Blade Dancer (PSP)

Now I know there isn't much choice out there right now for RPG's on the PSP what with regurgitations of FF1 and FF2 and Breath of Fire 3, and the abominable Valkyre series, but I found this game tucked away in the back of my local game store. I was actually hoping to order a copy of Crisis Core FFVII and found this instead.
I have played it CONSTANTLY and have found it both absorbing and time-consuming. The characters could do with a little 'rounding off' and some of the game graphics are a little off (odd white line between trees/plants/ground) but this is more than made up for in the battle strategy and the crafting system. Yes, crafting. You only have to buy an item once, have it appraised and then collect/purchase what you need to make it more than once! Far cheaper than buying something four times!
Others here have mentioned the monsters are indicated by floating skulls, and this it true, but fear not that the monsters remain the same level and therefore easier as you gain in level...not so, allow two or more 'skulls' to merge and suddenly you have a very challenging battle on your hands with heaps of exp and items to be had. The 'Luna' system is interesting and completing missions for the locals will allow it to grow, giving you more points to play with in casting spells and completing some awesome moves. I advise anyone who wants a fun yet challenging RPG to play this, at worst it's a fun stop-gap while waiting for something better and at best you'll find hours have merrily sped by while you play. Buy it, enjoy it, you wont regret it.

This is an exellent game but there could be some inprovements. This game has exellent 3D graphics. The game was also very realistic ie weapons break after a while. The game is quite complex, but when you get use to it, it gets easier to understand. The monsters are shown by very scary floating skulls. The colour of the skull indicates its difficulty. When you play the game you feel like you're in it. The aim of the game is to be the legendary blade dancer. It doesn't really get better than this rpg game. If you're looking for a rpg for the psp I recommend this game. This game is a bit of adventure, action and horror.

Written by William Hawken

If you're looking for a deep and involving role-playing game (RPG) for the PSP then look no further. It has a great battle system, a complex crafting system and plenty of looting too.

Plot: Blade Dancer is set in the world of Lunadia, a place that was home to a fierce battle in the past between the evil demon lord and the guardian of light.

Fast forward to the present day and you play a young warrior called Lance who is closely entwined with the past. It's your job to find out why while meeting other party members along the way.

The plot summary may sound vague because in truth, it's like that when playing. It lacks depth as you're only told the basics and is overall quite childish. I'm not sure what the developers were thinking when they though the plot up as rather then feeling like a continuous story, it feels more like different members of the team coming up with ideas but yet not being able to find a way to fit them all together so just stuck them in and hoped for the best.

I know a story isn't everything in a game but for a RPG I usually find it one of the more important points. It does look like they've tried to make one but failed to hire a decent writer.

Graphics: The graphics are pretty good. Not the best I've seen the PSP produce but better then most. The game is like one large corridor with different exits but with the scenery they put around you when playing does a fairly decent job of helping you to forget.

Sound: The sound, hmm the sound. Well it's typical of a Japanese game. Annoying voices and random shouting does begin to grate after a while.

Gameplay: The battle system is done in real time with a clock ticking round after every move. When it reaches the top again you're allowed to cast another spell or attack which is done by selecting different spells from a menu. A fairly simple idea but I thought it was great. Considering you had to time your spells against the enemies attacks made it quite tactical at times and meaning all the difference from them being killed or you.

As far as crafting goes, you have to either buy ingredients or get certain ingredients from enemy drops. You then have to combine different ingredients to create anything from potions to weapons.

Different characters are better at crafting different items so if you want a better crafting rate, it's usually best to get the right person for the job. Take Lance for example, he's aligned with the fire element which is the element used to make swords so if you need one making, pick him.

Not only does the character matter, but different moons can affect your crafting too. There are different moons in the world of Lunadia (you can see where the name comes from now) and each can affect your craft rate as well as the option of giving you the chance to create something really rare.

There's always the chance of failing with each craft making you lose one of your ingredients. This can be easily resolved by saving before each craft but it does get pretty annoying when you have to keep restarting the game as an important rare ingredient is involved in the creation.

Lifespan: Blade Dancer took me just over 35 hours which included pretty much all the side quests and a lot of gear crafting.

Overall: I only gave Blade Dancer 3 stars due to the annoying story and the amount of running around involved in the game. It suits open world RPGs but when you have to go through loading scene after loading scene when running through the areas, it does begin to get quite annoying. If the battle system hadn't of been so much fun then it may have even got a 2.

If you're a big fan of Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) then you're probably going to still enjoy this but if not then there's nothing here that's going to make you change your mind.