All RPG fans (myself included) are always expecting that very special adventure that will transport us to a different world in which we will save the world an take the girl. Every once and then a game comes that leaves it's mark in our hearts because of its story or/and characters. Enter BLADE DANCER a game that at first sigh looks like a winner with its fancy 3-D world and a famous developer behind its back, but which on second look leaves you wondering why. Why? because this game could have been great since it has a very addictive combat system which is very important on this type of games since you develop your characters through combat, it has a useful "make your own" items system which is not only useful but fun to use and it has that "final fantasy X-esque" full 3-D world engine in which you never switch to a ridulously overheaded dwarf, in a few words is a modern top dollar RPG; however neither top dollar nor a great combat system can make an RPG memorable because the story AND the characters are very important too, you can not have an RPG without a good and well told story and a set of "lovable" characters,and by "lovable" you know what I mean, that baddass main character that steals your heart and makes you overcome your fears bacause you attend the game conventions dress up like him, the main lady has to be cool too, you are not going to risk your good for nothing life for a plain silly girl and your possee of companions have to be cool too other wise you never calll upon them to perform that last super move on that creepy last boss.In a word you want real friends, but do not expect to find them in this game because the narrative is so plain that you barely get to know their names, interaction is scarce and charecter development is nule so you end up with a bunch of uncool little unmemorable characters. The main "hero" is a joke (a guy who speaks like he is in junior high can't be a hero..)the girl that is your love interest and the reason you journey in the game is as fresh as last week newspaper and your companions are just plain unnintresting. Does that mean this game is bad? No. but just as a mentionned before, the whole point of RPG's is the story and the protagonist, thats what draws you in and of course if the play mechanics are good that's a blessing but HIT MAKER could have spend equal effort refining the narrative of the story and not just focus in combat, because the concept of the game is just plain cool, just the idea of having a full 3-D RPG makes me wet my pants AND on a handheld like the great PSP!; and not only that, the whole wolrd is just like a third world country, there is a town in the game ( a port ) that is just made up of frames of wood ( Where this people actually live?) which is just plain ridiculous and overall the whole world is plain and unnintersting, only the castle at the final deserves a little mention but on second tought no, is not that great either. So in resume in BLADE DANCER you have a game that is mediocre in is narrative and story ( the idea of having and adventurer looking for action is not well implemented here) it feels short and "small' in its world ( even if it is just and island, in real life there are islands that are multicultural and geogarphycly varied) the protagonist are a bunch of forgetable fools but the fighting engine is great and addictive ( as a matter of fact that's the ONLY reason that keeps me from trading this game for something else) and the graphics are sort of nice, they bring memories back of the very first "modern RPG" FINAL FANTASY VII but this time in a handheld. Have I mention something about music? well there's nothing to mention so never mind that ( music is unmemorable and just absent in the main world, yes you only travel with the sounds of nature) so if you fancy RPG's and you don't mind a bad story and unimaginative characters then congratulations! your game is here; for the rest of us, keep waiting but check this out only for its fighting system and original play mechanics...
Other Helpful Reviews for Blade Dancer: Sennen no Yakusoku
There don't seem to be a lot of comments about this game yet, so I'm giving my two cents earlier than I normally would. I only have about eight hours invested so far, but I am thoroughly enjoying Blade Dancer and would ... Read Full Review
Blade Dancer - Lineage of Light - PSP Console RPG's come in two forms. There are friendly, easy-going titles that don't have maddening challenges with emphasis on flashy graphics. Then there are those that, at fir... Read Full Review
