Summon Night: Swordcraft Story

"But one more RPG for the GBA"

Similarities are often made between this series and the Tales series. Unfortunately, I haven't played the latter, and for anyone with a like history, I'm sure you'll find more to enjoy in Summon Night than those who do know Tales. But wherever you come from, it's not too difficult to notice Summon Night has a lot of potential that it, more or less, fails to fully realize.

Graphics:
As is the RPG tradition, Summon Night takes place in an isometric view. The backgrounds are well-painted, and the game does feature a loveable cast of characters. While the design is noticeably anime-inspired, it's nice to see adventurers who don't look like cross-dressers and hookers a la Final Fantasy. When you get into battle, however, the camera changes to a 2D side view. And here is where the game takes on its full charm. The characters/monsters look much softer and animate more believably. It's a really nice graphical change of pace.

Gameplay:
The battle system, then, becomes this game's strongest selling point. Though the battles are still regrettably random, they are not turn-based. It's a lot like a 2D fighter. You can dash, duck, jump, and block to avoid getting hit, then dish out sword slashes as you please. Fleeing is also made easy since all you have to do is run to the far side of the screen. It's the perfect setup for everyone who is sick of the usual turn-based fair. Battles are made even more intricate since you not only have a health meter but also a weapon durability meter. If you use your sword too much in any one battle, it can break. Luckily, you can hold up to three swords at a time, so it's necessary to keep an eye on your gauges and switch when necessary. A summon creature also accompanies you into battle, but his position is mostly to grant you magic power. You can assign him certain spells beforehand, then call on him in battle to heal you or electrocute or burn the enemy.

Outside of battle, however, the game falls into some pretty unfavorable conditions. The majority of the game takes place in your hometown and rarely lets you explore outside territories. The main premises is that you're trying to win a Craftlord tournament, so every so often, you will have to do battle against another aspiring Craftlord. Before this can happen, though, you need to equip better weapons. To do so, you have to find the proper materials in order to forge the newest technique. Your main source is the town's underground labyrinth, a 50-floor maze full of treasure, monsters, and rare materials. Being in the labyrinth isn't all that disheartening since there are portals to warp back to the surface. What's annoying is how you are constantly having to go back in there. The game is awfully repetitive (especially within the first four hours) and frequently falls into the procedure: battle next opponent, go find materials, repeat.

Frustration:
On top of that, while the story is fairly engaging, it's laid on way too thick. Seems like every five steps you take, instead of running into a random battle, you run into a random cut scene. The amount of dialogue is unprecedented, and at times I wondered if I was reading a manga or playing a game. I realize RPGs are supposed to have good stories, but this just gets carried away, especially for a handheld game that is supposed to be pick up and play friendly.

Lasting Appeal:
Don't get me wrong, though. Summon Night is very easy to play in small increments. Given there are official save points, you can still suspend your game at any time with the stipulation next time you boot it up, that save is erased. And you can talk to your summon creature whenever you need a tip on what to do next. So if you haven't played for several weeks, it's pretty easy to get caught up again. You'll only have to do this a few times, though, as the game can be beaten in about ten hours. You can go back and play as a different character and answer differently to those yes/no instances which lead you down a different path. But they all take you to the same end, and the game isn't drastically altered anyway.

Overall:
The Game Boy Advance isn't like its big brother, the Gamecube. There is an abundance of RPGs on this system, and finding a good one isn't difficult. Several Final Fantasy remakes. Mario & Luigi. Golden Sun. Mega Man Battle Network. All of these I can recommend before Summon Night. But this one still has its merits, too. The battle system is unique enough to be quite entertaining, and the adventure has a great sense of pick up and play value. The unfortunate importance of story and the general repetitive nature of the game ultimately bring it down, however, and that's where this becomes just another RPG for the GBA.

Points:
+ Fun battle system
+ Great pick up and play value
-- Too much story
-- Repetitive game cycle

Score: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/06