gboukensha

Rhapsody is a nice, sweet, relaxed turn-based RPG for those looking for a mild medium-length experience full of fairies, toads and sleepy kittens. Forget the unforgiving gameplay of FF2 or Megaten, allow for some exaggerated cuteness and you'll be welcomed by a warm little game. Rhapsody is rather accessible to newcomers to the genre and likely to be appreciated by anyone looking for a relaxed RPG experience. What ruins the fun are some annoying showstopping bugs and some minor glitches that force you to save often, naturally destroying the otherwise easygoing flow of the game. I was going to give it 7/10 but then remembered those two days I played the game 5 hours with no breaks, and this must mean something. Expect around 13 hours of lighthearted fun.

It is true that the game is simple, linear and animation-wise glitchy. Nevertheless, I found it to be very immersive. The graphics are great, with good voiceover (even if sometimes the characters sound like they don't care) and nice music the few times it is present. The story is rather interesting and you get to play with two different characters. The setting is dark and gloomy, and even if there are few locations to visit, they look great. Overall this is an enjoyable title (if rather short: around 8-9 hours of gameplay) for newcomers and seasoned adventure gamers as well, but one should be inclined to forgive its simplicity and occasional glitches. Playing it for the mood and setting should be sufficient. Ah, and also forgive the ending (and the senseless title). I see people hoping for a sequel but I can hardly imagine this being the case.

This adventure-puzzle game really surprised me and was in fact the reason why I bought a DS console in the first place. The majority of the puzzles are really fun and well-balanced, with only a couple of instances where the puzzle explanation is not very clear. The nice story, marvelous setting and fun characters (all of which supported by gorgeous graphics and nicely fitting music) do their work also. What's incredible about this title is that it can attract people of all kinds and of all ages, and each of these categories will find their share of fun and challenge. If had to find a flaw in this game is the fact that most of the puzzles are completely unlinked to the plot, and above all the graphic styles used in the puzzles differ too much between them. It would have been nice to have a little more graphical coherence in this game, but apart this, the game should be played and finished by anyone possessing a DS.

Having greatly enjoyed the Curious Village I was expecting something at least as good, but I was disappointed. The story is good and the mystery fascinating, with graphics, music and videos always of top-notch quality. The puzzles instead are rather unbalanced. Too many 25 picarats puzzles, with the difficulty (in picarat terms) being assigned seemingly at random, and too many unclear or ambiguous puzzles. Compared to the first game, I felt much less challenged and much less surprised of the puzzles and of the events in the game. What I really enjoyed was the overwhelming dark mood (which could be a deterrent to people looking for joyful and sunny settings), the characters and the mini-games. There are at least 4 mini-games to be had this time and all of them are simple and relaxing. Overall, I was disappointed by this title, but I'm definitely looking for more in the next episode.

One should regard this game as an interactive book rather than an adventure game. The story is very interesting and you will always want to hear more to finally unravel the mystery. All the characters are interesting and look like they're hiding something and I frequently found myself looking for someone to speak with just for the pleasure to exchange a couple of words with them. There is A LOT to read in this game, so if you enjoy reading you will definitely find food for your eyes (not by coincidence the console is to be held like a book when playing). On the other hand, puzzles are extremely simple and in fact there is very little "game" and pretty much story instead. Unfortunately, the game creators chose to insert dialogue-tree puzzles, in that you have to choose the correct sequence of answers when speaking with someone or is a sudden game over. This can get frustrating soon and what's worse is that you cannot skip the dialogues and cannot save the game whenever you need it. Game over is a matter of luck for the most part. Having said that, the game remains a very nice mystery story and provides solid hours of reading enjoyment.

This game is so good it surprised me, even if I already knew it had to be good I didn't expect it to be SO good. The game is entertaining from start to end, with so many twists and turns it will let you wanting for more and more as the chapters flow by and the mystery unravels. Animation-wise it is simply splendid, the pixel graphics are gorgeous and the music incredibly fitting. The game also makes great use of chromostereopsis, especially in the ghost world, to give a sense of depth that those who perceive the effect to a great extent (like myself) will double their enjoyment of the title. Gameplay stays fresh and satisfying for the whole duration. If I had to find a defect, if we want to call it so, it's its strict linearity; you are rarely given an opportunity to explore and look for clues on yourself, instead the characters themselves give so many hints you will want to cover your eyes to leave the surprise unspoiled. Anyway this is a minor flaw and it leaves the game a true gem.