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Riviera: The Promised Land

Atlus is very well respected for their willingness to take a chance on games that otherwise would never see the light of day in the States. Not all of the games they publish are fantastic, but all of them certainly appeal to at least one hardcore gaming niche. Riviera: The Promised Land is a perfect example of this; and considering the only other games I've even heard of from the developer, Sting, are the poopworthy Evolution titles on the Dreamcast (which were combined and ported to the GameCube in 2002), the company has definitely come a long way. It's quirky, and may only immediately appeal to certain types of gamers, but the production values do give the game legs, that is undeniable.

Anybody willing to give Riviera the time of day will at least come away knowing the game is undoubtedly good, whether it was an enjoyable experience or not. Almost every aspect of the game is a 'love it or hate it' quandary. For example, you can't stop and save the game whenever you have to. A definite no-no for a portable game, at least for me, but some people couldn't care less.

The main difference between Riviera and nearly every other RPG, is that you are not controlling the literal direction of your character in the non-battle portions of the game. Instead you "choose" your way through sets of still locations. It navigates much like a point-and-click adventure, but instead of literally clicking the character's destination you just use the D-pad to choose which path to take, much like Killer7. I found this to be a particularly annoying and unsatisfying aspect of the game, especially for an RPG. However, a lot of people seem to feel that this makes the game unique, and it at least offers a faster alternative to traditional overworld exploration.

Many screens will "contain" a battle, so while the battles aren't totally random like most RPGs, they aren't avoidable like in Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos or any of the Mario RPG titles. Other screens may contain a chest or another path to take, but not all of them are immediately visible. You'll have to scan for them by using points accumulated in battle. At first I thought this would get really annoying, but I never found myself without enough points to do what I needed to do. It still would have been nice to have the freedom to explore without limitation.

Battles themselves are relatively typical of turn-based RPGs, with just a few extra nuggets of fun thrown in for good measure. Mastering weapons is a great way to gain a powerful arsenal quickly, as you can level up even during the optional practice battles. In fact, sometimes it felt like I was unable to beat a boss unless I spent almost an hour or so just "practicing"... which I felt was a little lame. Leveling up before taking on a boss is standard business in RPGs, but I prefer to be able to do it in "real" battles instead of in practices. Another thing that should be noted is that once you beat a chapter you are unable to go back and level up in the more traditional sense.

The inventory system is very limiting, which is something I truly despise in any RPG; it is for this same reason that I wouldn't even give Super Mario RPG a perfect score if I were to review it, and that game is nearly flawless. Your master inventory is only capable of holding just over a dozen items, and you can only take four items with you into a battle (which you select at the beginning of said battle). Yes, I realize that this adds strategy to the game, so don't send me any angry emails. They could've gone about it differently though, requiring more strategic thinking in the actual battles and not in how you manage your inventory.

In any case, the battles are still just as fun as in any turn-based system. Especially when you factor in the overdrive moves and weapons mastering systems, which may not be completely original, but at least offer a multifaceted experience. However, I still would have liked there to be a little more variety in the battles, or at least a way to go back to previous areas that had some fun battles and level up there.

Where Riviera undeniably stands out from the crowd is in the production and overall presentation of the game. Great storytelling seems to be a lost artform in this industry, but even in this typical anime/manga style and setting, the pacing and storyline are miles above most games released today, and the storyline itself branches off in different directions depending on the choices made by the gamer, giving the opportunity for multiple endings and play experiences in the same game. The real voices scattered throughout the game and the fantastically orchestrated music are almost home console quality.

Most of the graphical work is standard fare, but the animations are very smooth and the hand drawn anime-style profiles are beyond what the GBA should be capable of doing with such sharpness and detail. The game wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable without this level of graphical quality, and it shines especially bright during battle sequences. For some this is just icing on the cake, but for many this flashiness may end up being the driving force behind defeating enemies and pressing on, as striving to see the oft-ridiculous overdrive moves can get addicting, but may eventually end up bordering on the repetitive.

This game gets an N-Philes score of C+.

With all that Riviera: The Promised Land has to offer, hardcore RPG fans should find something to enjoy in terms of the branching story, fluid animations, and solid battle system. But when it comes right down to it, only the hardcore RPG fans will put enough time into Riviera to receive all that the game has to offer. The average gamer will probably not stay interested long enough to beat the 30+ hour quest, let alone go back and play through again just to make different decisions and get a different ending. Then again, when has Atlus ever been interested in catering to the average gamer? Riviera is a great experience for a niche crowd, but you'll just have to figure out for yourself whether or not you're part of that niche.

Posted in: Reviews