Kyle E. Miller
E3 2013 Hands-On Impressions: Destiny of Spirits
A game that doesn't appear to ask much of players.
06.13.13 - 2:27 AM

There's very little interactivity in Destiny of Spirits. In fact, battles pretty much fight themselves if you let them. I actually won a battle without touching the screen. None of the Vita's buttons do anything: only the touchscreen is used. A few touches can get you into a battle, summon spirits, and connect with friends, but none of this requires much thought or input from the player.

If you feel like playing a game, Destiny of Spirits allows you to switch targets in battle and use a special ability, but this is optional (of course). I assume some battles are more difficult and require more input, but I might be going out on a limb there. The combat features up to three mythological characters on each side, and it's more accurate to say that the combat is turn-based, although even that's not very precise. Perhaps we need a new subgenre: automatic RPG.

Destiny of Spirits is a social game that ties players' capabilities to their physical location, so perhaps those who travel might find more creatures and opponents. There's also a shop that I couldn't access, but I imagine that there are plenty of items and characters and enhancements on which to waste your real-world currency.

Destiny of Spirits features almost no interactivity, and if it was any less of a video game, I probably wouldn't be writing about it. Still, I'd like to know more about the location-based features, and this could be a fun RPG to play on subways and road trips. In fact, perhaps that explains the lack of input: it allows you to drive your car and play the game.


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