Okage: Shadow King

"A Very Different RPG"

I'm an avid RPG freak and give every one that I can get my hands on a run through. There are lots of RPG ''sleepers'' out there, (no one really knows about them or even plays them much until a couple years after they've been released), but I don't know if this game will be one of those.
The game has almost a 50/50 good vs bad points, but I'd say there are more rewards for those willing to give it a chance.

STORY LINE (9/10)
The story line was very original. There is a voice narration, usually between chapters, that pretty much states the obvious on how strange your party is. I would have to say on of the big savers of this game was the humor value. If I were to score that it would be a 10. There are many funny situations and dialogues that keep you laughing. I especially like when your character is asked something, you usually have 3 choices:
Positive (yes, let's go!)
Negative (no, wait...)
Sarcastic (do I have kick me written on my forehead?)

BATTLE SYSTEM (6/10)
The battling in this game leaves something to be desired. The experience is something like the game Suikoden where the experience you get from fights is based on your current level. at 1st level a monster may be worth 50 exp. and the same monster 5 levels later is only worth 2 exp. Considering the sometimes drawn out battles combined with the snail-like load times, this is really annoying when trying to run through a previous area to collect something you may have missed. The one thing that I would have to say irritated me the most was the fact that your allies could die any number of times in a battle and you could revive them, but should your hero fall, the game is over. Very poor planning on the part of the programers.

GRAPHICS/MUSIC (6/10)
The graphics were very smooth and had a very fantastical feel to them. Any one who has seen Tim Burton's ''A Nightmare Before Christmas'' will see a strong resemblance. The music was fitting, considering the unique graphics and the haywire plot. I especially liked the way the music would go from very full sound while in town, to just a few of the parts when you walk inside a building, as if the music were actually being played in the town, and being indoors hindered you from hearing the full score.

OVERALL (7/10)
The game shows promise for those who don't demand a lot from their RPG's. The major draw backs are the load times and the battle system. It's generally shorter than most RPG's which usually promise a long, involved game. Your average gamer could probably beat this game(leveling up and thorough searching included) in about 30 hours. Not bad, but we've come to expect more for our money. There's not much replay value either. Good for a rent, and for the die hard RPG fans, go ahead and add it to your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/11/01, Updated 11/11/01