Kartia: The Word of Fate

"The promising game that was made on the wrong console."

Say what you want about Kartia, but only the vainest of gamers will deny the game had sparkle in the ideas it tried to express. Yes, it is an understatement that Kartia does not test the power of the Playstation's RAM in the graphics department. Yes it's true that Kartia, from the visual surface, seems to refine nothing more than a should-have-been SNES license. But underneath the pretences, the snubs and the easy lining insults, Kartia uses the little amount of material to clarify itself as one of the most original, and greatest strategy RPG's ever made.

Evidently of my own personal feelings towards the game, Kartia: Word Of Fate is a brave front of a good collaboration from some of the partially acclaimed games including Persona, byCozi Okada and the devilishly talented Amano Yoshitaka both contributing on Kartia's content. Now granted that the end result of Kartia should have been better, considering this collaboration - but if the people overdosing on the glamour of Final Fantasy can find rehab in the less alluring sights of Kartia, they will find solace and absolution to the vanity of the press' reponse to this little slice of a masterpiece.

So why do I in particuliar find Kartia to be what most people condemn?. One reason would be that in the universe of RPG's, Kartia is one of the few strategy RPG's to land in the rainy banks of the third world - the UK. So I appreciate anything that sits on the shelf of the very vacated local gameshop in my tiny hometown. Vandal Hearts, in my opinion is still the torch carrier for best strategy RPG yet, but Kartia comes a very close second. The delightful characters and their strange but sensual designs, the linear but very steep storyline, the complex and unique gameplay overbears any appeal in which the graphics may not have banked. The therapeutic truth of the matter is that I find no exact problem with Kartia, except from a few minor internal problems.

The Phantom Creator

The people in the world of Rebus have used Kartia since their own beginning of time. The meaning of Kartia is practically magical cards that are used as appliances for every day life. People use them for the most banal of things, such as to draw water for a plain example. The Kartia ranges from the following;

Kartia fire illuminates the dark, Kartia winds flow through the sea, Kartia earth laid over a bed of seeds, Kartia water nurtured the plants

And that was the rule of Kartia, and how people would use them, for their benefit of living. The ancient civilisation of Rebus and Kartia complimented each other well until the natural consequence of people gaining corruption in their streak of using Kartia. Finally the absence of war took it's ugly and dreaded place in the world of Rebus, and destruction and chaos erupted. People suffered and so did the Kartia, as now it was running on limited time, where before, there was endless amounts from everyone. And this story, tells of two individual warriors who use Kartia for the same cause, eventually.

The first of the lineup is Toxa Classico. A bold, naive and very eager boy working at the mansion of a wealthy relative as a security guard. He defied the decision layed upon him to become another merchant like his Father and strived upon his natural ability as a swordsman. Recklessly kind and caring, he cannot use his perspective more carefully, as his first meeting with the Druid girl Mona changes his life forever. Toxa sees his journey a personal one to become a great warrior, and a more sensible one.

Next for the spotlight treatment is the noble Lacryma Christi. A personal favourite character, Lacryma is very much the mature Toxa (or the person Toxa would have been in a few years). Lacryma is a Shrine Warrior, a protector of the law with the firm belief of justice. She is the head of the group Vigilante. The Shrine Warriors protect the Mana Trees that harbour the most powerful Kartia. Rebels often try to steal them. Lacryma can sometimes have a cold and strict exterior, but within she is struggling to live up to her dead warrior Father, Kainas. While she has driven herself to the exceptional heights expected of her, it has left her secluded and partially insecure.

What I loved about these two characters and the rest of the cast is the quota that is entailed with each of them. It labels their personality with their bearing into the story. Those include Duran Bouquet, a Shrine Warrior masking his personal feelings for professional ones. Misty Rouge, the lonely and estranged rogue whose fate is condemned. Posha Saint Amour, a young innocent inexperienced Medium looking for approval and a place to fit in. Mona Saradiart, a young druid girl with an enigmatic destiny. Kun Vine, the young swordsman looking to achieve higher ranking. Alana Il Vanya, the talented swordswoman and dancer with a silk heart but also competitive. And Troy Wreatherling, the arrogant delusioned sarcastic wizard who holds no place for others in his life.

Choosing either Toxa or Lacryma will see their allotted characters bounce in and out of each other's journey. But by the story telling, they all progress as fighters in gameplay by the story, not by choice. Each character has their own journey, and the story is different. So it bulks up the replay value, and a thorough play to gain better knowledge of what the characters are doing. The story is laid out the linear way, you watch a cutscene leading into the battle to gain the next cutscene. There is no options to choose how you progress in the story, but then again, it's a simple tale. And it makes things blend and tie in very easily. Both stories are great, and Lacryma Christi is one of the greatest heroines ever cast in a game. Some will undoubtedly claim murder by the non linear mini games that seem to have eluded this title while if people can appreciate the story for what it actually is, there is little to complain about.

The main story of Kartia is pleasant, deep and very interesting. The fact that it is basically a run through, non complicated plot doesn't exactly make it transparent, but the developers shred it into a novelised experience. And the extent of the character's development will stun you just as it involves you with their inner thoughts (dialogue that separates a conversation to a form of a soliloquy). The dialogue itself is very potent in emotional and strength terms that any dramatist should be proud of. Like most strategy RPG's, manually controlling the main characters are usually out of bounds, making the actual battles the only form of contact you have with the characters. It makes you sort of the spectator everywhere else. Personally, I've never been a fan of this employment, but it didn't deter any feelings I had towards the game in general. The divided opinion made this a weary move as some felt detached from characters, but it makes it even more simpler to understand what they are going through.

Choosing the defining qualities of the plot is an easy chore. The immense detail of the character's emotions and the extreme events that happens to them. Some achieve their dreams, some find love and some will experience the brink of death and loss - all scripted perfectly into a nice emotive experience for us all. As much as the world of Rebus descends further into crisis and laws are broken, whatever the characters are doing, the focus set's the scope on them. Though the issues in Rebus are always covered, the importance of how the characters relate and deal with them are even more covered. Toxa's journey is more watered down to the main, stronger story of Lacryma but both versions of a character's journey are great to experience, the story never ties in with each others, although they run into some scenes with each other from different perspectives. And a final note to the press, that savaged the game for possibly having a bad translation when it made it over here - the translation is perfect in terms of dialogue. The whole plot of Kartia illuminates the strength of the whole license.

The Battling Swans?.

Amano Yoshitaka mostly from what we've seen, has handled mainly artwork and FMV in games. While I have no liking for his trademark artwork converted into video game film motion - the simple artwork he has designed for the characters are strangely sensual and breathtaking. His flowing and graceful unique way shines through here and makes the character's in turn, special. From his work, which I've sadly haven't any detailed knowledge of, it gives Kartia a certain unity of style and poise. It is also a very friendly bond of modern comic art and the very reknown art that is Manga/Anime. The portraits of every character shows distinction of serenity, depicting their at the moment personality in one look. It's clever that only one can convey so many emotions. But, just to be safe, there are more. And Amano takes full advantage of it, and displays the portrait to decree what characters are thinking at a certain scenario point of the game. They also double up as face portraits for the dialogue boxes. His appearances in Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy Anthology do not compare to his full throttle presence in Kartia, where his artwork seems the most important fixture to the release of the game. Unfortunately, this is only the first part of the graphics bag.

The in game graphics are what make Kartia stumble so carelessly into the traps of being classed as a SNES game. The flat 2D one dimensional pixels of the characters do the appeal of the game no favours as Amano's treasury wasn't the main outline in the media clippings of Kartia. Being that as it may, we are led to think that Kartia will match the stunning intro FMV of the Rebus city being plagurised with phantoms. But the latter overcomes the first impression. The sacrifice of 3D polygons have been liquidised into 2D character models with polygon battle maps. It fares well, but not enough to shut the vain-bags up and Kartia suffers terribly of being shown the backdoor compared to Vandal Hearts. Personally, I find the characters simple and cute - but Kartia is easily shown up by SNES games such as Secret Of Mana and Chrono Trigger when it comes to style.

However, on the battle, the magic is used in the technique that Grandia II would go on to use. There is great use of film sprites that allow the weak Playstation (in this department at least) Kartia to perform the most crafted spells ever used. Same as creating Phantoms. But the Phantom designs are so uninspiring and very drear and plain that it ignites no style or quality whatsoever. Even when the level of phantom creating progresses, the designs are still very plain. The 2D shouldn't effect this in any way, but it does.

If only...

The music is definetly under developed, bar nothing. It is not the most concentrated aspect of the game. But that doesn't mean it's disappointing as a whole, mind you. The opening orchestra chorus in the intro is a wonderful composition that gives the introduction dynamics and explosion that does the game justice. Unfortunately, the rest of the compositions are lacklustre in comparison, though not exactly a bad selection. They just lack finesse and superiority. The themes are very simple, easily devised that will or won't catchy.

As mentioned, they aren't bad compositions, but none trigger that chord inside of you to engage the extra touch of emotions during a scene. Nor will you invite one of the tune's in for the humming sessions, as I so call it. The moods of the music stem from morose, emotionally sad, angry, overpowering and cheery. But despite this, they sound like variations, vamps and ornaments from the main theme tune of Kartia. Another thing that is a balanced opinion is the battle music. The beat pumps violently as the orchestra music dominates, adding vibrants of energy towards the mood of battle but my main qualm was that the music was too powerful but a more lighter, tense mood would have fitted the bill better. I think that the music is fine, but there is no substance to back up the story feel and how we should be reacting to it. The complexity usually found in Final Fantasy games are never matched here, meaning it's another department that is easily open to criticism.

Sound affects is limited, like most RPG games in my experience. For the Playstation material, only a few games made it to the voice acting central and Kartia indeed wasn't planning on a trip. The sound affects are mainly grunts, magic casting and sword clashes that mainly sound familliar with other games. I would usually say room for improvement, but even superior games such as Final Fantasy have not committed to sound affects until later titles.

The gameplay is the only other thing that sells the game

At the heart of where strategy games resides, Kartia is there also. The tactical turn of chess is employed here, such as it was in the original Vandal Hearts. Whatever the case, for the good or bad, Kartis is at the nexus where this genre was introduced since Tactics Ogre. Kartia allows you to move your characters, end turn and then the opposition take theirs. It's simple, and the only form of battle strategies are agressive and defensive.

You can use the map to your advantage and you can choose where you want to place your characters. Some positions will give you the best balance of strategy in favour of how you want to win. Usually, it will be your characters versus an enemy character and their backup and phantoms. Also, you have to save your game before and after battles also. And here is where Kartia's main aspect of battles comes into play.

It's imperative that you create phantoms on battle because you can't rely on characters, if they die, the game is over. It's sucks, but it happens so you need to rely on creating phantoms. Only some characters in Kartia can create phantoms, and creating the right module and type can prove vital to the outcome of the battle. You can create a limit of phantoms before battle, but creating them on battle costs a turn per character. Phantoms all have their strength and weaknesses like better movement, strong resistance against magic and good range attack. To progress in phantom making, you need to acquire letters from Kartia that are found from enemies and treasure chests. I would also note that there are rules of how to use your phantoms in battles.

Phantoms come in three types that are strong and weak against in each other. Those are Common, Doll and Shadow. Common is strong against Doll, but weak against Shadow. Doll is strong against Shadow, but weak against Common. Shadow is strong against Common, but weak against Doll. It's vital you remember that you attack phantoms with that knowledge in tow otherwise you can find them dropping dead very quick. The formula is simple, but something that was missing in these games. Atlus did a very good job - it balances more difficulty and challenge to the gameplay. Phantoms will gain experience and become stronger in battles, and can carry on from battle to battle - but you can't ressurect dead phantoms. You are also given the choice to delete unwanted phantoms before battles.

Although the graphics don't support this feature, you can make your own weapons and even change your weapons during battle. Again, Kartia is used to make them, and finding letters are vital to step up in weapon and equipment making. Your weapon choices are the sword, the spear and the axe. Each have their advantages which is a interesting aspect to consider. For example, the Axe does greater damage when you are attacking an enemy on a lower surface than you. The sword is at it's best when you are on the same surface with an enemy and the spear reaches higher surfaced enemies. The gear works the same with helmet for head attacks, armour for torse attacks and leggings for lower attacks. It all depends on where your character or phantom is standing to where the real amount of damage lies. Obviously head attacks are the most damaging, but it is a good note to take into account that some weapons are more proficient than others in certain situations. Though it is also good to mention that the terrain of a battle map can be altered by using magic. Which also brings up a feature where...

...you can create your own magic (called Kartia). The game Kartia relentlessly includes you wholly in the statistics of the gameplay and you basically have one hundred per cent control over everything. Like Phantoms, the magic comes across in three types. Silk Kartia is the weakest therefore used for low key magic spells. Mithril Kartia is for slightly upper class magic, allowing you to create stronger spells and World Tree Kartia is the importance of all importance. World Trees are what the Shrine Warriors fight to protect. This is the strongest piece of magic in the game. Your level of Kartia depends on the amount you have and the letters that appear on the Kartia themselves. More letters equals more magic casting. You can only cast Kartia once and then the spell is gone and to regain it, you need to create it again after the battle. This keeps you balanced and always limiting the Kartia you use. It's also important to note that only human characters can use magic. Uh huh, they do have some use. And basically Kartia is awarded after battles and in treasure chests or in the Arena - a place you can optionally choose to fight after each chapter where you can test your Kartia (that is unlimited there only).

Regrettably, the challenge of Kartia isn't enough to qualify as a solid game. Most of this resides on the A.I of the enemies, and some of the poor produce of battle material. Thwarting the enemy's A.I is very easy, and you can have them fall into basic traps all the time. This was a problem Vandal Hearts 2. What do I mean by this?. Well in Kartia, and so many other turn based games, the enemy will only advance forward when you reach a certain point on the map and then they shall start mobilising. Never are you pushed to survival, and the simplest of strategies prove to be the best. This means, sadly, the veterans of these games will bore easily and will soon crave more comlpex material. The only challenge resides in the enemy's strength, but how easy it is to decimate them providing you lure them. Another aspect is the fact that characters are not allowed to die, and are equal.

One of the good things that Kartia has to offer in the gameplay is a two player feature that is recently headlining the titles MMORPG (online games). Obviously, Kartia permits no online activity but this was one of the closest things fans could grasp when it came to multi player RPG's. In this field, you are given a small selection of scenarios to fulfill such as defending the fort where one player tests defence, the other tests offense. There are six battle maps, six different winning conditions. You can load up your levelled up characters and their weapons from your memory card and pit them in these scenario's if you wish. Endless fun unless you enjoy modem games, but Kartia invents something that veterans will enjoy. It scores whole heartedly here.

All in all, Kartia is an experience that many fans of the SRPG's will like, given the chance they try it.

Although Kartia won't open any doors, it certainly gives the rest of the world beside Japan a taste of what is taken for granted there. Yoshitaka Amano is given his owed time for artwork and as a TRPG, Kartia suceeds for me. By no means perfect but gaps of room for improvement, Kartia was a little bit of a genius in it's own right that was sadly shunned for no reason other than the way it looked. The story being wonderful but just a story does in a twisted way abolish the role from role playing but the characters are neatfully captivated this way. The battle system is great, never underused and immensly involving without being too suffocating. That along with the lacklustre graphics defines the game as a love or hate game but even tragically, the audience for this game seems much thinner to even classify a statement such as that. Vain gamers be cautious when approaching this title but for open minders - grab this game. It's fun nevertheless and the story is worth the price label alone. And I cannot think of a better recommendation.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/04