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WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES:
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White Knight Chronicles: Origins is an RPG that firmly adheres to a 'substance over
style’ maxim. Jumping non-too-subtly on the Monster
Hunter bandwagon that propelled the PSP through a remarkably fruitful
autumn to its lifecycle in Japan, Origins wastes little on visual pomp and splendour but offers decent gaming mileage for
those looking to kill some spare time.
Having created an avatar in the image of your choosing, he or she begins their quest by joining the Mobile Corps, a band of mercenaries who travel via a train, which acts as the hub of operations. Set during the ‘Dogma Wars’, this slice of WKC focuses on how the group is reluctantly pulled into a conflict against the Yshrenian Empire, who harness the power of the fearsome Knights and are busy giving world domination a good old go. Though the story fails to distinguish itself from standard J-RPG fare, there’s just enough to keep things ticking over, with quirky but mostly-acceptable secondary characters helping to bed the player in during the early phases. The primary focus of the game however lies in its bounty hunting missions.
These take place in typical role-playing settings such as lush fields, agoraphobia-inducing canyons, caves and deserted villages. They’re all built in much the same way; a series of square-shaped areas that branch in as many as four different directions, forming a map as layouts develop a little like jigsaws. Objectives include slaying a set quotient of foes; breaking a seal and beating a boss; collecting specific items or charting all of the maps segments, with various treasures and materials waiting to be scavenged along the way in all instances.
Having created an avatar in the image of your choosing, he or she begins their quest by joining the Mobile Corps, a band of mercenaries who travel via a train, which acts as the hub of operations. Set during the ‘Dogma Wars’, this slice of WKC focuses on how the group is reluctantly pulled into a conflict against the Yshrenian Empire, who harness the power of the fearsome Knights and are busy giving world domination a good old go. Though the story fails to distinguish itself from standard J-RPG fare, there’s just enough to keep things ticking over, with quirky but mostly-acceptable secondary characters helping to bed the player in during the early phases. The primary focus of the game however lies in its bounty hunting missions.
These take place in typical role-playing settings such as lush fields, agoraphobia-inducing canyons, caves and deserted villages. They’re all built in much the same way; a series of square-shaped areas that branch in as many as four different directions, forming a map as layouts develop a little like jigsaws. Objectives include slaying a set quotient of foes; breaking a seal and beating a boss; collecting specific items or charting all of the maps segments, with various treasures and materials waiting to be scavenged along the way in all instances.
L'Apricot feels obliged to live up to her name, resulting in a marvellous pinny
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Being out-sized doesn't diminish our hero's ability to do '59' to this troll
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In truth, they all pan out
pretty similarly. You and up to three computer or human-controlled companions
duel with a few enemies, heal, check for loot, and move on. Rinse and repeat.
The battles occur in real-time but with traditional RPG command menu
leanings. It’s strikingly simple in its design and execution, requiring little
in the way of dexterity or timing, but things start to feel relatively
intuitive with use, and the battles become one of Origins’ more positive facets. Using a ‘Function Palette’, the
player assigns five abilities to a command bar navigated via the D-Pad. You get
three sets of five, and there’s plenty of depth in tweaking things so as
to get the balance just right. For instance, standard attacks, healing and big
specials can take precedence on the first palette, the second consists of
support and status-restoring spells, and the final one may utilise damaging
spells. The range of possibilities is numerous, as there are hundreds upon
hundreds of moves to unlock depending on how you wish your protagonist to develop.
There’s a healthy level of character growth beyond the commendably speedy level-up rate. Completing a mission usually sees your party given the option of a new member, and even if they aren’t strong enough to join you in the field, many can still be put to use as scouts (returning with new items after a mission). Each have missions you can undertake that are personal to them, with the reward often being the learning of one of their abilities.
‘Binding’ is another good example of Origins applying a simple idea effectively; new weapons and armour can be created by mixing different compounds and items, a feature that is particularly worthwhile as these creations fairly quickly outperform the merchants’ goods. You can then add attributes to your kit to give them additional perks. On the whole the system works, because whilst menu trawling isn’t essential, you get back what you put in; sometimes seeking out a rare item will result in you getting your hands on a great piece of kit.
There’s a healthy level of character growth beyond the commendably speedy level-up rate. Completing a mission usually sees your party given the option of a new member, and even if they aren’t strong enough to join you in the field, many can still be put to use as scouts (returning with new items after a mission). Each have missions you can undertake that are personal to them, with the reward often being the learning of one of their abilities.
‘Binding’ is another good example of Origins applying a simple idea effectively; new weapons and armour can be created by mixing different compounds and items, a feature that is particularly worthwhile as these creations fairly quickly outperform the merchants’ goods. You can then add attributes to your kit to give them additional perks. On the whole the system works, because whilst menu trawling isn’t essential, you get back what you put in; sometimes seeking out a rare item will result in you getting your hands on a great piece of kit.
Whilst WiFi multiplayer is a hit
in the game’s native Japan, Matrix Software have, to their credit, recognised
that this element of the PSP has never really taken hold elsewhere. As
compensation, they’ve tried to lure out nocturnal westerners with some nice
online options. Forming groups is now possible over the internet, though
communication is severely limited through a mixture of clumsy menu design and
the PSP’s inability to double as a keyboard. It’s a brave idea but in truth, there
isn’t really any more camaraderie than playing alongside the computer. However,
a rather better feature is being able to upload your character onto the network
for others to use as an ally, whilst you in turn can download other peoples,
essentially allowing the community to help each other to move forward. There’s
even some cross-functionality with PS3 White
Knight Chronicles II, for the minute number of people who happen to own
both.
Considering it’s a first-party exclusive, Origins looks very ordinary, and from start to finish feels like a no-frills adventure. Battle environments are plain, and whilst characters prove serviceable enough during cut-scenes, they look rough in the field of play. Menus are ugly, enemy design is a mixed bag and the music apt, but overly repetitive. It isn’t as accessible as would have been ideal and the design layout of the train leaves a lot to be desired, with many of the carriages only housing one character to interact with, when they really should have condensed three carriages worth of merchants into just the one, as it ultimately results in an excessive amount of leg-work.
If it tickles your fancy though, there’s no questioning the robustness of the package. Missions in the main story cater to Level 40 at which point you can complete the game with a plethora of different endings depending on the ally you take from the Mobile Corps to help you finish the last battle. You’re already looking at 20 hours at this stage, but missions continue up to Level 100, by which stage you’ll be fighting White Knights and demonically powerful dragons, and with the cavernous selection of weapon, armour and item upgrades to fiddle around with, it’s proper time-sink material.
Considering it’s a first-party exclusive, Origins looks very ordinary, and from start to finish feels like a no-frills adventure. Battle environments are plain, and whilst characters prove serviceable enough during cut-scenes, they look rough in the field of play. Menus are ugly, enemy design is a mixed bag and the music apt, but overly repetitive. It isn’t as accessible as would have been ideal and the design layout of the train leaves a lot to be desired, with many of the carriages only housing one character to interact with, when they really should have condensed three carriages worth of merchants into just the one, as it ultimately results in an excessive amount of leg-work.
If it tickles your fancy though, there’s no questioning the robustness of the package. Missions in the main story cater to Level 40 at which point you can complete the game with a plethora of different endings depending on the ally you take from the Mobile Corps to help you finish the last battle. You’re already looking at 20 hours at this stage, but missions continue up to Level 100, by which stage you’ll be fighting White Knights and demonically powerful dragons, and with the cavernous selection of weapon, armour and item upgrades to fiddle around with, it’s proper time-sink material.
Man or woman, RPGs really are the best place to look dashing in a skirt
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...And what other genre would allow a big toad to fuse you new goods?
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It doesn’t do an awful lot
wrong, yet there’s no question White
Knight Chronicles faces an uphill struggle in becoming a premier role-playing
series, at least in its current guise. It remains to be seen whether the series can
progress without more concrete, defining features, a better standard of visual design, or
a more memorable storyline. What it does, it does well enough, but with very
little flair or panache. Merely delivering a solid imitation of other level-grinders is unlikely to sustain White Knight for long, in the west at
least.
Smartly-judged character development and incentives means it can be very moreish, and the simple but effective combat means Origins is quite capable of stealing an afternoon or two of your time – a good trait in a portable RPG. The quest itself won't live long in the memory however, and the series will forever remain Monster Hunter’s understudy until its dull thematics can be revitalised. This anonymous portable outing is unlikely to inspire fans with any great optimism for the future.
Smartly-judged character development and incentives means it can be very moreish, and the simple but effective combat means Origins is quite capable of stealing an afternoon or two of your time – a good trait in a portable RPG. The quest itself won't live long in the memory however, and the series will forever remain Monster Hunter’s understudy until its dull thematics can be revitalised. This anonymous portable outing is unlikely to inspire fans with any great optimism for the future.
