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»Dragoneer's Aria
  "Well, it’s no magnum opus, but at least it’s a catchy melody."

Graphics: 7

Gameplay: 8

Sound: 7

Replay Value: 8
If there’s one thing I can say about the PSP’s library (aside from it’s got plenty of ports, remakes, sequels and compilations), it seems to have no shortage of RPGs. There are three Legend of Heroes games, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner, Brave Story, not to mention the various Final Fantasy remakes and sequels planned, among others. It’s almost ludicrous really. With an opening like that, you might expect that I really don’t consider Dragoneer’s Aria to be a worthwhile addition to the PSP’s library. Sure, it’s not exactly a game that redefines the genre or stands out as the most spectacular RPG to grace us this year, but it’s still a good game.

Dragoneer’s Aria puts players in the role of Valen Kessler, the most recent graduate of the Dragoon Academy. As we join our prim and proper protagonist, he’s come to the town of Granadis, the capital of Iris, to attend his graduation, which will confirm his position as an official Dragoon. What’s a Dragoon, you ask? Well, long ago (at least in the context of this game), there was an earth-rending battle between two dragons: one Holy, the other Dark. The Holy Dragon triumphed, but was killed in the clash. Fortunately, the six separate aspects of the Holy Dragon (Fire, Water, Frost, Wind, Thunder and Earth) manifested themselves into dragon form and chose certain humans to act as their guardians - Dragoons.

Anyway, moving back to present time, Valen’s ceremony doesn’t go according to plan, as is the case with any other major event in pretty much every other RPG out there. As the ceremony is being prepared, the Dark Dragon rears its ugly head once more, devastating Granadis, as well as the Dragon Gates (which act as means of transport to the various dragons’ lairs) and seriously wounding the Water Dragon. Despite the horrible attack, the Dragoons remain vigilant and decide to check on the various dragons. As the Dragoons split up and prepare to trek to the various regions, Valen is sent to the cave closest to Granadis: that of the Fire Dragon. He is then given a Fire Orb to prove his worth as a Dragoon. Joining him on his journey is a somewhat ditzy Empath (see: Healer) named Euphe Kalm. As it would turn out, she encountered the downed Water Dragon and healed it, and was rewarded with a Water Orb. So, the two set off on their quest, but is there more to the reemergence of the Dark Dragon than there seems?


Wait, what?

If you’ve been paying attention, you should realize by now that Dragoneer’s Aria is an RPG, specifically a classic-style RPG. You know, navigating through dungeons, questing for various items, navigating through towns for the sake of items and healing, that sort of thing. Yeah, there are pretty much just two forms of environments: the town areas and the overworld. The town areas generally act as hubs, with various item shops (split into categories like weapon shops, basic items, recipes, and accessories), inns (which completely heals your party for free) and other landmarks, like save points. Yes, unfortunately, you can’t just save anywhere in this game. I guess that adds to the challenge. Of course, the stores and inns act through menus, with characters simply acting as background scenery. Granadis acts as the main town in the game, but as time goes on, other towns show up. The same regularity applies to the overworld. Basically, players roam around, eventually encountering new realms (including the various nests of the dragons). Of course, there is a nice map function in the game: by pressing the Select button, the top-right corner will show a schematic of the current area, with the added benefit of visible enemies and exits. Oh, and one more thing; kudos to Hit Maker for not using the old stand-by: random encounters. I HATE RANDOM BATTLES.

The fighting system is pretty much what you’d expect from this genre. The system’s turn-based, with each character allowed one action per turn. There are a total of five possible choices: Attack (exactly what it sounds like), Mana (more or less, the “Magic” section), Guard (I’ll go more into detail here in a second), Item (exactly what it sounds like) and Escape (ditto).


IT'S SUPER EFFEC-oh wait. Wrong game.

Since Attack and Item are pretty much the same as their equivalents in most other RPGs of this style, I’ll just delve into the differences of the other three options. For starters, the only difference with escape is simple: while in most RPGs, players can escape from most battles unless their characters are far weaker than the encountered enemy, DA only allows one to escape IF the party is stronger than the enemy. Sure, it’s an annoying change, but at least the battles aren’t random.

Next, we come to Guard. Now, while in some RPGs, Guard simply puts the character into a defensive position and decreases any damage taken from an attack, DA’s system is both more difficult and rewarding. Basically, when a character’s been set to guard and an enemy decides to attack them, a meter appears, with various symbols on them. 5 of them are colored, while the rest are monochrome. Hit the X button as a cursor lands on those colored ones and the block begins. Get one, and the damage is down to 80%. Get all 5, and the attack does no damage whatsoever (though status effects may still creep in). Unfortunately, they must all be hit in succession, as missing even one symbol causes the entire gauge to reset. To make matters even more difficult, there’s also a time limit. Sure, at first, it’s difficult, but eventually, it becomes second nature. ...At least, it did for me.

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Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Aug. 17th, 2007

     Review Recap
 Gameplay
Not bad for a classic RPG, especially with the various game quirks. The game’s reliance on grinding, on the other hand, I could do without.

 Graphics
The character designs look pretty nice, but there are a few issues with the rendering.

 Sound
The music’s not bad, the sound effects are okay and the voice acting’s pretty good, for the most part.

 Replay Value
Eh, the game’s bound to keep most RPG buffs involved for at least one play through. Besides, it’s pretty much on the same caliber as most PSP RPGs...with the major exception of the multi-player "Dragoneer's Mode".

     Comments



Platform: Sony PSP
Genre: RPG
Developer: Hitmaker
Publisher: Nippon Ichi Software
Release Date: 08/21/2007
Save Type: 1 Slot
Players: 1-4



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