White Knight Chronicles is a fantasy role-playing
video game developed by Level-5 and Japan Studio. Released in Japan way
back in 2008, it wasn't until February 2010 that it hit Australian
shores.
So, firing up the game for the first time players
are asked to design their own avatar, changing things like hair, head
and body shape. This avatar is used in the single player campaign and
also online multiplayer mode.
The story kicks off and players assume the role of
a worker at a Balandor winery named Leonard. Leonard's objective is to
fetch a large shipment of wine to be served at the princess'
coming-of-age party at the castle.
Wishing to put an end to the war, the King of
Balandor, invites the duke of Faria to his castle to join in the
festivities. However it isn't long until the party is crashed by a
group called the Magi, disguised as a traveling circus, this rogue sect
is seeking to steal the White Knight, an ancient weapon of war sealed
beneath Balandor castle.
While the ruckus breaks out Leonard accidentally
unlocks the power of the white Knight as he attempts to save the
princess. With the unsuccessful attempt Leonard is entrusted with the
mission of finding and rescuing the princess from the evil clutches of
the Magi. With the help of some of Leonard's trusty friends (your
avatar included), players set off traveling throughout the city of
Balandor and beyond.
While all this sounds pretty sweet – it isn't, in
fact I found the story to be a little drawn out and boring. Sure,
visually the game looks good and a number of plot twists are enjoyable,
the game just didn't have that wow factor that makes me want
to sit up and get involved in the game.
So, I was counting on the gameplay to save White
Knight Chronicles. Bad move...
Like most other role-playing-games (RPGs), the
characters gain experience points and level up, becoming stronger over
the course of the game. While this aspect of the game works quite well,
the fighting system in game doesn't – feeling clunky, and for the most
part, just not working as seamlessly as most would like.
White Knight Chronicles makes use of a real-time
system, where the battle mode is initiated automatically when enemies
are nearby.
Before a battle, players optionally go into the
"Battle Preparation" menu (accessible at any time) and choose up to
three sets of seven commands for each character in the party. This set
of twenty one commands is called a "Function Palette", and several of
these palettes can be saved, making tactical palette preparing and
switching essential to the game.
The commands can also be linked in order to create
combos. These can then be used in battle. The player controls one of
the characters, while the others are controlled by the AI (players can
switch between characters).
The main character can transform into the White
Knight using action chips which are acquired by defeating enemies. Boss
battles also take place in a similar fashion except that they may
include cutscenes for in-battle events – these are pretty spectacular.
Enemies can be attacked with various kinds of
elemental attack magic, while the player can heal the party by
resorting to divine magic. Magic is an essential part of the White
Knight Chronicles battle system, but it comes with one pitfall. Magic
skills do not improve a character's physical strength. This means magic
users have to avoid enemy attacks at all costs.
Among the featured weapons are swords, two handed
longswords, spears, two handed axes, bow and staff.
After defeating an enemy, players obtain raw
materials. While this occurs in both the story and online modes, some
raw materials will only be obtainable in online quests. These materials
are used later on at certain towns for crafting and upgrading equipment
and items.
One major fault that I found with battle
sequences, was that enemies seem to be able to inflict damage across
any distance, while the same rules don't apply to the player. This
makes weapons, such as the bow and spears, pretty much useless.
So, to say the least, I wasn't overly impressed!
Online mode lets players create their own town,
this town acts as a lobby and allows you to set up a shop. People can
enter this virtual town and also take a look around. The editing mode
functions as a system that can be placed from a list of objects ranging
from houses and other garden accessories to anything customisable for
the town. Towns can be placed in the middle of plains, deserts, or
wilderness. There are six different field types giving you more than
enough options to play around with.
For most, the whole "online mode" thing
will start to become rather frustrating, in order for people
to visit your town you have trade friend requests both in the GeoNet
friends list and from your PSN friends list. There is a lot of mucking
around before you get going making the whole excercise a downright
drainer.
In short, White Knight Chronicles is a total
disappointment - and with the recent release of Final Fantasy XIII, I
just don't see White Knight Chronicles competing in the same
league.
