I remember the game being mentioned in passing, but had never really looked into it. After about 6 months of work being crazy, I'm trying to get back into learning Japanese, and was planning on importing the re-release of Slime Morimori 1, and was looking for another cheap game to get so I could use my $5 P-A coupon, and stumbled upon the re-release of Venus and Braves (albeit in horrible Best packaging). I started looking into the game (IGN has a ton of videos and screens), and it sounds fucking amazing, absolutely every review I've found has been nothing but praise. From Rose's review on Gamefaqs:
Soooo....it's Ogre Battle + Valkyrie Profile?
WHY THE FUCK DID THIS NOT COME OUT HERE?
Anyway, questions for those who have played it:
1)It looks and sounds like it, but anyone with hands-on with it that can verify it's awesome?
2)How import friendly is it? I'm fine with kana, but that's about it right now, I've forgotten the kanji I knew
(re-going about that will be a OT thread) I've found two FAQs that could probably get me through menus and stuff fine, but unfortunately the plot translation FAQ stop at Chapter 6, and I believe there's either 9 or 12 chapters.
Venus & Braves tells the story of the soldier Blood Boal, who was revived in the year 999 and granted immortality by the goddess Ariah. His mission, as directed by the goddess, is to lead a small army of no more than 14 soldiers to defend civilization from monsters responsible for the Apocalypse forecasted for the year 1099. The first members of Blood's rag-tag battle troupe include the burly Garef, thoughtful Lily, and the mischievous and ever-hungry Wippel. Initially, his friends appear the same age but are mortal. As the years slowly progress and the team grows, Blood is forced to distance himself when he realizes that his aging friends are a hindrance to the strength of team. In this respect, the predominant theme of Venus & Braves is similar to the movie Highlander, where the ageless protagonist feels lonely despite having company. Whereas many other RPG's would slap on a dull battle system to the story and call it a game, Venus & Braves excels by making its gameplay the foundation of the story.
Initially appearing deceptively simple, the puzzle-like battles gradually become a very
cerebral experience as new features are added to the gameplay in each new chapter. Battles are fought on a grid 4 squares wide and 3 rows deep. You can place at most 7 of 14 soldiers on the board at one time. The front row attacks, the middle row supports the front (by adding damage to the attack, by reducing damage from the enemy, or by directly attacking [archers only]), and the back row heals itself. Statistics for each class of soldier vary, and therefore, different classes are better suited for specific positions on the board. For example, wizards and witches have high support stats, so they should be placed behind warriors or knights, who can withstand most of the damage in battle. An archer should be placed in the second row behind an open square so that he/she will have a clear shot at the monster. Finally, some classes can heal their entire row, just him/herself, or not at all. The order during each turn is based on the attacker's speed. At the end of the turn, you can choose to rotate your rows, back to middle, middle to front, and front to back. Fallen soldiers cannot be replaced (there are no revival spells!), and weakened soldiers accumulate damage throughout the course of multiple battles until you decide to plan a trip back to home base. All HP is replenished after each battle. However, when a soldier has accumulated damage greater than or equal to their total HP across multiple battles, then they will be punished with the dreaded blueface, and all stats except HP will decrease until they've rested enough from battle.
The key to winning the game is not just to have enough strength to pass a single battle--it's to recruit strong soldiers and organize them in a formation that ironically doesn't require that you rotate and heal. Sure, each person who deals a finishing blow will get a small stat increase in 1 category, but the level-ups cap at only 5! You can level-up items, too, but again the effect is relatively small, and anything leveled to 10 or above will become junk. Unfortunately, monsters in year 1090 have on average 400+ HP, whereas in 1010 most had ~100 HP. In comparison, a typical 15-year-old starts with 10-20 HP regardless of the year
So, how do you make really strong soldiers? The old-fashioned way you breed them. Place a male and a female soldier next to each other on the grid. Check the speed of the characters to make sure they participate (by attacking or supporting) directly after one another. After the battle is over, check the gestalt board. As characters develop close relationships, the distance between the figures on the gestalt board will shorten. When those figures overlap, head back to town. You'll be treated to a dating scene, and in subsequent return trips, the couple will become engaged, married, and then bear children (illustrated with a black screen). As a rule, children at their prime will be stronger than their parents were. Grandchildren of different families will have even higher stats, and so on.
The gameplay wouldn't have been as addictive if it weren't accompanied by classy graphics and music. The entire game is painted in lush 2D, visually looking like a cross between Japanese anime and oil canvases from the Louvre. The music is equally terrific, emphasizing brass, strings, and occasionally ethnic drums, pan flutes, and acoustic guitars in either flowing ballads or medieval marches. The crisp clashing of swords and arrows make you feel like you're in the middle of a war in the Dark Ages. Hands down, Venus & Braves boasts the best 2D graphics, artwork, and orchestral soundtrack of any game in recent memory. (Screenshots and movies can be viewed at Namco's official site at http://www.venus-web.net )
I found Venus & Braves to be compelling enough to play through it twice, totalling about 110 hours. There's lots to do here, from collecting special characters in chapter 9, to earning a reward fromlate in the game, to unlocking the bonus quest/online vs. mode, to creating a nearly invincible great-great-great grandkid of one of your characters 50 hrs earlier. Japanese requirement for the import is moderate; the gamefaqs guide and English insert (Asian editions only) can teach you the basics.Xenosaga's Kos-Mos
Soooo....it's Ogre Battle + Valkyrie Profile?
WHY THE FUCK DID THIS NOT COME OUT HERE?
Anyway, questions for those who have played it:
1)It looks and sounds like it, but anyone with hands-on with it that can verify it's awesome?
2)How import friendly is it? I'm fine with kana, but that's about it right now, I've forgotten the kanji I knew
(re-going about that will be a OT thread) I've found two FAQs that could probably get me through menus and stuff fine, but unfortunately the plot translation FAQ stop at Chapter 6, and I believe there's either 9 or 12 chapters.