Summon Night: Swordcraft Story

"Decent game but it doesn't have enough strength to light up the night."

With the raising popularity of the PSP and the Nintendo DS, the Gameboy Advance has taken a backseat and it seems like it is slowly being forgotten. With interesting games such as this one, it helps rekindle the love that people have for the Gameboy Advance. However, it is hard to notice games like this one when there are so many mediocre games and mainstream titles that has a history being loved and hated by the masses.

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story is a side scrolling action rpg for the Gameboy Advance. While Summon Night had already been released in Japan for a while, it is nice to see that Atlus does take notice and was able to take a chance to released the game outside. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story is a great addition to the GBA lineup, however, it does have it's problems.

Summon Night does provide some decent and detail graphics for the Gameboy Advance but however, the colors are a bit lacking. The colors isn't very vibrant and it is a bit bleak. The colors tends to focus around the gray tones. However, it is understandable due to the fact that the game is located within a city. The characters and the monsters designs are decent at best but not enough to make an impact. The music for this game is impressive despite the limited range on the GBA and it is pleasant to listen.

When you begin the game, you are able to choose your gender of the game. It doesn't matter which gender you choose because the main story is basically very similar. Being as the child of the father who was a famous Craftlord, you became an apprentice in order to enter in the tournament in order to become the next Craftlord and also following your father's footstep. The story itself is rather very average but it's somewhat interesting at the same time. The characters are interesting and some does have some vivid personality while many of the other characters lack a bit. Depending which gender you choose, it is interesting to see the character's reaction within the story. There are times where the story doesn't feel fleshed out in certain area and some of the pacing are a bit questionable. The main game itself is very short but there are some side quests where you are able to do to help pass the time. However, the main problem with the story is the way the game design around the story itself. After playing the game for a while, you would notice a certain formula that the game utilizes.

If you are familiar with the "Tales" series, then you would have no problems with Summon Night mechanics. The gameplay of is your basic 2d side scrolling action rpg. There are a few slight differences though. Instead of controlling a party, you only control the main character. Every CraftKnight has a Guardian Beast by his or her side where you can summon during battles and also help creating weapons which you are able to choose in the beginning of the game. You are able to change weapons during the battles and the Guardian Beast does provide support magic that you would need. Each weapon has a certain durability where it can break when it exceeds it's limits. The movement during the battle are very fast and very responsive on the Gameboy Advance.

The game itself mostly focus around the weapon creation aspect of the game. In order to create weapons, you would need the recipe and then going to the Labyrinth in order to gather the items. The Labyrinth has about 50+ floors and it is fill with creatures and stray Summons. The random encounters in the game is rather very high but at the same time, the battles are fast and also very repetitive. Due to the fact that the way the story is focusing around the weapon creation, you would also spending the most time in the Labyrinth. There isn't anywhere outside of the city where you are able to gather more materials but however, there are certain point of the story where it does take you outside world. However, it's just a one way trip meaning that you won't be able to visit the areas again. When you gather the materials, you would have to break the items down into five different substances. Each weapon uses a certain amount of each substances. The problem with the weapons creation system is the fact that there isn't much variety and is very boring. You basically ending up doing the same routine which is obtain the recipe, gathering items, creating the weapons and then starting all over again.

Overall, Summon Night was a very repetitive game. It doesn't provide anything new to the genre but it is a solid addition to the GBA lineup. If you need a game to help pass the time, Summon Night might be able to help.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/17/06