Though certainly not for everyone, this is one of those underappreciated gems that deserves the attention of any RPG fan
+ Two individual stories that are very good
+ Great characters with loads of personality
+ Fantastic illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano
+ Addictive and solid gameplay
+ Great soundtrack
+ Beautiful spell effects
+ Nice cg cutscenes
The Bad
- Dated graphics
- Very linear game
The game centers around two characters, Toxa and Lacryma, and when starting a new game you can choose which character you want to play as. Both characters have their individual story that intertwine occasionally during the quest. Both stories are very good, and revolves around themes like love, friendship and politics. The fact that you get two individual and great stories in one game adds a huge replay value.
The gameplay should be common grounds for people who have played games like Vandal Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics. Though, it has some unique twists on its own. The gameplay centers around magical cards called Kartia. You use Kartia to summon magical spells, to create equipment and to create phantoms, monsters who will aid you in battle. The tactics may not be as deep as in the before mentioned Final Fantasy Tactics, but the Kartia system works really well and adds depth to the battles. Another nice feature is the fact that you can manipulate certain items and obstacles on the battlefield. For example wooden boxes and small bushes can be burned down by fire magic giving way to hidden items and also give you tactical advantages in certain battles.
The graphics are slightly dated, but holds up well in comparison to other tactical RPG's. The character sprites and 3d backgrounds are colorful, though rather bland. The spell effects however are very good and are some of the best in the strategy RPG genre on the playstation only rivaled by Hoshigami and Final Fantasy Tactics. The character portraits are gorgeous and are illustrated by the renowned artist Yoshitaka Amano known primarely for his illustrations in the Final Fantasy series. There are also occasional cg rendered cut scenes that break up the "action" nicely and they look pretty good.
I'm a big fan of the soundtrack and it reminds of the works of Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto responsible for Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre soundtracks, though the sound quality isn't as good and in general the compositions aren't as strong, but a very nice soundtrack nonetheless and I still remember several songs even though I haven't played this game in 8 years. The sound effects are nothing spectacular, but they get the job done.
This game features great value as it is two stories for the price of one, and both are very good. It's a very linear game, the progress of the game is more similar to Vandal Hearts than Final Fantasy Tactics, but that didn't ruin the game for me. There are also several secrets to be found and you can spend a lot of time with the Kartia thus making this a game that gives you value for your money.
This isn't a game for everyone, but if you're a fan of strategy RPG's you can't really go wrong with this one. Though certainly not flashy in any way, it makes up for it in substance, and it is definitely one of the best tactical RPG's for the playstation.