acting is of a high calibre, though as ever there's the occasional, overly-panto performance dampening a characters impact, and some patchy English translation. But on the whole it's pretty good and able to capture at least some of Enix's trademark wit even if Rogue Galaxy is noticeably more sentiment driven than your average Dragon Quest.

The soundtrack is among the best a game has offered in years. Enix's previous efforts had featured pleasant compositions that perhaps lacked an ultimate spark of personality, but here they've made a breakthrough. Rogue Galaxy's music is varied and evocative; tunes range from the intoxicating, pulsing drum-beats that define Juraika's jungles, to Vedan's dark, gangster-lined streets being gifted an amazingly atmospheric feel thanks to its slow, bluesy accompaniments. It does action well too - battle and boss themes ring out at a fiery tempo and the song that plays during the Insectron tournament is a good enough reason to enter in itself. Though perhaps not quite the all-encompassing masterpiece that was Final Fantasy VII's musical score, Rogue Galaxy has what is very possibly the best RPG soundtrack of its generation.

RG has a plethora of side-quests and tonnes of secrets that will take months to uncover. I completed the main game in around 57 hours, which is quite a period given that you'll almost never come unstuck as to where to head next - there's always a star on your map to guide the way to your next destination. With post-completion goodies up for grabs (as well as a whole new area to explore) there's upwards of eighty hours worth of play in here, and chances are you'll want to unearth most of what's hidden away.

RPG fans are sure to love Rogue Galaxy. It follows many of the genres old conventions but adds a host of innovations that almost without exception fit perfectly. Take it in its context and the hardware for which it was created, and it's it surely ranks among the best looking games ever - it even bests Resident Evil 4 in the design stakes. Repetitive elements and some overly long hikes harm the score marginally, but in the scheme of things, Rogue Galaxy is near the very summit of its genre and unmissable for anyone with a PlayStation2. Another cracker from Level-5.

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