 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: RPG Developer: Brownie Brown Publisher: Nintendo |
One of the most important parts of putting out an amazingly innovative system such as the Nintendo DS is that the rules need to be
broken. There have been a lot of odd games that have made it big in the past few years, but one thing that has been missing is classic
game play that was found on the Game Boy Advanced. For players that are looking for a game that is rooted in the ways of old school
role playing, “Magical Starsign” may be the title that will bring a balance to old and new gaming.
Though the game may not sound familiar to players in America, “Magical Starsign” is commonplace in Japan. The game is a deeply
rooted traditional RPG that attempts to deliver classic leveling and battle tactics with a reinvented batter system. Part of the system is
due in part to touch integration, while the majority is simply done with clever design. The basic premise follows a group of six kids who
leave on an adventure to rescue their teacher Miss Madeleine from a mysterious intergalactic mission. They don’t know why their
teacher has taken this mission, but the team wastes no time taking off to the stars when it becomes that something went wrong.
To start off the game, players will create their primary character, choosing either a male or female and align themselves to either light or
dark magic. From there, the player is instantly joined by classmates at the magical academy, and the team is formed for action. Each
member of the team focuses on a specific element of magic. Pica is the fire mage, Sorbet focuses on water, Mokka with earth affinity,
Chai using wood and Lassi uses the power of the wind. Within the first minutes of the game, the team is scattered across the galaxy
and it becomes the main character’s job to not only reunite the team, but also save Miss Madeleine and stop a galactic threat in the
process.
The biggest issue with the game isn’t in the story; rather it relies on the battle mechanic. The entire game progresses in accelerated
time, having a day cycle every 20 minutes. Also, players will make use of an astrology chart showing five orbiting planets and each
planet has an elemental type. The galaxy is also broken into five parts, each containing the same color and elemental affiliation as the
planets. As the rocks continue to orbit, the planets will eventually move to their respective area, giving a bonus to whatever player
shares that specific magical affiliation. It is through this that the game’s strategy is constantly being mixed up, having different players
act as the group’s main offense while their planet is giving off the most power.
For fans of the traditional RPG, “Magical Starsign” is definitely a keeper because it is filled with a large amount of awesome
presentation and great two dimensional styles. The game offers nearly 10 or so minutes of animated sequences that are amazingly
high in quality and are spread out evenly through the entire game. In addition, the two screen setup is used in multiple ways, switching
from maps and statistics to a larger playfield on the move according to the specific situation at hand. The audio in the game has jazzy
RPG music to listen to through the entirety of the game.
Another major hook in the game that will keep players playing is the surprisingly deep multiplayer, which allows players to team up with
friends and take on dungeons together. The multiplayer works like an RPG version of “Mario Party,” as it is every person for themselves
on the global level, but the group also has to work together as a team to clear dungeons out and spawn more treasures for the entire
group. The game could have used a little more direct teamwork though, because it still feels like they are running solo in a dungeon
that just happens to have other players in it. Even so, it is a solid addition to the game, allowing players to select and power up any of
their playable characters, earn new items and experience for the main game and enjoy a little competition.
The game also includes a multiplayer mode that gives players the ability to link up with friends and raise new creatures from eggs.
These creatures only gain experience from Tag Mode, which is a quick statistic swapping program that takes each player’s position in
the game and applies it to experience and items for their friends. The more people that the players tags with, the more experience their
special characters will gain for the single player mode. Though this isn’t a necessarily an essential part of the game, but definitely one
of the many ways to add replay value to an already fun RPG game.
Since players have already missed out on “Magical Vacation” for the Game Boy Advanced in America, it is great to finally be able to
enjoy the depth of “Magical Starsign.” While the game is definitely a lot of fun for any hardcore RPG fans, however, anyone not into
random battles and turn based game play will want to stay away from this particular game because it is still a very traditional design.
The game has a great battle mechanic with some strong diversity and strategy elements, though it is a little bit too linear it is overall
story line. The overall presentation is amazing and anyone looking for a true classic RPG should have no need to look any further.
broken. There have been a lot of odd games that have made it big in the past few years, but one thing that has been missing is classic
game play that was found on the Game Boy Advanced. For players that are looking for a game that is rooted in the ways of old school
role playing, “Magical Starsign” may be the title that will bring a balance to old and new gaming.
Though the game may not sound familiar to players in America, “Magical Starsign” is commonplace in Japan. The game is a deeply
rooted traditional RPG that attempts to deliver classic leveling and battle tactics with a reinvented batter system. Part of the system is
due in part to touch integration, while the majority is simply done with clever design. The basic premise follows a group of six kids who
leave on an adventure to rescue their teacher Miss Madeleine from a mysterious intergalactic mission. They don’t know why their
teacher has taken this mission, but the team wastes no time taking off to the stars when it becomes that something went wrong.
To start off the game, players will create their primary character, choosing either a male or female and align themselves to either light or
dark magic. From there, the player is instantly joined by classmates at the magical academy, and the team is formed for action. Each
member of the team focuses on a specific element of magic. Pica is the fire mage, Sorbet focuses on water, Mokka with earth affinity,
Chai using wood and Lassi uses the power of the wind. Within the first minutes of the game, the team is scattered across the galaxy
and it becomes the main character’s job to not only reunite the team, but also save Miss Madeleine and stop a galactic threat in the
process.
The biggest issue with the game isn’t in the story; rather it relies on the battle mechanic. The entire game progresses in accelerated
time, having a day cycle every 20 minutes. Also, players will make use of an astrology chart showing five orbiting planets and each
planet has an elemental type. The galaxy is also broken into five parts, each containing the same color and elemental affiliation as the
planets. As the rocks continue to orbit, the planets will eventually move to their respective area, giving a bonus to whatever player
shares that specific magical affiliation. It is through this that the game’s strategy is constantly being mixed up, having different players
act as the group’s main offense while their planet is giving off the most power.
For fans of the traditional RPG, “Magical Starsign” is definitely a keeper because it is filled with a large amount of awesome
presentation and great two dimensional styles. The game offers nearly 10 or so minutes of animated sequences that are amazingly
high in quality and are spread out evenly through the entire game. In addition, the two screen setup is used in multiple ways, switching
from maps and statistics to a larger playfield on the move according to the specific situation at hand. The audio in the game has jazzy
RPG music to listen to through the entirety of the game.
Another major hook in the game that will keep players playing is the surprisingly deep multiplayer, which allows players to team up with
friends and take on dungeons together. The multiplayer works like an RPG version of “Mario Party,” as it is every person for themselves
on the global level, but the group also has to work together as a team to clear dungeons out and spawn more treasures for the entire
group. The game could have used a little more direct teamwork though, because it still feels like they are running solo in a dungeon
that just happens to have other players in it. Even so, it is a solid addition to the game, allowing players to select and power up any of
their playable characters, earn new items and experience for the main game and enjoy a little competition.
The game also includes a multiplayer mode that gives players the ability to link up with friends and raise new creatures from eggs.
These creatures only gain experience from Tag Mode, which is a quick statistic swapping program that takes each player’s position in
the game and applies it to experience and items for their friends. The more people that the players tags with, the more experience their
special characters will gain for the single player mode. Though this isn’t a necessarily an essential part of the game, but definitely one
of the many ways to add replay value to an already fun RPG game.
Since players have already missed out on “Magical Vacation” for the Game Boy Advanced in America, it is great to finally be able to
enjoy the depth of “Magical Starsign.” While the game is definitely a lot of fun for any hardcore RPG fans, however, anyone not into
random battles and turn based game play will want to stay away from this particular game because it is still a very traditional design.
The game has a great battle mechanic with some strong diversity and strategy elements, though it is a little bit too linear it is overall
story line. The overall presentation is amazing and anyone looking for a true classic RPG should have no need to look any further.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
