Enchanted Arms review

Clichd storyline? Check. Spiky-haired hero? Check. The fate of the world in your hands? Check. All the trademarks of your standard Japanese role playing game are here and in abundance. Because of this, some people may simply dismiss Enchanted Arms as a by-the-numbers RPG, but Gamestyle pleads with you to look deeper than that and give it the chance it deserves. Not only does it need the sales to encourage more of this sort of thing, but it's also the first RPG of its type on the Xbox 360 and, above all else, it's a whole load of fun.At the beginning, you are introduced to the main protagonist, Atsuma. Although he does switch between a likable comic relief character and an Anakin Skywalker brooding type with alarming regularity, you do feel for him, an important aspect within a story-driven game. Then there are the supporting cast, each with their own personality and charm, particularly the gay guy Makoto, who is as camp as a row of pink tents; when he goes off on a tangent attempting to get the "coolest guy in school" to try his "love muffins", you will laugh, and probably feel quite worried. Just a shame that the English voice acting is a little hit and miss: characters such as hard man Raigar have great vocals whereas whiny kid Yuki sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog on helium. We shouldn't quibble over such a minor worry, though: if you feel yourself cursing your ears for hearing such drivel, you can change to the original Japanese voice actors.The plot itself centres around a Golem War that happened 1000 years ago and almost resulted in the end of mankind. Although these were known as Devil Golems, ordinary golems help with people's day to day lives, and these creations are a key in the evolving story of Enchanted Arms. You will find these golems on your quest and, once defeated, you gain the ability to 'synthesize' them in the shops, and then use them in your battle party - just think of them as Pokmon. The pocket monster influences don't stop there, though; each character you control has an element attached to them, so it's a simple case of water beats fire, light is the opposite of dark, and so forth. It works well, and collecting golems is a quest in itself with a percentage showing you how close to completion you are - it has a real "gotta catch 'em all" mentality and sets Enchanted Arms apart.It's no slouch in the graphical department either: apart from a few areas that lack detail, everything in Enchanted Arms looks wonderfully vibrant with some of the most impressive FMV sequences we've seen. A shame that much of the character interaction is played out by cardboard cut outs with text and very few animations, rather than full-blown cinematics. Battles can also look spectacular, especially during the special EX attacks (Atsuma's Phoenix being a firm favourite). Luckily, with a simple battle system, we can easily ogle the graphics while organising our party.You see, entering a battle (which is introduced early on) is like a game of chess. You move your characters around a grid (split up between your party and the enemies) and each of your characters' attacks only has the ability to hit certain enemy squares, adding a tactical element to the game. Your party heals itself after each fight, rather than messing around with potions afterwards, which is bound to please those who were a little reluctant to delve into an RPG. This, along with the easy to use battle mechanic, make an accessible RPG for newcomers and could easily convert non-fans.It seems like introducing new gamers to a genre where most titles cater for fans and fans alone is From Software's goal here, whether intentional or not. This accessibility doesn't impede upon the game's length or difficulty, though, as at least forty hours of questing await, and the difficulty soon ramps up from its easy beginnings. Plenty of levelling up is required at certain segments of the game, but with Enchanted Arms always catering for non-fans, you always have moments where a station to recover your vitality points is nearby, and levelling up is never a chore in this game, particularly when you have an 'auto' option which lets your party fight without you lifting a finger.As you can see, Gamestyle likes Enchanted Arms a lot and at times we feel like the only ones who do. Many websites have seemingly picked on the game for being too much like a Japanese RPG with all of its clichs, which is strange, seeing as that's precisely what the console is often lambasted for lacking. The game is unpretentious and makes no apologies for being exactly what it wants to be - and that is a game with a beautifully crafted storyline, intriguing characters, plenty of humour, and everything you want from an RPG. Forget the naysayers, this is really a class act.