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Makai Kingdom - the BETTER review

Started by Halbarad, September 15, 2005, 11:54:17 AM

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Halbarad

Hat brand reviews: Now with 50% less Bjorn!

As has the faceless one, I've also been playing way too much of Makai Kingdom of late. Unlike Bjorn, I'll go a bit more into the mechanics of the game itself, for those who may not have experienced Nippon Ichi games before.

Makai Kingdom is a member of the inappropriately titled strategy RPG genre, based around using multiple characters to complement one another in defeating scenario maps. Unlike many of its predecessors, however, Makai Kingdom uses a non-grid-based movement system; rather than moving a set number of squares, you can move to any single point within a circular radius of your starting point, based on your movement abilities. Attacks target circular areas at varying distances from the unit - some multitarget, some single-target. It's a fun change from more traditional tile-based strategy RPGs, although the movement can be a little odd at times.

As with its predecessor Phantom Brave, the weapons in Makai Kingdom are many and various. From mysterious black boxes to balloons to magnets and syringes - as well as more traditional RPG weapons - you've got your choice of how to hurt the opposition. Each specific class has specific weapon proficiencies; for example, a healer might have proficiency in staves and syringes, while a samurai is skilled with katanas and spears. By transmigrating characters - moving them from one class to another - you can have a character with a proficiency that isn't native to their current class, such as a magnet-using archer.

As with most othe Nippon Ichi games, though, the real focus in Makai Kingdom is on the aftergame. While the main game itself is enjoyable enough as a moderately difficult RPG, those who enjoy the game will spend far more time in preparing to beat the game's optional superbosses and special characters after defeating the game once. As with Disgaea and Phantom Brave, the name of the game is insane leveling; while a typical endgame character may have a level in the 60-65 range, a powerful postgame character could be level 2-3000. There are multiple ways of achieving this lofty peak, and the game's system is designed around tweaking characters to unlock their maximum potential.

If you enjoy strategy RPGs, and enjoy making things go utterly 'splat', Makai Kingdom is definitely worth a look.
I am a terrible person.
Excellent Youkai.

Dracos

Hey, hal, add to the review database? =)

Dracos
Well, Goodbye.