Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

"Not only the easiest RPG of all time, it is possibly the easiest game of all time."

Rhapsody is the easiest game of all time. Honest to god, this game is easy. Here is the general flow of this game.
-Go to town, half the time not knowing where to go.
-Go to dungeon. Run through the exact-same looking rooms over and over again.
-Gain levels and get money (Inotium).
-Go back to town, and repeat.

Sounds like your average RPG fare, no? Well, it would be, if the game wasn't so easy. After an hour or so, your characters will be so strong, enemies will not even be able to connect there attacks. And when they do, you're lucky if you get 1 point of damage done to you. Trust me, you will not get a game over in this game. It's too bad this game is so easy, because it has a fun little battle system. Very fun, basic stuff.

Graphics- 5/10.
This game has good character portraits, and kinda looks like a toned down Legend Of Mana. That's what it reminded me of at first, but than I made it to the dungeons. If it's a cave, and an ice cave, for example, EVERY SINGLE room in the ice cave will have the same design, unless some kind of story happens in it. It is really bad, and annoying because you can get lost in the dungeons easily, due to the repeated designed rooms. That is why the graphics scored so low.

Sound- 8/10.
There are a few musics throughout the game that you seem to ALWAYS here. The town theme, and the dungeon theme. The town theme is good, but the dungeon theme sucks. Now, the game is called ''Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure'' for a reason. There are quite a few scenes in the game where the characters sing. Kinda reminds me of disney. A lot of effort was put in the music, and it shows. As for the sound effects, I don't remember any. SO Not that the sound of weapons hitting things really stands out, but it didn't disgust me ;).

Story- 6/10.
The game strives for simplicity. The story? Cornet has a puppet, Koroku. Koroku and Cornet have been together for a s long as they can remember. Now, they go t a dance at the castle, and Cornet falls in love with the prince. Alas, something happens to the prince, and it leads to you having to get the elemental items to bring him back from being.... well, find out for yourself. There are a few surprises here and there (I.E. Koroku's identity.), but it is still a very simple story. You would think Working Designs ported it, due to some of the humor in it.

Gameplay- 6/10.
The game is a tactical game. Very fast random battles. You have to control puppets you find all over the place in battle. Although you could play the game only controlling Cornet, and you'd be more than fine. But the game let's you control puppets you find in battle to kill the VERY EASY enemies. and bosses. If the game only had challenge... Some of the bosses die in 3 hits. 3 hits :(. and even they miss most of their attacks on you too. So, what you have left is a game that has so much potential to be an 8 or so, but is killed by the zero challenge. Even on hard mode, this game is just too easy. :(.

Extra/Replay- 5/10.
Nothing here. You can capture monsters. But why? You get more things that make the game even easier if you do it. I don't see replaying this game ever again. It may only be 9 hours, but it is so boring at times, due to just blowing through battles.

Rent/Buy?
I'd buy it if you're a collector. The game is pretty hard to find. But other than that, ren it to see for yourself how easy it is.

Overall- 6/10.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure could be a good game. Instead, it is plagued with being the easiest game of all time. If it wasn't so easy, it would be better. That is how I see it, anyway. The battles are fun, but just too easy. That is what makes the game a little above average.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/03, Updated 07/05/03