Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Pokemon do those names mean anything? Just saying these names invokes an sense of an epic quest to save the world and beating extraordinary odds is to come. Those games have been on lots of systems over a period of a few decades. When a new game system is released, gamers of the world want to see heroic games where they can save the planet from great evil. RPGs usually fill this spot more often than not. It's no secret that the PSP has been sorely lacking of a traditional role playing game. Agetec stepped up to the plate and delivered PoPoLoCrois.

The story goes like this, you're a young prince of a land called PoPoLoCrois, you believe your mother has died but one night you follow your dad, the king, to a tower and find that your mother is in a deep coma. The quest becomes saving your mom from this mysterious sleep. Of course, there are plenty of obstacles but giving out spoilers isn't any fun now, is it? Ok, the game has substance, how do the game mechanics stand up?

Graphics

You've seen the style before, the ¾ view of a world. If you have ever played a 16-bit RPG you know precisely what is going on here. The game characters are beautiful 2D sprites that are as fluid as sprites can get. Colorful worlds and dungeons add to the character of the game and it never really deviates too far from the cartoon origins of the Japanese Anime. In fact, there are actually brand new footage added to the game that is in full animation. It's nice to see the actual animations in the game and it conjures up memories of the epic RPGs of the 16-bit era. There are a few problems when casting spells, some of the entry level spells look cheesy and not as dynamic as the rest of the spells. The only reason someone could be disappointed in the graphics is if they are looking for a realistic D&D type game. If that is the case, you obviously didn't look at the box art. Crisp, solid, colorful, and varied with a few problems with the way spells look best sums up the package. The cut scene animations are a must see.

Sound

For the most part, the sound in PoPoLoCrois gives a sense of feeling to the areas you come in contact with. A slower waltz for a country town or a more industrial sounding melody for a futuristic land are all fine and dandy but they repeat. Over and over again, eventually grating on the nerves and resulting in turning down or off the sound. Battle music is another story, while it can still be repetitive, battles are usually quick and the music give the sense of urgency and intensity. Character voices are used in the games spells. True to Anime form, the spell user will yell out the name of the spell before it can be fully cast, with their character voice. It is nice to hear those little sound bites in battle and adds to sound diversity. Still, the repetitive nature of the main themes really bog down the total enjoyment of sound bliss.

Control

Ever played a traditional RPG? Then you know how to control the game. Menu commands direct the turn based battles, pretty standard. There is a twist in the battle system where you have to position and move your characters on a grid for attacks. So instead of a straight up Final Fantasy battle system, it is something that resembles the Final Fantasy Tactics battle system.