SBaby
Dungeon Master
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- Seen Apr 9, 2015
What do you all think about the new InuYasha RPG?
Every once in awhile, a game comes around that both gives you a feeling of nostalgia and a feeling that there is something new there. That is where I found myself after playing InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask.
The story is fairly simple in the grand scheme of things. You play one of two new characters that got transported to InuYasha's time and you have to find a way to get back. Right away, you run into InuYasha and gradually meet up with the other main cast members. As you journey on your...quest, you meet up with pretty much every major character that was in the Anime series, including a few that were not.
As far as gameplay goes, it's about what your average RPG has. There are towns, dungeons, and field maps. Dungeons tend to be longer and are the nesting place of various enemies which you battle to gain levels and new Abilities-typical RPG stuff. One of the downfalls, and a minor one, is that battles tend to take a very long time in this game. On top of that, escape is nearly impossible in any fight. Fortunately, there are ways to lessen the encounter rate to an extent in the game. For the non-combatant, there are a few side-things in this game, like going on dates/outings to improve your friendship with other characters and unlocking new abilities as well. There's also a farming sub-quest where you get seeds and fertilizers and see what grows. But for the most part, it's a dungeon-crawler.
If you've seen the Anime, you'll recognize all of the voices. Yep, the same people that voiced the US version of the InuYasha Anime are the ones that did this game. And they sound and act pretty much exactly like they would in the Anime. So in terms of characters, my opinion is the same as the Anime. Very cartoony for a Teen rated game, but it's all good.
Now we come to the graphics. The sprites are very reminiscient of FF7 with a much more smooth look to them. When you are in a conversation, you often will see Anime portraits in lieu of the game sprites, ala Disgaea. The non-dungeon background art was drawn by the same person that did the art for the Anime, making a beautiful picturesque setting, very reminiscient of the series.
The polygonal dungeons on the other hand, could have been done without. Most of them, while not unbearable are just plain ugly compared to the hand drawn settings outside (there are a few exceptions to this). Plus, it gets to be almost impossible to see your surroundings in some parts due to the shading.
Battles are handled using a ring on the top-left of the screen to determine who goes next, like Grandia. As far as the special abilities go, if you've seen it in the Anime, they can do it in the game. Also, there are some hidden Team Attacks that can only be unlocked through a dating-type mini-quest that you complete throughout your adventure. While the dating isn't spectacular, except for seeing a few cute moments, it's worth it for these attacks. That's because they tend to inflict the majority of your damage to major enemies and are rather easy to pull off. Just don't let one of your characters fall asleep.
Overall, this is a game that any InuYasha fan will want in their collection. Actually, any Anime fan would probably like this one. If you are a die-hard RPG fan who's in the mood for something a little different, and the same as well, I recommend this one as well.
SBaby gives InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask for the PS2 an 8 out of 10! That's one big freaking sword...
Every once in awhile, a game comes around that both gives you a feeling of nostalgia and a feeling that there is something new there. That is where I found myself after playing InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask.
The story is fairly simple in the grand scheme of things. You play one of two new characters that got transported to InuYasha's time and you have to find a way to get back. Right away, you run into InuYasha and gradually meet up with the other main cast members. As you journey on your...quest, you meet up with pretty much every major character that was in the Anime series, including a few that were not.
As far as gameplay goes, it's about what your average RPG has. There are towns, dungeons, and field maps. Dungeons tend to be longer and are the nesting place of various enemies which you battle to gain levels and new Abilities-typical RPG stuff. One of the downfalls, and a minor one, is that battles tend to take a very long time in this game. On top of that, escape is nearly impossible in any fight. Fortunately, there are ways to lessen the encounter rate to an extent in the game. For the non-combatant, there are a few side-things in this game, like going on dates/outings to improve your friendship with other characters and unlocking new abilities as well. There's also a farming sub-quest where you get seeds and fertilizers and see what grows. But for the most part, it's a dungeon-crawler.
If you've seen the Anime, you'll recognize all of the voices. Yep, the same people that voiced the US version of the InuYasha Anime are the ones that did this game. And they sound and act pretty much exactly like they would in the Anime. So in terms of characters, my opinion is the same as the Anime. Very cartoony for a Teen rated game, but it's all good.
Now we come to the graphics. The sprites are very reminiscient of FF7 with a much more smooth look to them. When you are in a conversation, you often will see Anime portraits in lieu of the game sprites, ala Disgaea. The non-dungeon background art was drawn by the same person that did the art for the Anime, making a beautiful picturesque setting, very reminiscient of the series.
The polygonal dungeons on the other hand, could have been done without. Most of them, while not unbearable are just plain ugly compared to the hand drawn settings outside (there are a few exceptions to this). Plus, it gets to be almost impossible to see your surroundings in some parts due to the shading.
Battles are handled using a ring on the top-left of the screen to determine who goes next, like Grandia. As far as the special abilities go, if you've seen it in the Anime, they can do it in the game. Also, there are some hidden Team Attacks that can only be unlocked through a dating-type mini-quest that you complete throughout your adventure. While the dating isn't spectacular, except for seeing a few cute moments, it's worth it for these attacks. That's because they tend to inflict the majority of your damage to major enemies and are rather easy to pull off. Just don't let one of your characters fall asleep.
Overall, this is a game that any InuYasha fan will want in their collection. Actually, any Anime fan would probably like this one. If you are a die-hard RPG fan who's in the mood for something a little different, and the same as well, I recommend this one as well.
SBaby gives InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask for the PS2 an 8 out of 10! That's one big freaking sword...
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