Riviera: The Promised Land - Official

[Sqoon]

Riviera was at E3 and it didn't look too great, though unless you're prepared for it ahead of time, it's hard to be impressed by an RPG at E3, especially one as funky as this. I got it in the mail a few days ago, about three hours in, and it's fantastic. Assuming it doesn't take a total nose dive, I'd say get it. For those who don't know how the game works (and it's a really weird complicated game), here's a breakdown:

First, the map system. It's a top-down perspective (almost 3/4) and you don't walk like in normal RPGs. Instead, there are two modes of exploration you can switch between by pressing A: LOOK and MOVE. In Move Mode, signs appear and you press the corresponding button to move that way (-->go forward; <--go back; press up and jump down a ledge). In Look Mode, all the signs are replaced with other signs that point at objects of interest, like shrubs, trees, chests, statues, etc. The Look signs that are in white don't cost anything to inspect, while red ones cost 1 TP.



TP can be recovered in battles. At the end of each battle, you're judged based on how tough the monsters were and how many seconds you took. Get an S ranking, and you'll recieve 4 TP, A=3 TP, B=2 TP, etc. So now, not only do you have to plan how to attack, but also factor in if it would eat up too much time. The battle system is also unique. So far, I've only fought like ten battles, but each one takes up a lot of time and they're pretty hard. Before each battle, you see how many guys you're up against and their positions. From there, you're only allowed to take four items into battle (most weapons and items have limited amount of usages a la Beyond Oasis) and this is why the game's pretty hard. Pick the wrong items, and you're screwed. Really plan ahead. There's an overdrive system (like limit break) that builds up as you deal and take damage, which lets characters perform special moves. You have to be careful, since some characters destroy the overdrive bar with the special move and the move starts an animation that eats up time. It's strong, but it has to be decided on a battle-by-battle basis if it's worth it.

There is no currency system (you find everything) and no EXP system. Instead, it's the weapons and items power up through usage. Some characters are good only with certain weapons and when the weapons "level up" they give the user new abilities and stats. Stats also increase by doing certain events on the map, like looking at a crack in the ground might find a item that increases the party stats immediately.



Most of the time, you're in a dungeon but there's a lot of character development because the characters are always chattering away. Things you say and do affect the relationship of your party (like, if you find an item you can either keep it or give it to someone else) and I think this is where the multiple endings come in from. It's like a dating-sim, but it's really subtle and it's intergrated into the exploration, rather than stopping the momentum of the game in its tracks (like Thousand Arms).

The game is divided in chapters, and each chapter is divided into sub-chapters. Once you leave a sub-chapter (the dungeon is usually split off into sub-chapters), you can't go back, unless it's part of the story. This really pissed me off because there were a bunch of items that I think I missed. But it really keeps the game focused and to keep people like me who over-explore on track. And it's about relying on intuition. You never know what you'll find until you inspect it but it eats up precious TP in the process. At the end of each chapter, you're judged based on how many moves you took (every time you leave a screen or inspect something, it counts as a move) and how many points you got. Each battle you get points and sucessfully performing mini-games (some chests are booby-trapped and you have to hit a timed button sequence to avoid it, or hitting timed button sequences to avoid guards). So again, it's about going with intuition: inspecting this shrub will cost you a move but you might get points out of it, so you want to hope for a balance.

Even though battles are tough and take a while, the game itself moves really fast since you just hit a button to leave one screen and you're punished for over-exploring. There isn't much time to look back and it really makes you creative with what you have in your inventory.



Yikes, that's about it. Here's the official site: http://www.atlus.com/riviera/ though there's not much on it. It's a really beautiful game, and STING (they did the Evolution series?) did a great job on the look. It's rated T (!), but there's nothing i've seen to suggest anything above an E. We'll see. It's really exciting..

[Nomi]

So, the real strategy in the game is based on planning ahead for battles and making sure you're properly equipped to take down the enemies as quickly as possible? Interesting. The no EXP and no currency thing seems a bit strange for an RPG game. I don't think I'd like the whole punished-feeling for exploring and consuming TP. I'd get too frustrated.

By the way, you spelled it wrong in the title.

[Sqoon]

The no EXP and no currency thing seems a bit strange for an RPG game. I don't think I'd like the whole punished-feeling for exploring and consuming TP. I'd get too frustrated.

Yeah, I'm still not fully used to it, but so far it's worth it; the translation and writing is up to Atlus' high standards and it's so unique and well-done. Most of the time, games get totally fucked over when developers try to mess around with the movement system like in Shining Wisdom or Brandish.

[Thief Silver]

THe game is a subpar gameplay wise, and amusing to play for the stories and characters. Think Dating Sim + RPG without much actual romance.

[Chux]

A.) Run
B.) Talk to Her
C.) Put It In

[toxic]

How can I level up the sex toys?



French Tickler +4?

[animegirl]

A.) Run
B.) Talk to Her
C.) Put It In

Heh.

[sethsez]

The rom doesn't work right with any emulator I have. Boo.

This is one game I'm not buying without trying. Looks like it could either be fantastic or terrible.

[Thief Silver]

It's decent. lol.

Both fantastic and terrible. I hated it at the start, but I ended up liking it enough to play through it again.

[kuro]

I picked it up day one simply because I always like Atlus games, and I'm happy with it. Kinda like a playable story book, and I do need to read more often.