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| Kimberley Wallace |
It's like Lufia II... only completely different.
06.15.10 - 10:27 PM
RPGFan got a chance to have some hands on time with Lufia: Rise of the Sinistrals at E3. First and foremost, don't dub it simply a remake. Natsume assures us that the game is more on par with a complete re-imagining of Lufia II. In fact, they'd go as far as to say it will feel more like an entirely new game than a remake. Of course, as a remake at its very core, Lufia still uses the same characters and core story elements, but it does more than enough new to warrant a new release. The biggest change, no doubt, is that it's now an Action-RPG. As far as combat goes, it plays very fast and is completely straightforward. The controls are nice and tight, and each of the six characters has a special power that they can use during battle. The game also features a job board that may remind people of Final Fantasy XII's License Boards. You will acquire mystics stones to customize your party by placing the stones on the board to unlock certain abilities.
Where Lufia shows most promise is in its very Wild Arms-esqe exploration and constant puzzle solving. Every character has a unique ability and you'll need certain characters with these abilities to solve the various puzzles you'll encounter as you explore areas. You'll switch between characters often by tapping on their icon on the bottom screen just to get past certain puzzles in the game. Another nifty aspect is that all your characters level up together, so if you don't use a character and need them to solve a puzzle, you won't be punished. Lufia also packs anywhere from 25 - 40 hours of gameplay, depending on how much exploration you want to do. With a release set for some time this year, it looks like it will give old fans something to smile about and allow new ones to jump on the Lufia bandwagon.
