Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth

"Only for the patient and talented."

Honestly,I loved every Strategy/RPG that's come out on just about every system so far.Shining Force and Shining Force II as well as Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics are classics,and new games like Fallout Tactics are all amazing.This is just a new one to add to that pile.

RPG/STRATEGY SCORING SYSTEM

Battle System/Gameplay (7/10)

Whew.What to say about Hoshigami?Well,the battle system is rather elaborate.It has a few great features,such as ''Attack Sessions'' where you can start a continual chain of attacks between all your troops.You can also change the ''diety'' your character worships,thus changing his or her weakness and proficiency in weapons in order to obtain different skills and such.There is also no conventional magic system.You buy or find ''coinfegms'' and engrave seals on them to make them more powerfull,as they have stats as well.Unlike FFT you cannot change a characters class so once you pick a character,your stuck with them unless you wish to spend some time swapping stuff around.Needless to say,the battle system is fairly complex and you'll need a lot of patience and a good understanding of other Strategy/RPG's and experience with playing them in order to even succeed.Endless amounts of level building hamper the gameplay because without it you'll either be totally crushed or have your entire party reduced to almost nothing every couple of battles.It can get pretty boring and as such,this game should only be attempted by the patient and/or the obsessed with Strategy/RPG's.Hoshigami is HARD.

Story (8/10)

Pretty well thought out.Not half as complex as FFT (and this is a good thing) and entertaining right from the start.The story is told well with both in game graphics and little drawn characters that are pretty well done.Characters are interesting,but the fact is that you might forget just what's going on with all the level building you'll have to do.

Graphics/Sound (8/10)

Good.The PSX is capable of more,but it looks reminiscent of FFT in a lot of ways and that is a very good thing.Everything is pretty clean and nicely done for the PSX.The drawn characters have a lot of personality and look nice.The sound is alright,even though the number of music tracks is fairly lacking.It sets a nice mood though,and there are no real glaring errors or anything like that.

PRO's
-Attack Sessions
-Challenging
-Good Plot

CON's
-Complex Battle System
-Challenging (Too much for some)
-Too much level building

Reviewers Score: 8/10

Rent or Buy: To rent..or to buy..? Well,if your a Strategy/RPG fnatic then by all means buy it,but if your unfamiliar with the genre go for Shining Force II or Final Fantasy Tactics.Good luck.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/01, Updated 12/29/01