My adoration for video games came as a result of playing the ultra-popular franchise of Final Fantasy. In a sense, JRPGs are in my blood. To this day, I compare every game I play to Final Fantasy VIII — the ridiculously over-amplified emotionalism, the strategically inclined turn-based combat, and the use of cutting-edge technology to obtain a high-quality graphical style. Yet, there’s a strange sensation that this genre is dying. Western RPGs, in the likes of Mass Effect and Fallout, have rendered the JRPG almost useless. It may just be that the cultural cohesion between gamers has brought about a desire for more Western themes and ideas, but what’s for certain is that Japanese RPGs have been suffering at the colossal weight of their recent failures. (Most notably, Final Fantasy XIII.)

But there is still hope, my fellow JRPG lovers, even on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel — where Lunatic Studios’ Aphelion resides. For only 240 MSP ($3), Lunatic has created a nostalgic embrace of the JRPG genre, implementing its own ideas and successfully producing an engaging and, most importantly, fun experience.

GAMEPLAY

In the five+ hours of gameplay provided by Aphelion Episode One: Graves of Earth, gamers will endure familiar formulas incorporated with several deviating ideas. Some of Aphelion works extremely well — a robust leveling and ability system characteristic of the same model used for Mass Effect. Some of Aphelion is bothersome — why is there no map other than the mini-map? Why are there no objective markers? Why is there no journal to save entries and remind you of what you are supposed to do when you forget? On a certain level, I’m only nit-picking, but these are all legitimate questions and ideas that should be answered and implemented in the second episode.

As with any RPG, there are two parts to Aphelion: exploration and combat. Both are done in a very familiar manner; random encounters heavily occupy the exploration aspect and once combat hits, the turn-based chess-like back-and-forth battle is inevitable. During combat, players can use up to three characters, choosing an attack, a certain skill, an item, or simply to flee. Aphelion is filled with a decent amount of challenging enemies and tough bosses. The only real problem is that there’s not much past the linearity of the game. There are a very minimal amount of side quests (if any) and no mini-games exist to satisfy the desire for distraction. That being said, what Aphelion manages to get right is the pure essence of the JRPG genre — and there’s really nothing more important than that when you pay three dollars for a game you don’t expect much out of.

STYLE

For the most part, Aphelion‘s style is fantastic. The hand-drawn anime-looking characters are very indicative of the appeal Lunatic Studios is striving for. Yes, the girls are unrealistically well-proportioned but that comes with any JRPG. The menus and dialogue boxes look fashioned almost in the same way as the Square Enix darling Star Ocean. Perhaps the most annoying thing about Aphelion stylistically is its unfortunately illustrated exploration. The characters on screen seem disproportionate to their surroundings…and that can get pretty annoying. Eventually, you get used to the aesthetic feel of it, but if you stop and take a good look, you’ll notice that it scales back Aphelion‘s level of immersion. The battle sequences, on the other hand, are well-animated and pleasing to the eye.

STORY

What you don’t see very often in indie games is the use of story, usually as a result of genre. But seeing as how this is a JRPG, story is a huge aspect. Aphelion pits you against an army of Crimson — naturally — for the fate of the world. Ereit soldier (Ereit being a second Earth-like entity.) Savion recruits his best friend Ashley, an officer named Rita, and even a thief named Drake along the way. Each of them have their own distinct abilities linked to their jobs and personal traits and the game does an excellent job of reflecting this. Surprisingly, however, Earth soldiers seem to turn against the Ereit soldiers and mystery shrouds their reasoning. This first episode seems to only scratch the surface of what’s to come…and I’m very interested to see what’s next.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Aphelion at its price point ($3) is more than worth it. It is every bit as entertaining as any recent JRPG you may have played and does not concern itself with over-complications. Instead, Aphelion uses the picture-perfect formula of a JRPG respectably. Does it have its shortcomings? Certainly. Is it still a worthwhile experience? Absolutely. If you are a fan of the JRPG genre then this game is wholly meant for you.

[Try/Buy from XBLIG.]

[DIYgamer obtained a free copy of the game for review purposes. This in no way affected the outcome of the review.]

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