[General Discussion] What is so special about...? HEY ASSHOLES, POST MORE IN HERE.

This idea came to me while I was reading some journal comments. I just read a comment in which someone praised the SNES RPG Earthbound. I must have read comments or posts like that about a thousand times or more. The thing is, I haven't played Earthbound, and I don't really know what all the fuss is about. It might be a great game, but just reading reviews can't really tell me what is special about the game. A review can tell me what it is about, what to expect in general terms, but it often will not tell me what really made the game feel special. I could just go ahead and play it blind, but I prefer to hear a little about games from other gamers before I play them.

That is the purpose of this thread. Not specifically to talk about Earthbound, although you are free to do so. What I would like for you to do is to pick one or more RPG which you have completed and explain what made it so special. What made it stand out from other games. Be either as brief or as verbose as you would like. I'm basically suggesting that you write a mini-review which touches on the points that you feel are the most special about this game.

I would like to suggest that this be about games which are not already popular beyond belief. I won't place any explicit limitations on which titles should be mentioned, because I am not a moderator and do not make rules. Instead I will suggest that it would be better to talk about a lesser-known RPG than to a Final Fantasy or Suikoden title. I'd prefer it if we could keep criticism to a minimum. I know that not everyone likes the same games, but this isn't about discussing whether a game is good. It's about explaining what you liked about it, regardless of what others may think. On the other hand, if you have something to say about a mini-review in which you think the author missed something equally special about the game, please do take the time to post your own write-up of the title.

---

What is so special about Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana?

My first selection is a relatively recent game. I don't think it has received the degree of attention it deserved though. In the first place, it's a solid RPG in the traditional style. It really feels more like a minor graphical upgrade of a SNES title than a PS2 title. That's a good thing in my view, because I sometimes get tired of the super-shiny new RPGs which are all presentation and no substance. Not all new RPGs are like that, but we all know I could name a few.

The story is a little bit cliché, or possibly more than a little. It gets the job done, it had some genuinely touching moments for me... and last but not least it has a cute catgirl. That's cute like "awwww..." not cute like "damn!", by the way. I personally find the characters to be quite compelling, even though they offered little which we have not seen before. The combat system could only be described as servicable, it certainly isn't anything to write home about. The characters each have a decent range of skills and abilities at their disposal, and are suitably varied in their style. What makes it really special though is the Store Synthesis system.

Store Synthesis is the process by which certain store owners throughout the game will offer items which are only available if you gather the right ingredients to make them. These range from consumables to equipment. Some items are of negligable use though, since they were included as comic relief. You could play through Atelier Iris from start to finish having only done minimal Store Synthesis. It is not something which is forced upon the player much, after the initial introduction of the concept. For each recipe, some ingredients are fixed, and some are variable. You can substitute different ingredients that you have found in order to produce products of different quality, or sometimes even entirely different products that may not be created in any other way. Sometimes the ingredients are the products of your previous experiments in synthesis, and the final quality will be based on the quality of the ingredients you used for that item. You can spend hours looking for a way to make a slightly better item, if you care to.

If you find the characters and the world at all compelling, you will probably want to pursue Store Synthesis. As you assist the store owner to complete more and more of the synthesis formulae he or she has devised, a whole subplot based around that character will unfold. If you pursue all of these subplots to their natural conclusion, you will add a great deal of value to your playing experience. Not only will the pursuit of better ingredients become a minor quest in its own right, but the subplots are at least as entertaining as the main game... if not more so. Last but not least, you will gain access to some useful items.

If you play Atelier Iris without completing the Store Synthesis quests, you have played half a game. The store synthesis quests are interlinked to a great extent. If you're going to pursue one series of quests, you will end up by pursuing them all. In the end, it felt to me like these stories were just as important as any other part of the game.

---

I may write another one later, if this thread catches on. If someone wants to do me the courtesy of writing one for Earthbound, that would be great. I don't know whether this idea is as good as it sounded in my head, but here goes.

Jam it back in, in the dark.