Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light

While making reservations for upcoming games for my Playstation 2 and PSP two months ago I noticed one of the clerks with a new game in his hands and asked him about it. The game ... Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light.

At first I did the typical customer tradition of giving the cover a once over and added it to my hand basket for consideration. Don't get me wrong, I like role-playing games but there are so many games that I have played in the past that claimed to be an RPG, only to be sorely disappointed as I boxed them back up and took it back to the store to trade for a more interesting game with at least some challenge to it.

Games that might as well have been labeled a linear platform game with no enjoyment value whatsoever.
But I decided to give this one a try, so after talking to the clerk who admitted it has been hard for him to keep the game on the shelf because as soon as he puts it on the shelf it's already gone. I soon found out why after I paid for the game and went to my car and ripped the plastic off the game. I began reading the booklet inside and when done I immediately removed the disc to play the first 15 minutes before going home.

Aside from the clear gorgeous 3D worlds, anime style graphics, real-time battle system and movie sequences, the moment I inserted the disc into my trusty PlayStation Portable I was sucked into the story as I'm introduced to the main character of this fantasy world Lance Bennet. An impatient cocky smart-mouthed adventurer looking to put his swordsmanship skills to the test on the island of Foo.

The game starts slow as you go around talking to the people living in the castle where your ship is docked and finally after listening to a bunch of sailors and dock workers talk about the dangerous beast guarding the lunar temple somewhere on the island and two giants harassing travelers in Sepna Forest. Finally, your first mission but the guards of the castle won't let you leave without the permission of the queen or one of her advisors. By the time I'm in Lumines fields hacking away the beasts, monsters and robbers that plague the roads leading to Sepna Forest hours have gone by and I haven't even left the store parking lot yet.

Two months later I'm still mixing ingredients together using the game's crafting system to create the ultimate weapons for Lance, the giant Gozen, the empath Felis and the mysterious woman Tess as well as potions and equipment to boost their status. The crafting system allows you to use the items you find throughout the world to create weapons, potions, equipment and special items you can use to complete your missions.

Unlike the other games I've played where you can use the same weapon throughout the entire game play, you have to replace or lose the weapons after awhile by buying or building them. You can also mix match equipment items to boost your character's ability and stats at any time during the game.

I believe this game is promising even though I was left with mouth wide open and tears in my eyes as the credits rolled by. As a Final Fantasy Fan myself, this game may have its own following soon and definitely a great addition to any collection of RPG games.

Pros: Beautiful 3D worlds and anime style graphics, lovable characters, a crafting system that allows you to improve or create new weapons, real-time battles in a true RPG-style gameplay, wonderful storylines that immediately suck you into the game and challenging enemies and bosses that will keep you occupied for hours.

Cons: N/A