Otogi: Myth of Demons

"An action RPG heavy on the action"

Otogi is FROM Software's latest addition to the Xbox library (following on the heels of the abysmal Murakumo). It's an action RPG set in ancient Japan that features a fairy (otogi) named Raikou who, summoned by a mysterious woman, must rid the countryside of demons and free trapped spirits to restore the natural flow of ''ki'' (spirit energy) to the world. The initial Japanese release includes an art book (more like an art pamphlet, really, but a nice freebie) and a soundtrack CD.

STORY: 10
Awakened by a mysterious female character (always shown in shadow) who narrates your quest, Raikou finds himself on a quest to rescue spirits trapped in background elements, fight immense demonic bosses, and restore the flow of ''ki'' to a world corrupted by demons and evil spirits. This game sets up it's atmosphere flawlessly, whether it be the creepy voiced narration that sets up each mission, the incredible gloomy music, or the graphical splendor in which the world takes form.

GAMEPLAY: 9
Ostensibly an RPG, Otogi takes the form of a mission based action game. Each stage has a specific goal, such as ridding the map of all enemies, destroying certain structures, reaching a certain point on the map, or engaging a boss in battle. In addition to swarms of well designed enemies, the backgrounds are also littered with destroyable background elements from trees to castle walls, to ''tori'' (Shinto shrine gates). In any given stage, a number of spirits are trapped in certain elements such as these. One sub-goal of the game is to try to free them all. Your life gauge consists of orbs that measure hit points and a purple magic gauge. This gauge, as long as some power is left, allows you to perform dashes and activate magic spells. It also has the secondary function of slowly recharging any orbs that still contain HP in your life meter. Conversely, when it is depleted, not only do you find yourself unable to dash or use magic, but your life gauge will slowly decrease until you refill the purple gauge by collecting power ups from vanquished foes. After each mission is cleared, you are whisked away to a menu screen where you can buy new magics, weapons, and accessories, equip said items, or go back to any cleared stage to gain experience, money, or to free spirits you've left behind. You can even choose to go back to a stage the way you left it (with destroyed backgrounds) or how it was at the beginning. To give you an idea of just how much your destruction can alter the landscape, the file for background saves alone is close to 200 blocks(!).

CONTROL: 9
The left stick controls Raikou (clicking it centers the camera), while the right manipulates the camera (clicking toggles enemy life gauges on and off). A jumps, B performs a weak attack, X activates magic, and Y initiates a strong attack. The L trigger locks the camera in place or locks on to specific enemies. The R trigger, in conjunction with a direction, makes Raikou dash. Combinations, which, when performed in the air, cause Raikou to float (a nice effect) are performed smoothly with the B and Y buttons. The button layout is intuitive, and the engine is quite responsive. The only issue some may have with the control (I don't) is that the whole game seems to move on the slow side. In fact, to an observer, it may even seem that the game is mired in slowdown. The controls respond so quickly, however, that it shouldn't bother anyone who's actually playing. In my opinion, this mixture of slowness and speed is a deliberate one, a product of good programming, and not an accident or a flaw.

GRAPHICS: 10
These are probably the best graphics I've seen on the Xbox (or anywhere, for that matter). Everything moves along at a smooth frame rate, the water effects look fantastic, the character animations are spot on, and the lighting effects are revolutionary. Sometimes, when the lighting is just right, Raikou is surrounded by a sort of haze or halo of reflected light. The last time I saw graphics approaching this level of lighting effects was when I was playing the much maligned Double S.T.E.A.L. (Wreckless in the U.S.). Additionally, the sheer variety of level motifs is staggering. Bamboo lined valleys, ancient castles, flaming caverns, lush forests, bridges over darkened oceans; all this and more await you. Sometimes, as Famitsu pointed out, the graphics are a little dark, making it hard to locate enemies, but since the left trigger locks on to the nearest enemy and the brightness is easily adjusted on the options screen, I found this to be a non-issue.

SOUND: 10
Taking full advantage of the Xbox's surround sound capabilities, Otogi immerses you in creepy sound effects, eerie narration, and incredible music that bolsters the atmosphere nicely with traditional Japanese drums, flutes, and stringed instruments.

OVERALL: 9
As far as I'm concerned, Otogi is a must have game for anyone who enjoys action games, RPGs, or both. Although I know it will never get the recognition it deserves, it is, for me, as close a game to a killer ap that the Xbox has at this stage. FROM Software, consider yourself forgiven for Murakumo. You've won back a rabid fan and I'll never doubt you again...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/15/02, Updated 12/17/02