"Riviera is the most original RPG in years. It's also one of the best."

Riviera is the most original RPG in years. It's also one of the best. RPG fans will love it. But no matter what genre you like, this game will amaze you in at least one way.

Game Play:10/10

The fun in this game lies in the battle sequences. The battles are random in every area. During fights, there is so much to think about before you even begin a battle that this could almost become a strategy game. In a lot of ways, it is. First off, the way you maneuver on screen is you move from area to area using the move option. You can also examine things in the area. But you need to choose what you examine carefully, because a lot of things that you'll examine take up TP. You can earn TP points during battle, which is my next subject. In battle you sometimes can either run or fight but most of the time you'll have to fight (from what I've played so far). Before the battle even starts, you choose what items you want to use. Most items may only be used a certain amount of times before it disappears. Each character has a skill in a certain item. Some don't even have skills in certain items. On the battle screen two meters are shown, the over drive meter and the enemy's rage meter. Over drive goes up as you give and take damage. When it reaches a certain point, you can unleash special moves with your weapons. The rage meter goes up as enemies take damage, they'll use stronger attacks depending on how angry they are.

Story: 9/10

You take on the role of Ein, a wingless Grim Angel. 1000 years ago a war between the gods and demons called Ragnarok was waged. The gods were on the brink of their own destruction when they created the grim angels. The angels fought and eventually sealed away the demons but the gods would soon follow. The gods left their power in the sacred land of Riviera. Now, 1000 years later, the demons are near coming back. Ein must protect the land of the gods, Asgard, and prevent another war.

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics are hand drawn and done very well if I may say so. the characters on screen are detailed nicely even though they are only about a centimeter tall. The moves they use in battle look very stylish. The enemies are designed very nicely. You will definitely be able to tell that this is art is extremely Japanese. The artwork that they use to tell who's speaking really shows what GBA is capable of.

Sound: 9/10

What I really like about this game is that there's actually some voice acting. At the end of battle, whoever gave the final blow says some cheesy line like "Sins will be purged" or something like that. The game's music is a little bit toward older games like Samurai Showdown or any really old game. It's still sounds pretty good but actually seems cliche'ed.

This game is just too awesome to pass up.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/05