Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
The PSP is home to the most traditional RPGs this generation. Good traditional RPGs to boot. The latest traditional RPG to hit the PSP is Crimson Gem Saga from Atlus. As an Atlus game, you know to expect top-notch localization and beautiful illustrations to tell an epic tale. In Crimson Gem Saga, you play as Killian who is always second best in everything he does. The world is thrown in peril when a series of mysterious events start to occur and Killian does his best to get to the bottom of it. For a turned-based RPG, this is as traditional as they come in terms of gameplay with a few conservative tweaks.

What's Hot
RPGs, much like summer action movies, are extremely predictable. They center on a world changing event that you must protect or defend or suffer unimaginable consequences. At this point in the history of video games, it isn't about how original your RPG story is but how well it is told. Crimson Gem thankfully gets the storytelling down cold with a great sense of characterization and solid writing. The main character is deeply flawed, he wants to be the best but always comes up second. Crimson Gem deftly walks the fine line between interesting and annoying with Killian as you watch his story unfold. It isn't only the main character but the rest of the cast of the game that you can relate to in the same fashion.

The story of the Crimson Gem is told with gorgeous illustrations. The hand painted backdrops of the tiny hamlets to the ominous dungeons brings the game to life on the PSP. The 2D sprites are animated with loads of detail and many animations as you traverse the land and engage in many battles. Crimson Gem brings all the visual elements together with story to create a compelling, traditional RPG with all the trimmings of a modern classic. The battle system might be well worn and tested but the story is the shining star.



What's Not
The only negative aspect of Crimson Gem is that it can feel too familiar and too well tread. There are only a few, marginal improvement to the traditional RPG gameplay formula in the way that fighting is more streamlined. You'll be grinding levels and crunching item stats to get stronger to fight the end boss. At this juncture in this generation of handhelds, gamers might be looking for something a little less conservative in terms of gameplay.

The battles aren't random but there are quite a few of them. If you aren't keen with the idea of the game to begin with, the battles will drag down the experience. Traditional RPG gamers won't see a problem in the slightest. It all depends on a matter of perspective.

Final Word
There is a beautiful and wonderful world waiting for you to explore in Crimson Gem. It is rare to find likable, flawed characters that drive a predictable story that keeps you coming back to find out what happens next. The traditional gameplay doesn't feel archaic, which is impressive for a game that makes small, conservative changes to the old-school turned based affair. If you are a fan of RPGs, you cannot miss Crimson Gem Saga. Crimson Gem is a classic RPG that shines as brightly as the name implies.