Radiata Stories

"Radiata Stories - Comedy in an RPG"

Radiata Stories is made by Square Enix and Tri Ace, and I congratulate them for it. It's not perfect, but it's great fun to play and worth your time. Although not a very famous RPG, Radiata Stories deserves a place amongst Square Enix's best work. Personally, Radiata Stories is one of the best RPGs I have played, and the reasons for that I will explain in this review.


Story : In Radiata Stories, the story is kept light in general, but gets more serious towards the end. Our protagonist sixteen-year-old Jack Russell, a rude, hilarious, over-confident jerk who has a soft side to him as well. His parents are both gone and he now lives with his older sister Adele in Solieu Village, a village outside the city limits of Radiata. Jack's father, Cairn Russell, was a famous and legendary knight who had managed to slay the Water Dragon (as seen in the opening scene). It's Jack's dream (and your mission) to follow in his father's footsteps and become a great knight like him. In the beginning, you are presented with Cairn's sword, the Arbitrator, but you can't use it yet until you are worthy of it - and this will depend on the decisions you make later on in the game. The story starts on the day of the Radiata Knight's Selection Trials, where Jack is chosen because of his father's fame. He meets Ridley Silverlake, the daughter of Lord Jasne, and also a member of the same brigade as Jack. Little did they know that, because of one accident, they would get caught up in a huge war between humans and the non-humans, and decisions that would decide the fate of humanity and the world. Things will start going wrong after Ridley's accident on one of their brigade's missions. Later in the game the story splits in two, and each choice has a very different storyline and a different ending than the other. Unlike a lot of RPGs, Radiata Stories has a lot of humour and comedy in it, mostly courtesy of Jack, which, in my opinion, is a big plus in this game's story, although the downside of the story is that there are quite some parts that are confusing and a few plot holes too, and somewhat disappointing endings. I give it a 7/10

Characters : The characters breathe life into the game. Each character has their own unique personality, and you can recruit almost every character you meet in the game, even those farmers you pass in Adien Region! The characters are not soul-less puppets with almost no personality (*cough cough cough FF12*). Their personalities will make you feel like they are real people. Characters - 9/10

Gameplay : The battle system is simple and easy to get used to. Each battle takes place within a separate arena. A battle will start if you bump into or kick an enemy. You cannot control or change anything about the rest of your party except to give them stat-boosting berries, you can only manipulate Jack. There is only one button for attacking, and a gauge beneath Jack's HP meter on the top right is the Volty Gauge. Every attack will add one or more volty points to the gauge, and this includes attacks from your other party members as well. A volty attack with the square will cost you 10 volty points, and later on when you learn Links, it will require 10 volty points as well to form a Link. There are also Volty Blasts, which are special volty attacks that deal huge damage, available for each weapon - 1-hand sword, 2-hand sword, spear and axe. To get a Volty Blast available, you must have learned every attack available for that type of weapon, and to that you need to use the weapon a lot, so it could take some time to get all the Volty Blasts. Once you have one, all you need to do is press both the square button and the X button at the same time after getting 100 volty points. Radiata Stories' battle system is my favourite battle system mainly because of its simplicity and how enjoyable it is. I rate it 9/10

Controls : You control Jack. The basics : left analog stick to move, X button to kick, O button to attack, R1 button to lock the target in battle, L1 to bring up the clock, and to issue commands in-battle. Why is there a kick button you say? Well in Radiata Stories, you can make our lovable jerk Jack Russell kick just about anything - buckets, rocks, boxes and even people - even King Jiorus himself! Kicking items will likely give you a random object, such as Herb Extracts and other restoratives, and sometimes specific items like records. Kicking people a few times will result in a battle with the person you kicked. Be careful who you pick fights with - some of them may be too difficult for you to handle until later when you get better equipment and higher leveled. The controls, like the battle system, are easy and simple. Controls - 8/10


Graphics : the graphics in Radiata Stories have a cartoonish and somewhat blocky look, but quite eye-pleasing and colourful with a good amount of detail. It's no match for the stunning graphics of games like Final Fantasy 12, but it's not bad either, and suitable for a game like this. Another plus is that you can actually see the weapon and armour you've equipped, unlike many other RPGs, and a lot of the armours for Jack are purposely made to make him look ridiculous, which only adds to the humour in this game. Graphics - 7/10


Sounds : the music in this game is not bad, and has a few catchy tunes. The voice acting is well-executed, and suitable for the characters of the game. I don't have much to say here. Sounds - 7/10


Replayability : for an RPG, Radiata Stories is actually quite short, not counting the optional bonus dungeon and sidequests. But that's no reason to stop you playing it. Because of the split in the story, you will need to play the game at least twice to complete everything, and there are many missable characters to recruit. Certainly the game is worth replaying. Replayability - 7/10


Rent or Buy? : It depends on you. If you're the type who rushes through RPGs, then you should just rent this game because it won't take you long to complete it. If you're the type who likes to see and do everything there is to do in an RPG, then by all means go ahead and buy this game. But for me, it's a Buy.


Despite its faults, Radiata Stories is an incredibly fun and enjoyable game. If you're tired of all those heavy RPGs and looking for something light and simple, look for Radiata Stories. It might not look very impressive, but as said, Never judge a game by its cover. Try it first before you make any remarks about it.

The Good
-good story
-colourful graphics
-characters full of personality
-simple and easy battle system
-plenty of characters to recruit

The Bad
-plot holes and confusing points
-far too few save points

The Conclusion - Altogether, a great game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/20/08

Game Release: Radiata Stories (US, 09/06/05)