Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Solid"

Saiyuki was released as a PSOne Classic for PSP/PS3 on PSN in the US last month, and for $5.99, I thought "why not?" While not a super star, for fans of the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics, Saiyuki offers just enough charm and solid gameplay to make it fun.

Gameplay-wise, it's nothing you haven't played before: It's a straight turn-based fantasy strategy game, combat features skills, buffs, spells, and weapons/armor. The overworld map is linear,and allows you to go to training centers to grind and level up. You'll go to shops, talk to NPCs to get "quests" which are really just linear progressions through the areas, etc.

Character leveling is automatic -- you don't really get to choose classes or specialties. You'll collect NPCs to add to your party, and you get to choose who fights in each level, and you get a chance to select their placement at the start of battle. Combat is ordered based on the "Speed" stat of the combatants.

The characters and plot, though, add enough charm to make the game fun. You'll meet a slew of NPCs, and most can turn into "Were" versions of themselves, where they triple in size and skill for a short period of each battle. Because of the limited time (number of turns) and select skills of each Were beast, it's a very strategic element to decide when and where to morph.

The graphics and music are nothing to write home about, but are good.

Overall, not a lot to report, but if you're looking for an inexpensive and somewhat simplified Final Fantasy Tactics style game, Saiyuki is a solid choice.