Generic: Persona! Saki Mitama! No wait, Kusi Mitama! Oh, what’s the use, I’ll be dead by the opening credits!

The credits run, and now our story can truly begin. Out hero, Saizou is lying motionless in a forest.

(Saizou: Ah, this is so relaxing – and it saves on the animation budget too!)

Unfortunately, he is soon disturbed when a woman, Isanami, looking rather the worse for wear, falls into his arms.

(Saizou: Oh god, don’t tell me I have to touch a woman this early on! This will surely doom my quest for MEN!)

Saizou: I don’t suppose there are any men after you, are there?

Isanami: Yes!

Saizou: In that case, I’m off to find them. Nice knowing you.

Isanami: You can’t leave me here! I’m in the opening credits!

Suddenly, a bunch of masked men emerge from the trees, intent on attacking the hero.

Saizou: Your knives are far too small to satisfy me, generics! Buster Sword!

The generic enemies are swiftly KO’ed.

Isanami: Those guys are dangerous! You should probably protect me.

Saizou: Whatever for? I’m on a quest for MEN!

Isanami: Yes, but if you come with me, there might be plot progression, and then surely some bishies will appear!

Saizou: Hmm, you do have a point…let’s go.

They stop off to eat some soba noodles.

Isanami: Well, thanks for saving me. It’s so nice to have a man in my life.

Saizou: Now don’t go getting the wrong idea.

They continue onwards, until Ueda Castle is in sight.

Saizou: Look, I really have to dump you as soon as possible so I can get on with finding some MEN.

Isanami: B-but, plot progression!

A group of ninjas, led by slightly bishie Sasuke, appears.

Sasuke: Did I hear someone say he wanted a man?

Saizou: Only if they can satisfy my Buster Sword! You hardly look up to the task!

They briefly have Blade.

Saizou: This is pathetic!

Sasuke: Think again! Take this- Magical Leaf Attack!

Saizou: No, not the leaves! They mess up my hair!

Saizou drops to the ground. Sasuke goes in with his blade, only to attack useless WOOD.

Saizou: Even that WOOD is too good for you!

The Blade continues, until Isanami gets fed up.

Isanami: That’s enough! We’re halfway through the episode- the plot must progress!

Saizou and Isanami are taken to Ueda Castle to meet its commander, Sanada Yukimura.

Sanada: Late night visitors – that can only mean one thing…wait, who brought a woman in here?

Isanami: Sir, you must help me! My shrine was burned down and all the generic priests killed! I only managed to escape by virtue of being a main character.

Sanada: Well so what? Is there any reason I should care?

After promising they can stay for one night, Sanada leaves. Isanami breaks down in tears.

Isanami: This isn’t how the laws of narrative work! He’s supposed to help me!

Saizou has no choice but to comfort her.

(Saizou: Why me?)

Saizou leaves the castle that night, and Isanami follows.

Saizou: Go away! How many times do I have to tell you I’m looking for MEN?

Suddenly, the pair find themselves trapped in chains.

Saizou: A bondage attack!?

Men with swords attack, but are held off by Sanada and Sasuke.

Saizou: You used me as bait!? But I’m the main chracter!

Sanada: Then prove it! Show me how good you are with your Sword!

Saizou: Oh, all right then! Implausible Feet Blades!

Saizou frees himself using blades that spring from his feet. He draws his Sword.

Saizou: Buster Sword!

The latest wave of generic enemies is swiftly dispatched.

Isanami: Why? Why do I have to be surrounded by all this HARD GAY! Otome transformation!

The GEM on Isanami’s headband turns black, and she creates a void that destroys all the generics surrounding her.

Sanada: Interesting. By the way, I was lying earlier – I’d love to help you and get in on the plot.

Saizou: Fine with me. I’ll be on my way then.

Isanami: Oh no you don’t! We are going to star together in this anime whether you like it or not!

Back at the castle, Sanada talks to his subordinate, Rokurou.

Sanada: Plot developments are afoot, and I must be a part of them. These hands are no longer enough to satisfy my Zhuge Liang. My raging appetites will be satiated with no fewer than ten men!

Saizou is eavesdropping on the conversation.

(Saizou: He’s gathering men? This is perfect!)

TO BE CONTINUED…

I still don’t have my PhD, I’ve started a new job and just moved house…but I felt a sudden desire to review video games and so I’m bringing the blog back. I’ll be focussing more on games than anime this time around, because anime reviewing becoming a chore was one of the reasons I let this place go. Post on Fragile Dreams coming soon.

With that in mind, it’s time to walk away. Azure Flame was fun in its prime, but it’s time to accept that it’s never coming back. After I submit my thesis, I might post the occasional video game review (I’ve still to praise the marvellous Odin Sphere), but I really need to rethink the things I want to write about. And I will write again- I have some fiction projects I want to get on with, my reviewing duties for Amazon to keep on top of, and I plan to use my B-side blog to discuss my recent experiments with bento box lunches. But I won’t be rejoining the blogworld in any big way- I’ll just be faffing around in my own little corner. Anyone who wants to stop by now and then is still very welcome.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Persona 4 once again sees you playing a year in the life of a high school student who must juggle not only school work and a social life, but also regular trips to a world crawling with monsters. With some refinement and reworking of the Persona 3 formula, Persona 4 manages to essentially duplicate the success of the previous game, whilst also managing to establish its own unique style.

Inaba

As with Persona 3, the game takes place over a year of in-game time, with each day being divided into several sections. When you’re not attending classes, your time can be spent forging Social Links by attending clubs, doing part-time work or hanging out with friends, or fighting monsters and clearing dungeons in the TV world. Unfortunately, rather than spacing things out more evenly, time management has become even harsher in Persona 4; dungeon-exploration has now been moved to the after school phase, which is also the time of day when most Social Links are available. Worse yet, once you’ve been in the TV world all afternoon, your character is too tired to go out in the evening, effectively preventing you from making any Social Link progress for that entire day.

In the normal world, the protagonist is characterised by various attributes- Knowledge, Diligence, Courage, Understanding and Expression. Levelling these up through study, reading and part-time work is the key to convincing party members and NPCs to build Social Links with you. As with Persona 3, levelling up Social Links through is both important to the story and key to the creation of strong Personas.

As if you didn’t have enough to fill your time, Persona 4 also boasts some extra features to keep you busy for your year in Inaba. The almost ubiquitous fishing mini-game makes itself known here, and is one of the few things you can leave your house to do at night. As you might expect, fish can be exchanged for a selection of rare items and equipment, with the selection on offer changing after each month of game time. For the lazier gamer, other rare items can be bought by ordering from the weekly TV shopping program- and no, I’m not joking about that.

In addition, in place of Elizabeth’s requests in Person 3, this time around, various NPCs will ask you for items that can be found within the TV world. There’s no time limit on these quests, and no penalty for ignoring them, but the rewards are often worth the effort.

TV World

Unlike Persona 3, which put its all into a single, mighty dungeon, Persona 4 is divided into several different worlds, each with a unique look. Within each dungeon, your task is to defeat Shadows and rescue the person who has been abducted into the TV world, all within a few weeks of game time. Fail, and it’s game over- although you will get the chance to go back one week and try again. Fortunately, it’s never too hard to clear a dungeon well within the time limit, which is just as well given that you also need that precious after school and evening time for raising your attributes and strengthening your Social Links.

Each dungeon has a set number of floors with a randomly generated layout and the usual abundance of Shadows. Unlike Persona 3, if you leave the dungeon, you can return to the entrance of the floor you were just exploring, which lessens the feeling that you have to rush through each floor as quickly as possible before a random enemy wipes you out with a simple Hama or Mudo spell. Escaping a dungeon can be done with the item Go Ho-M, the spell Traesto, or by teleporting out from a Save Point. Characters don’t experience fatigue the way they did in Persona 3, but in order to balance that, you no longer recover all your HP and SP upon returning to the TV World entrance. You can recruit a fox who will heal your party for an extortionate price (discounted as you build up your Social Link with it), but even so, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to do excessive levelling up in a single visit to TV World.

The battle system will immediately be familiar to Persona 3 veterans, although this time around there have been some welcome enhancements. Although the main character remains the only one who can switch Personas and decide battle tactics, it is now possible to directly control all other party members. Naturally, this makes battle strategy a lot easier, since you’re no longer hoping for the best each time an ally’s turn comes up.

Those who suffered game over at the hands of a minor enemy who just happened to target your main character with a killing blow will also be glad to know that the system is now a little more forgiving. As you level up your Social Links with other party members, they will become willing to perform support actions in battle, such as following up a critical attack, recovering the status of another character, or, most importantly, taking a death blow in your place.

As in all SMT games, elemental strengths and weaknesses play an important part in the flow of battle. Of course, as in those other games, it is possible for a weak enemy to get the jump on you, target your weakness and thus get enough turns to finish you off, but that’s only to be expected. More importantly, Persona 4 has the guard command that its predecessor lacked, and when a character is guarding, they are no longer susceptible to their weakness. Unfortunately, for all that Persona 4 gives in this department, it also takes away, for now the Analysis ability no longer tells you an enemy’s weakness in advance, meaning you have to discover it by trial and error.

Given that this is a Persona game, it should come as no surprise that the main character has the ability to command multiple Personas. As before, Personas can be obtained after battle during ‘Shuffle Time’ or fused in the Velvet Room, with a wide variety of familiar SMT demons making a return appearance.

Playable characters

Protagonist: Unlike the protagonist of Persona 3, who could equip any weapon that took his fancy, the hero of Persona 4 is limited to swords alone. When it comes to Personas, however, the choice is yours- pick up a varied enough skillset and he’ll be able to handle pretty much anything.

Yosuke Hanamura: A dual wielder of twin kunai, Yosuke has a smattering of physical skills and a mastery of wind magic. As the first ally to join you, he’s incredibly useful early on and remains a solid party member throughout the game.

Chie Satonaka: Although she also has a basic command of ice magic, Chie’s true role is as a physical attacker, with the aid of her flying kicks and luchador Persona. She manages to hold her own early in the game, but later on her lack of magical skills does put her at a severe disadvantage.

Yukiko Amagi: The elegant master of fire and healing magic, Yukiko deserves a place on any team. Her physical attack may not be up to much, but with her high SP, she’ll rarely need to fall back on it, and can act as both offence and support thanks to her magical repertoire.

Teddie: Although he acts as support at first, Teddie eventually gets to join the party, where he proves adept at both healing and ice magic. He makes a nice complement to Yukiko, and is also far too cute to be left on the bench.

Kanji Tatsumi: A supposed delinquent with a warm heart and a secret love of sewing, Kanji is a strong physical attacker with a sideline in lightning magic. He’s a decent enough party member but doesn’t quite match the Yosuke/Yukiko/Teddie combo.

Naoto Shirogane: The final character to join, Naoto specialises in Light, Dark and Almighty attacks, although the latter start off quite weak. Unfortunately, since Light and Dark always have a probability of missing, this means that Naoto doesn’t really have a reliable magic attack to bring out. Certainly the distribution of abilities here seems less favourable than it did in Persona 3.

Rise Kujikawa (support): Although just as annoying as Fuuka, Rise is slightly less useful in terms of her Analysis abilities. At least she looks nice in a swimsuit.

Story

Although not as dark in tone as its predecessor, Persona 4 is still quite a convoluted tale, weaving together the issues and insecurities of enemies and allies alike. Although there are a few too many twists and turns to make for a solid, coherent narrative, at least the characters are likeable enough to be sympathetic. Be careful, though, as one wrong move at the end of December can see you catapulted straight into the bad ending before you even realise it.

Audiovisual

Where Persona 3 was dark blue and violet, film noir mixed with comic book, Persona 4 takes on a completely different look and feel. The predominant colour of the menus is a bright, blinding yellow, whilst the sleepy town of Inaba has a very countrified feel. Gekkoukan High School may have had a modern feel with its neutral colours, but in contrast Yasogami High is more retro with its wooden desks and flooring. It’s good that the game has managed to forge its own distinct identity, but as a matter of personal preference, I’d rather be in the world of Persona 3.

Music is once again composed by the talented Shoji Meguro, who manages to retain his signature style whilst infusing this new set of tracks with their own unique flavour. Since the game comes with a soundtrack CD, you’re free to revisit the best of the game’s music at any time.

Final Thoughts

Although it doesn’t quite match up to Persona 3 in terms of style and story, Persona 4 still has the trademark addictive qualities of any Shin Megami Tensei, and will provide plenty of hours of gameplay for RPG fans. A recommended purchase.

Alph, his brother Theo and their friends are wards of the Luminous Church, trained to protect the light and condemn the dark. The Church’s greatest foes are the Witches, but when Alph discovers that their new maid, Lucia, is a Witch, he is forced to re-evaluate his opinions of them. With the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance, Alph must choose carefully between the doctrine he has always been taught and the true motives of the Witches.

A hidden gem amidst the vast market of SRPGs and DS games, Luminous Arc may not be the most challenging of games, but it nonetheless makes for an enjoyable and well presented experience from start to finish. Players take on the role of aspiring knight Alph, a young man who goes from fighting minor monsters to commanding a team of witches and warriors on a quest to save the world. It’s all very straightforward, but thanks to some attractive character designs and a pervading aura of simple charm, Luminous Arc manages to be than just one more nameless face in the crowd.

The Luminous Church versus the evil Witches

A fusion of SRPG and visual novel, Luminous Arc takes place over twenty-five or so chapters, each consisting of framing dialogues and a few battles. It’s largely a safe and on-the-rails experience which keeps you where it wants you- but whilst the game rarely presents any real challenge to the seasoned gamer, it’s still a lot of fun.

Battles take place on the familiar SRPG grid, with characters taking turns according to their speed. The battle system largely remains on solid, well trodden ground- there’s the usual range of magic and melee attacks, with terrain, position relative to the enemy and elemental attributes all contributing to the effectiveness of your warriors. Each action that you take naturally earns EXP, and since it only takes 100EXP to level up, it’s rarely necessary to grinding. Characters are also healed to maximum HP/MP each time they level up, which means you never really need to worry about playing cautiously and conserving your resources.

Since standard attacks are adequate but rarely devastating enough to make a dent in a boss’ HP, the game compensates with a system of Drive Points, which are accumulated as characters dish out damage to the enemy or heal each other. Given enough Drive Points, characters can either perform overpowered attacks known as Flash Drives, or really let loose with Synergy Attacks, in which two or more allies combine their power to really drive the point home to the enemy. Most of these abilities are learnt as part of the storyline, and whilst they are certainly massive damage dealers, it does take long enough to charge them that you can’t just breeze through the game on special attacks alone.

That being said, aside from a handful of tough battles, Luminous Arc is never that difficult- there are even features of the game, such as the ability to enhance weapons with different crystals, that can be completely ignored. In fact, the main source of difficulty in the game arises from its imperfect interface- although not a substantial problem, the fixed camera angle and lack of ability to simultaneously use the stylus and d-pad (you have to toggle between them) means that, in crowded situations, it can be difficult to pick out the correct target for your attacks. And since the game lets you target allies as well as enemies when planning an attack, this flaw can easily become very frustrating.

After each battle, Alph is given the chance to talk to another party member in an ‘Intermission’ scene- a short interaction in which you can improve his standing with his allies. As with visual novels, selecting the correct response to a character’s question is the key to getting them to like you, and if you can charm them sufficiently, they will even give you gifts. The game is also interspersed with scenes depicting the life and woes of the mascot character ‘Kopin’- these are mildly amusing but add little to the game overall.

Playable Characters

Alph: As the main character, Alph is the typical all-rounder with decent but not outstanding strength and speed. His basic weapon is, predictably enough, a sword, but he can also use a gun for ranged special attacks. Due to his average nature, Alph lags behind early in the game, but you’ll be forced to bring him up to scratch when confronted with a one-on-one battle against Arc Knight Heath. Naturally, since he’s compulsory in every battle, Alph eventually becomes a solid contributor to the team’s offence.

Theo: Arc’s younger brother, Theo is an archer with an average but useful ranged attack. As the game progresses, he also learns some short range Flash Drives, although with the amount of short-range attackers already available, this may seem a little surplus to requirements. He’s a decent party member to have early on, but you may wish to drop him in the later stages of the game.

Leon: The typical overpowered swordsman and son of ‘The Lion King’ (no, not the Disney one), Leon is excellent at short-range attacks, but brings little else to the party. He’s a useful choice if you want muscle on your side, but is pretty much interchangeable with Kai, Heath or Mavi in the later stages of the game.

Cecille: The obligatory healer of the group, Cecille is definitely useful, but her low movement range means that she often gets left behind when the party goes on the offensive. Later in the game, she learns offensive magic as well as stronger healing spells, making her far more useful. Unsurprisingly, her physical abilities never amount to much.

Saki: As a ninja, it comes as no surprise that Saki is the fastest character, with an appropriately high movement stat and a variety of melee and ranged attacks. Whilst this makes her invaluable for getting the drop on the enemy, it also means that she can get stranded amongst hostile units without backup. Nonetheless, she is an extremely useful team member, although her elemental attacks quickly become ineffectual.

Kai: A wandering samurai, Kai adds some much appreciated muscle to the team with his overpowered close-range attacks. He does major damage in the front lines, but you could equally go with beefing up Leon or Heath to take his place.

Heath: An Arc Knight, Heath is a powerhouse at the start of the game, but after leaving early on, he only returns near the end. By this point, although he is a perfectly acceptable addition to the party, you’ll probably have already decided on your favourite team, leaving him to languish on the back benches.

Lucia: The Dawn Witch, Lucia has some useful magical abilities, but somehow she never manages to be as strong as the hard-hitters on the team. She’s useful to bring along for her Flash Drives and Synergy attacks, however, and she’s also important to the storyline.

Vivi: The laid-back and eternally sleepy Vivi has one major advantage in battle- her flying carpet can traverse any and all terrain with ease. Unfortunately, even when she brings the fight to the enemy, she isn’t that strong, so whilst her magical lamp has some useful sniping abilities, she’s more of a supporting member than a first choice for the battlefield.

Mavi: she may be the Nature Witch, but Mavi’s magical skill is nothing to write home about. Instead, she is far more at home in close combat, where her fists can deal out some serious damage. Unfortunately, putting her on the front lines does mean she tends to take more damage than she can handle. Nonetheless, she makes for a worthy team member.

Vanessa: The Witch of Immolation (apparently ‘Fire Witch’ was too plain a title), Vanessa fights against you for much of the game, but eventually joins up in the later chapters. Since she’s kickass in both physical and magical attacks, she makes for a welcome addition to the team when she finally comes over to your side.

Pollon: Sometimes you come across a character who just leaves you wondering why the creators bothered to include them at all- and Pollon is a perfect example of this. Some sort of anthropomorphic white seal creature with dreams of becoming a knight, Pollon is yet another short-range attacker with minimal impact on the plot and no real reason to be included as a playable character. I used him a little when he first joined up, but with the likes of Leon, Mavi, Kai and Heath to choose from, it’s unclear why you would ever bother with him.

Mel: The Torrent Witch, Mel is a master of water magic, but her weak lily pad attacks and restricted movement range makes her a less than desirable choice for the team.

Claire: The Thunder Witch, Claire is an average an unremarkable warrior who is useful for Synergy and making up the numbers, but isn’t particularly outstanding otherwise.

Story

Although the bare bones of Luminous Arc’s story is the basic tale of plucky heroes versus an ancient evil, the game has the tendency to shoehorn in pointless backstory for its many characters. This leads to a few too many “By the way, I’m deeply bitter about the fact that my previously-unmentioned home village was destroyed, but now let’s get on with the quest.” There’s also a feeling of being divorced from the action, as important scenes often occur without any kind of distinguishing CG artwork.

The game does at least have the sense not to take itself too seriously however, with plenty of lighthearted banter making up for its other weaknesses.

Audiovisual

One regard in which Luminous Arc really does stand out from the crowd is in its character designs, which have been given a surprisingly amount of detail for a DS title. Battle sprites are cute and overall the game has am aesthetically pleasing look and feel. The music is solid if not outstanding, with a smattering of average quality voice-acted scenes.

Final Thoughts

Although it’s not a contender for the top ranks, Luminous Arc is an enjoyable little SRPG that deserves to be given a little more attention. It may not be the most challenging or ground-breaking title ever, but despite its flaws, it’s a whole lot of fun.

Goro and Lostman are men with a dream- to climb higher and further than ever before. But when Earth itself can’t provide enough of a challenge for the two of them, they set their sights on a new goal- space. Whilst Lostman aims to become a pilot, Goro uses his technical skills to sign on as a construction worker, but will both of them manage to achieve their dream?

Every so often, a series comes along that defies all the usual visual stereotypes of anime. Instead of being attractive and brightly colours, these series opt for a more muted colour palette. Aesthetics are sacrificed for so-called ‘gritty’ realism, and the whole thing is drenched in testosterone for good measure. Moonlight Mile is such a series, but does it manage to pull off its MANLINESS without turning into a slab of dullness?

Fortunately, whilst it can hardly be said to be exceptional in any way, Moonlight Mile is ultimately a solid and decent series. Provided you aren’t too put off by the on-screen promiscuity of the two lead characters, the series offers a ‘nuts and bolts’ look into the logistics, politics and economics of space travel. It’s no Planetes, but it does a serviceable job of presenting its story without ever falling into the trap of becoming dull or monotonous.

Even the characters are surprisingly likeable; easy as it would be to dismiss the MANLY Goro and Lostman as a couple of horny testosterone addicts, the fact that they are actually decent people who are well liked by their peers (and their many girlfriends) goes a long way towards portraying them in quite a favourable light. Naturally, in the space of twelve episodes, there isn’t really time to flesh out any of the various supporting characters, but this hardly seems to matter.

Visually, Moonlight Mile opts for a more ‘realistic’ look, dispensing with the usual bright and bold anime look in favour of something where greys, greens and browns aren’t out of place. It’s hardly going to win any awards in the looks department, but the presentation suits the tone of the series well.

Final Thoughts

Given that I went into the series not expecting to enjoy it very much, Moonlight Mile turned out to be a surprisingly solid experience. It may never have wowed me at any point, but it certainly held my attention, and I wouldn’t be averse to catching up with the second season.

Tier: Bronze-

In a magical castle under the waves dwells the goldfish Ponyo, daughter of the wizard Fujimoto. Yet Ponyo dreams of seeing the wider world, and on one illicit trip to explore the ocean, she makes it all the way to the shore. Befriended by a human boy, Sousuke, Ponyo eventually learns how to escape the sea and transform herself into a little girl, but will a time come when she will be forced to return to the ocean?

What could loosely be described as a sweeter, more innocent and less depressing take on the tale of the Little Mermaid, Ponyo is the latest offering from Studio Ghibli, and its welcome dose of family entertainment wipes away the dubiousness that was their confusing adaptation of Tales of Earthsea. With Hayao Miyazaki back at the helm, you know exactly what you’re getting- a slice of wholesome enjoyment that will help ease friends and family into the idea that maybe your obsession with ‘those Japanese cartoons’ isn’t such a bad thing overall.

Indeed, despite the fact that the idea of fish turning into humans (and vice versa) had ever been rendered creepy and wrong for me by the disturbing ‘Help, I’m a Fish’ some years earlier, I have to admit that Ponyo is, like most of Ghibli’s offerings, a nice little film. The protagonists are determined and optimistic, no one is truly evil deep down, and love triumphs over all as it inevitably must. The story itself is unique enough to be interesting, but it’s presented with a welcoming ambience that lets you know that, in the end, everything will be all right.

Visually, Ponyo looks as good as any Ghibli film, with its mix of magiic and everyday life brought to life so well that the imagery of individual scenes will stay with you long after the film has finished. Joe Hisaishi handles the music, as usual, and creates a worthy score that suits the film even if it isn’t particularly memorable outside the context of the movie.

Final Thoughts

Ponyo is not an outstanding movie, but then again, it really doesn’t need to be. It’s gentle Sunday afternoon entertainment, perfect for all ages and guaranteed to warm all but the stoniest of hearts.

Tier: Silver-

Having solved the puzzles of St Mystère, Professor Layton and his assistant Luke are summoned by Layton’s mentor Schrader to investigate the mystery of the Elysian Box, a supposedly cursed item that kills everyone who opens it. And when Schrader himself dies, Layton and Luke must use all the logic at their disposal to figure out the truth behind the curse of the Elysian Box.

The sequel to Professor Layton and the Curious Village brings us more of the same in the form of a mystery game where you progress by solving puzzles of every kind, from riddles to mathematical problems. In most aspects, the game is the same as its predecessor, so this brief review will primarily focus on the differences between the two.

Since the puzzle solving is more of the same, the main differences in the sequel are in the mini-games, which are on the whole a bit more challenging and enjoyable than those in the original. The first of these mini games involve an obese hamster that you start taking care of early in the story. As the game progresses, you gradually accumulate toys which can be used to exercise the unfortunate creature and get it to lose weight- and, once fatso has been transformed into a slim, svelte beast, it will even sniff out hint coins on your behalf! With the hamster’s help, you can accumulate enough hint coins to keep even the most stumped puzzler on track, although of course gaming honour might mean you don’t want to rely on hints at all!

Next up on the list of diversions is Layton’s tea set- yes, like a true English gentleman, Layton can now brew tea anywhere and everywhere. Various characters throughout the game world will supply you with ingredients, from which you must discover the recipes for the perfect brew through a process of trial and error. In due course, you’ll amass a range of different teas, which can be used to satisfy the taste of any thirsty NPC. And, once you discover the right tea for the right person, they will naturally be so grateful as to want to offer you a reward.

The third mini-game is similarly divided into two halves- during the early sections of the game, you’ll collect parts for a camera, which must be fitted together correctly in order to get the device working properly. Once the camera has been assembled, you can use it to take photos of certain areas, which then form the basis for a spot the difference game that ranges from straightforward to fiendishly difficult.

Story

As with the first game, Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box is a linear mystery, forcing you to investigate and reveal things in the order dictated by the story, rather than having any real insights of your own into anything other than how to solve individual puzzles. The final explanation requires more than a little suspension of disbelief, but ultimately you’ll be playing this more for the puzzles than to figure out the underlying mystery.

Audiovisual

Little has changed since the first game in the presentation department either, with Professor Layton 2 offering the same simplistic visuals and unobtrusive background music. There’s little to say here- you’ll never come to this series expecting to be wowed by the presentation, but it fits the low key nature of the game well.

Final Thoughts

A second dose of puzzling fun, Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box offers up more of what made the first game so enjoyable, without feeling the need to break any new ground. If you like solving brainteasers, then you’ll probably already have it, but if not, rest assured that this series remains highly addictive and offers excellent value for money.

THE JOURNEY (Director’s Cut version)

When the protagonist transfers to Gekkoukan High School for his sophomore year, his biggest worries are settling in, studying and making friends. On his very first night, however, he is thrust into the Dark Hour- a time when normal people are transmogrified into coffins and dark monsters known as Shadows emerge. Only those who can call upon the power of their alternate selves- Personas- are able to experience the Dark Hour, and they consider it their duty to fight the Shadows and explore the mysterious tower of Tantalus from which they emerge.

Taking the Persona franchise to the PS2 generation, Persona 3 is a mix of dungeon crawling and regular high school life, taking place over a year of in-game time. The bastard child of a visual novel and an RPG, Persona 3 melds together both elements of its heritage to make for an addictive and memorable experience.

Life in Iwatodai

Your in-game life proceeds from day to day through Morning, Afternoon, After School., Evening and Night, with different options available at each time of day. During school, you can sleep through lectures or try to increase your smarts by staying awake and answering questions, but it is after classes end that the real work begins. Your goal over the year is to forge ties with other characters in the form of Social Links, friendships that grow as you spend time with various different personalities in the game. Social Links can be formed with both your party members and various named NPCs, with the after school phase being a prime time for attending clubs or taking classmates out for a meal.

Unfortunately, by the time evening rolls around, there is a lot less to do- the only place you can visit is the Mall, where you can play in the arcade, sing karaoke, visit the café, or work on just two Social Links (depending on the day of the week). Of course, you can also put your daily life on hold in favour of exploring Tartarus, but more on that in a moment.

In the normal world, your hero is characterised by three attributes- Academics, Charm and Courage- which can be increased by studying, singing karaoke and so forth. It’s important to work on these attributes, as some of your Social Links won’t even give you the time of day until you’ve proven yourself to be a brave, smart and refined personality.

Torment of Tartarus

Enjoyable as the visual novel aspect of the game is, the real meat and potatoes of gameplay lies with Tartarus, a 250+ level dungeon which appears on the site of Gekkoukan High School during the Dark Hour every night. Tartarus is divided into several blocks, which are opened as the game progresses. You and your fellow Persona-users will explore Tartarus during the Dark Hour, in a party of up to four members plus one supporting character.

Each level of Tartarus is randomly generated, with access points every few levels allowing you to go back to the ground floor, and teleports on boss levels allowing two-way travel. The floors are populated with Shadows, enemies who can either be avoided or defeated. You can get the drop on Shadows by attacking them from behind on the field with your equipped weapon, but similarly they can sneak up behind you. As you level up, weaker Shadows will start to run away from you, as will the rarer golden Shadows, who are worth tracking down due their propensity to dropping large amounts of money and valuable items.

Battle is the typical turn-based RPG style, although the only character you command directly is the protagonist- all other party-members are AI-controlled, and can only be given broad tactical orders such as “Act Freely”, “Support” or “Full Attack”. Fortunately, where the AI-controlled characters only have a single Persona and skill-set, the protagonist is the usual ‘Wild Card’, able to switch between up to twelve Personas.

Players of previous Shin Megami Tensei games will quickly get to grips with the unique aspects of Persona 3′s battle system. As always, there are the usual six types of elemental magic- Fire, Ice, Wind, Electricity and the instant-kill Light and Dark skills- but now there are also three types of physical attack as well- Pierce (guns, arrows), Slash (swords) and Strike (gloves, axes). Both enemies and allies have weaknesses to particular types of attack, and if they get struck by their Achilles’ Heel, they will go down and lose a turn getting back up again. Knocking a character down gives the attacker an extra turn, and if the party manages to get the entire enemy force down, you can launch an All-Out Attack, in which all able party members deal out some serious damage to their foes.

When it works, battle provides the right balance of challenge and satisfaction, forcing players to approach them tactically and exploit the enemies’ weaknesses rather than just spamming the attack button. Unfortunately, there are a few caveats that cheapen the whole experience; not only is there no option to guard and defend yourself, but the death of the protagonist means instant game over, even if the rest of the party is alive. Given that many enemies have instant-death attacks, or can deal massive damage just by getting the drop on you, all too often you can be hit with an unexpected game over from a minor encounter. With this in mind, through much of the game you’ll feel a pressure to get through Tartarus as quickly as possible, rather than exploring each level as thoroughly as the creators surely intended.

Since returning to the entrance of Tartarus fully restores your party’s HP and SP, it might be tempting to think you can grind away indefinitely once you get to Tartarus, but of course, such is not the case. If a character dies in battle, they will go back to the dorm if you return to the entrance without reviving them, whilst every party member is subject to increasing fatigue as they fight more battles. In the end, you will have to go home and rest- and similarly, if the protagonist gets ill from too much fighting or too many late nights studying, you won’t be able to visit Tartarus at all.

If battle proceeds smoothly, then at the victory screen you will get the chance to participate in Shuffle Time, in which several cards are flipped face down and shuffled, before you are allowed to pick one. Shuffle Time is the one way of getting additional Personas for your protagonist, whilst other cards from the minor Arcanas of a tarot deck bestow minor bonuses- Wands give more EXP, Coins give more money, Wands restore HP and Swords give you weapons. Some cards, however, are also cursed, and will draw the Reaper, a powerful optional boss who appears in Tartarus if you hang around to long, closer to you.

Apart the annoyance of not being able control them in battle, trying to check on the status of your party members is also a bit tedious. Instead of simply looking them up in the menu, you have to talk to either Fuuka or the party members to see their status and change their equipment. It may seem like a minor thing, but once you’ve done it fifty times, you will wish for easier menu navigation.

Although, in principle, you could go through most of the game without ever visiting Tartarus, every full moon you will have to fight a powerful boss Shadow. Whilst these battles are, for the most part, easier than the mini-bosses found in Tartarus, it is still worth preparing yourself in order to avoid repeating what can sometimes be quite long and tedious battles. And speaking of tedious, be prepared for the final boss, who has no fewer than fourteen forms to work your way through.

Those familiar with the Persona franchise will know that there is one more element to the game- the Velvet Room. Staffed by the long-nosed Igor and his beautiful assistant Elizabeth, the Velvet Room is where you can register all the Personas you collect in Tartarus and also fuse them together to create newer and more powerful ones. Persona fusion is a straightforward process that hides some quite complex mechanics, in which the fused Persona inherits certain abilities from its ‘parents’, and may even alter some abilities as it levels up.

Each Persona is associated with one of the twenty-two Major Arcana of the tarot deck, which is also connected to one of your Social Links. If you have established a Social Link of the corresponding Major Arcana, the fused Persona will gain bonus EXP. Certain fused Personas will even contain a powerful item within them which will emerge when they reach a certain level. Unfortunately, it is also possible for fusions to fail, resulting in a Persona other than the one you were aiming for.

Whilst Persona fusion is handled by Igor, Elizabeth has her own role to play in doling out requests for you to fulfil- everything from gathering particular items from both the real world and Tartarus to taking her on a date! You can even take her on in an optional boss battle.

With so much to do, don’t be surprised if you can’t manage it all on the first playthrough. Fortunately, you can go back round and attempt it all in New Game+, although your Social Links and level will be reset, so don’t expect it to be a completely easy ride second time around.

Playable characters

Protagonist: As the only character you control directly, the protagonist is of even more importance than ever- especially as it’s game over if he dies. Use his ability to command multiple Personas and equip any type of weapon to your advantage in making him a versatile player who can handle anything the game throws at you.

Junpei Iori: A user of fire and physical attacks, Junpei is the stereotypical sidekick and a solid character to have on your team, but although many find it worth keeping him along for the entire ride, I ended up dropping him in favour of Akihiko and Koromaru (at one point, he was level 19 when the rest of the team was in the late 50s). He becomes more inclined towards physical attacks as the game progresses, with the use of fire magic falling more to Koromaru.

Yukari Takeba: The obligatory female friend, Yukari is, unsurprisingly, the most accomplished healer in the game, with a sideline in wind element attacks. Although she isn’t up to scratch when it comes to physical attacks, she deserves a place on the team nonetheless.

Mitsuru Kirijo: Smart, elegant and sexy, Mitsuru is my favourite character of Persona 3, and she isn’t bad in battle either. She might be a little below average when it comes to physical attacks, but her ice magic can cut through even the mightiest of foes, and she does a good trade in support skills as well. She even has Spirit Drain, which lets her replenish her SP once it starts getting low. I rarely enter Tartarus without her.

Akihiko Sanada: A decent all-rounder, Akihiko uses a combination of physical attacks and electricity magic, with a couple of healing skills thrown in for good measure. A worthy member of my final boss slaying team, and a cool customer too.

Koromaru: Somewhat unusually, Koromaru is a Persona-wielding dog, but his loyalty and ferocity in battle is unquestionable. Although he lacks healing abilities, his mastery of fire and death magic, plus his solid physical attack, makes him a good replacement for Junpei later in the game.

Aigis: An android designed for the express purpose of fighting Shadows, Aigis is an out-and-out physical attacker. If you want some brawn on your party, she’s your go-to girl, but since she lacks versatility I tended to leave her on the bench for the more important encounters.

Shinjiro Aragaki: For plot reasons, Shinji is only available for part of the game, and the main reason to use him is a) the novelty and b) the fact that if he wins a battle, he will often follow up by saying “Adios, assholes”. He’s a decent physical attacker but doesn’t hang around long enough to be memorable. If you use a cheat to bring him back for later battles, Fuuka will accuse you of cheating.

Ken Amada: The only Persona-user still to be in elementary school, Ken is one of those characters who seems incredibly awesome and useful when you first get him, but who quickly falls behind. He has a mix of light, healing and physical skills, but doesn’t really excel in any area.

Fuuka Yamagishi (support): Replacing Mitsuru as support character partway through the game, Fuuka doesn’t actually participate in battle- her role is to analyse enemy weaknesses from afar and provide various other skills, including stating the obvious in battle. Anyone who has been repeatedly told “just one enemy left” when facing off against a single enemy will know how annoying she can be.

Story

As with all Shin Megami Tensei games, Persona 3 is a tale of an overly eloquent final boss whose philosophical ramblings basically amount to wanting to return the world to nothingness. Along the way, however, there is emotional turmoil aplenty, with everyone possessing some kind of tragic past or deeply rooted angst that must be worked through in the course of the game. Fortunately, the characters are likeable enough that you genuinely feel for them rather than getting annoyed at yet another tale of misery and depression.

Audiovisual

Persona 3 uses its mix of 3D for actual gameplay and 2D visual-novel style close up for cutscenes to good effect, creating a world that is clean, sharp and aesthetically pleasing. The game’s music is composed by the accomplished Shoji Meguro, who once again comes up with the goods in a soundtrack that encompasses everything from the operatic airs of the Velvet Room to more upbeat rap and techno-style tracks. Overall, it’s a very polished and attractive package.

THE ANSWER

***Spoiler Warning!***

Also included on the Persona 3 FES disc is a separate chapter entitled ‘The Answer’, which ties up some loose ends from Persona 3 within an additional 20-30 hours of gameplay. Following the events of Persona 3, the dorm is to be closed as our heroes go their separate ways. When they all decide to spend one last night together, however, they find themselves trapped within the confines of the dorm, repeating the same day over and over. Their only clue is the arrival of an android named Metis from the Abyss of Time, a new dungeon that has opened up beneath the dorm itself. Having inherited the power of the Wild Card from the protagonist, Aigis leads the party as they explore the Abyss of Time and try to find a way out.

A stripped-down version of Persona 3, FES’ The Answer chapter features more dungeons, more bosses and a new character to replace the departed protagonist in the form of Metis, an android physical attacker who basically takes Aigis’ role now that Aigis has stepped up to become the main character. Social Links and the passage of time have been put aside- this section of the game is all about dungeon-crawling, peppered with a few cutscenes detailing how each of the characters originally awoke to their Persona ability.

Also missing from The Answer is the ever-useful Persona Compendium, which, in the original P3, allowed the player to summon back any Persona they had fused or dismissed. This lack is something of a setback, although to make up for it, Personas that were only obtainable through fusion in the original game can now be obtained via Shuffle Time.

As a stand-alone title, FES wouldn’t be a great step forward from the earlier Persona games, but as add-on to Persona 3, it comes as a welcome shot of extra content that helps to stave off withdrawal symptoms for that little bit longer.

Final Thoughts

Although it suffers from a few flaws in execution that are corrected in both Persona 4 and the PSP remake, Persona 3 is a highly addictive game that successfully melds two genres into a single enjoyable experience. For sheer attitude and atmosphere, it remains my favourite Persona game.

Maria Osawa is a ditzy young reporter sent to Shanghai to help cover a conference. Unfortunately, tensions are running high in the city, and when she is targeted by assassins, it falls to her old friend Canaan to save her. Canaan is a young Middle Eastern mercenary who uses synaesthesia to her advantage in combat, but can even her superior skills help her protect Maria whilst also pursuing revenge against her long-time rival Alphard?

Canaan is a difficult anime to write about, not only because it is a sequel to a Wii game I’d never even heard of before consulting Wikipedia, but because large chunks of it simply make no sense. The series throws together numerous different characters, along with a semblance of a plot, and then simply seems to hope that the mix will last for thirteen episodes. Standard anime jokes such as the ditzy girl and the comic relief sidekick with no breasts mi together with plot elements involving a deadly virus, special abilities and a rather loose definition of synaesthesia to create something that needs an annotated glossary just to understand. One suspects, however, that certain scenes will still be completely ridiculous even if every aspect had been fully explained.

More memorable than the plot is Canaan’s extensive cast of characters, although not always for the right reasons. Take for example Alphard’s psychotic subordinate Liang Qi, who has a penchant for wandering around naked and shooting at people. She is undoubtedly the most unbalanced of the cast, but certainly not the only one who could do with a few sessions at the therapist. From physical mutations to emotional problems, everyone has their own issues to deal with, to the point where you can’t really bring yourself to care about any of them.

So then, why bother watching Canaan at all? The reason, of course, lies in the eye candy. All of the female characters are easy on the eye, so much so that you’ll remember what they look like long after you’ve forgotten all other details of their lives. Overall, the animation is slick and smooth, with enough action scenes to make up for so many disappointingly static series from certain other studios (Bee Train, I’m looking at you).

Final Thoughts

Although it’s hard to follow what’s supposed to be going on in Canaan or even be certain as to why one should care, somehow it manages to pull off style over substance to the extent that it is actually quite watchable. There’s no doubt that the only reason to watch it is on purely shallow grounds, but if you accept it as purely throwaway entertainment, then it isn’t too bad.

Tier: Bronze-