By
Michael Palisano
Japanese developers Nippon Ichi have
cultivated a loyal following over the past few years by releasing some of
the most innovative RPGs around such as Disagea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom
Brave, and LaPucelle Tactics, all of which received glowing praise from
fans and critics alike. Now, the developers have released another
excellent title, Makai Kingdom for the PS2. MK mixes a traditional RPG
approach with strategic play, building elements, tons of characters and
weapons plus the developers' a weird sense of humor to create a unique
title with an unforgettable cast of characters. The graphics seem a little
plain, but the innovative gameplay more than makes up for it. Read our
review and find out why this interesting title deserves a look from
hardcore and casual RPG fans alike.
Makai Kingdom takes the parameters of
Nippon Ichi's previous titles and opens up the gameplay a bit more this
time around with a more open, less rigid structure. Players take the role
of the displaced Lord Zetta from an alternate universe called the
Netherworld, who's been deposed from his throne and is fighting to regain
control of his land. The game's unusual play mechanics and unique visual
designs make it immediately apparent that this isn't going to be another
cookie-cutter RPG. However, the strangeness is somewhat mitigated by the
odd sense of humor such as Lord Zetta's petulant outbursts and the
bickering between the other Overlords. Makai Kingdom mixes elements to
create an interesting hybrid of both strategic and role-playing elements.
What makes the game unique is that players can create their characters out
of bindings, which gives the game's strategy a cool layer most other RPG's
lack. You can construct many different object types or facilities and then
use them against rival factions, making for some interesting battles.
A large part of Makai Kingdom's appeal
lies in its odd sense of humor. Instead of a traditional hero, the
protagonist is kind of a jerk. Lord Zetta, cares only for his own survival
and will use the other characters in the game as his pawns. As the game
begins, the deposed Zetta has only a single small shack to use as his
headquarters, and must summon or invite other characters to join him in
his mission. At first, the types of objects and characters you can create
are limited, but additional types of facilities and characters will become
available later on. This is elaborated on throughout the game, adding some
layer of weirdness to the proceedings.
Makai
Kingdom's building aspects are also interesting. You can construct various
items such as libraries, hospitals, storage buildings and even dog houses
to build your kingdom. When you have built these facilities, you can then
store characters, weapons and other items in them. However there's a
catch: in order to build certain buildings, you'll have to sacrifice some
of your onscreen characters. When the characters are confined to an
object, they can't return to their original spirit state, but they will
retain some of their other skill points. Creating characters and sending
them into battle requires you to complete several steps. The first thing
you need to do is to select an object such as a tree or stone, and carry
it to Zetta's tome. Once you've done this, you need to talk to the tome
and create the character. At this point, you need to decide what type of
character you want to create. After you have done this, the object will
transform into a unit that you can "Invite" onto the
battlefield.
After you've created a character, you'll
need to confine or store it in a facility, where you can use the Dispatch
command to send them into battle against the assembled enemy forces.
However, players will need to be careful where they place these
facilities, since this will make a huge impact as to the success or
failure of your campaigns. This somewhat complicated character system
allows players to create many types of objects and characters throughout
the game. This flexibility adds to the unpredictability of the gameplay
and enhances Makai Kingdom's replay value significantly and adding to the
challenge. A clever character creation and facilities systems definitely
give Makai Kingdom a unique feel. While the character designs are quite
fun, there's also a variety of cool weaponry ranging from modern weaponry
such as rocket launchers, to ancient tools like a traditional broadsword.
Players can use a variety of vehicles,
such as tanks, motorcycles and, mech suits to traverse the kingdom faster.
The additional firepower of these vehicles will also make for a more
enjoyable title. The gameplay in Makai Kingdom will offer a mixture of
traditional turn-based role-playing with a more action packed approach
where the battles take place on a grid-free map. This extends the far less
linear approach first seen in Phantom Brave, allowing for more interesting
and unpredictable battles. However, there's still plenty of strategy and
statistics involved, so it isn't entirely action. Makai Kindgom also
implements what are called 'random extension' battle maps. Instead of
unfolding the same way each time, the game's levels are randomly generated
each time you play with different maps, terrain, objects, enemy types and
levels that change every time you play. This can extend to stages you just
played.. While the individual battles sound impressive, you shouldn't
leave sight of the main main goal which is to defeat the enemy kingdoms
and reclaim Lord Zetta's rightful place on the throne. However, the other
Lords don't hesitate to attack you with their own facilities and weapons.
They can also summon or place their facilities right in the middle of your
kingdom and even your own facilities. When enemies invade your facilities,
the battle will move inside its walls, and if the invaders are successful,
they can steal any items you've placed inside the building. This added
complexity definitely adds to the challenge, creating all-out intense
inter-kingdom battles that gives the game a frenetic pace in a hurry.
Along
the way, Lord Zetta will meet several other characters including the
oracle Pram, who predicted the fall of the Lord, and the subsequent
destruction of the Netherworld. He'll also run across the Dark Lord
Valvoga, who appears at several points during the game as an end boss.
This monster is actually made up of three different rival overlords,
making him a powerful foe. Finally, players will encounter Lord Zetta's
archrival, Alexander, who has sent assassins to kill Lord Zetta many times
and has failed. Obviously, he's not the smartest god in the universe. This
weird sense of humor is one of the key to the appeal of Nippon Ichi's
earlier titles were. Makai Kingdoms continues this approach with its
offbeat design and humorous plotlines. Makai Kingdom's interface and
control scheme should be familiar to RPG elements and the game's overall
approach should make it easy to play. The action takes place in a
traditional angled, top-down perspective that allows players to see the
majority of the relevant game screen unhindered by objects. Makai Kingdom
then switches perspectives when the action sequences unfold, giving the
game a dynamic, exciting presentation. From a visual standpoint, the game
looks slightly dated, with a 2D sprite based approach. However, this
insistence on an old-school feel is precisely what makes the game so
appealing. This isn't a typically overblown RPG with 20 minutes of cinemas
between each round, and is instead, a title which concentrates on the
gameplay above the usual bells and whistles, making you forgive some of
the glitches along the way.
Makai Kingdom is an enjoyable and
surprisingly deep RPG that should make it a hit with role playing fans.
It's unique gameplay blends several elements from other genres including
building, role-playing and strategic combat to create a cool title that
doesn't fit into predefined molds. Its randomized levels should keep the
gameplay unpredictable and challenging, while extending the title's
longevity. The developers' trademark sense of off-beat humor makes the
game all the more enjoyable, while not getting too distracting. The
interesting play mechanics and easy to understand controls make the game
easy to play, though you'll probably need to get the hang of the somewhat
clunky menu system before you can really start to enjoy the game. While
it's solidly produced from a technical standpoint, Makai Kingdom quirky
design and gameplay mechanics mean it isn't going to appeal to everyone.
The game definitely shows how Nippon Ichi has evolved from the last few
titles, and builds on some successful ideas seen in Phantom Brave
effectively. Makai Kingdom has a number of innovative ideas that are
implemented effectively. This challenging and deep entertaining game will
please RPG fans who have embraced Nippon Ichi's unique style.
