Gungnir
SCORE: 59
Gungnir is the most unique strategy role playing game this reviewer has ever played. The game play system is one of the most deep, and difficult to comprehend. We start out as a group of bandits who eventually rise to take on an evil empire. This tired storyline has been used in countless role playing games. Same with the hero who mysteriously is given a powerful weapon. And a girl who does not reveal her past right away.
Some may find these saturated themes comfortable, but this reviewer wants some new role playing experiences. Or follow the king of the SRPG's and do a Shining Force kind of a storyline. Casual gamers will want to pass on Gungnir. The hardcore gamers who have hundreds of hours to spare will take an interest in Gungnir.
The story in Gungnir progresses slowly. Most of Gungnir feels like watching paint dry. This includes the talking scenes, the battles, and the preparing your team. Do not ever make a mistake in Gungnir. If you do, you have to completely redo the entire stage. You will bring across the items and levels that were earned.
Spiritually speaking Gungnir includes a variety of religious beliefs. The player is given a mystical spear that is related to a war god. Other characters in Gungnir worship a tree, and there is some star worship in Gungnir. The teachings of Jesus Christ are not included in Gungnir at all. Gungnir does try to deal with issues like racism, but honestly just gets into the mud with the pigs.
The game play system in Gungnir is extremely complex. The RPG Master is not quite sure why some things still happened. Some characters would get five turns and others none. Now when your team has a turn it goes to the character who the game recognizes. However we can move other characters and have them attack. There is a penalty for this of course. But if you don't, then only a few characters will ever level up.
The characters in Gungnir are sadly very disposable. New characters want to join your team at a regular interval. These new characters are higher levels, and generally better than what I currently had. So the older characters are ignored. The main characters are generally an exception. But not always.
Gungnir includes bad language, enticement to lust, blood, and plenty of violence. When characters die they retreat from battle. They can be used in the next stage, but will have lost some of their hitpoints. So it is generally wiser to let them rest. After resting one battle, they will be back to their normal strength.
Gungnir requires an enormous amount of patience to play. This
Playstation Portable (PSP) game feels like it should have been put on a
home console. Levels can take 30-60 minutes easily. This is not
conducive to a hand held. Make a mistake, and it takes even longer. The
artwork and music in Gungnir is fantastic.
- RPG Master
Graphics: 52%
Sound: 56%
Replay/Extras: 75%
Gameplay: 63%
Family Friendly Factor: 50%
System: Playstation Portable
Publisher: Atlus
Rating: 'T' - Teen
{Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild
Suggestive Themes}
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