The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch

The pilgrimage is a time of ascension for the young, a journey into adulthood and all that it brings. But the journey of Christine and Jurio is marred almost from the start when a thief, disguised as a bard, and her partner attempt to steal the Silver Dagger (the item that gives Chris and Jurio free access to inns, transportation and egress across borders).

The seemingly fanciful Grandpa Lap bumbles his way into stopping Shirla and her accomplice Goose and the kids set off to look in the mirrors at the five shrines scattered through the eight kingdoms. Oh, by the way, Lap gives Chris a staff as she leaves and they quickly discover that the seemingly harmless old Grandpa was once a legendary mage.

The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch starts off with layers of the story revealed quickly, and then becomes the typical Japanese-style role-playing game that will have all the characters in the party, pets aside, represented by one person as they travel about. In other Japanese RPGs, monsters usually pop up without players seeing them but in LoH II, you can see them coming (for the most part) and decide whether to attack or evade them.

Should you start the encounter, while the fight does seem to play out in real time, that is merely illusion. The turns here are fluid but as your turn approaches you will need to determine what attacks you will use (standard attack, a skill – like the finishing move, or magic) or if you will use an item or retreat. The speed statistic of your character determines the order in which you attack and how frequently you attack. Of course, there are hit points to keep an eye on.

Fight and you will level your character, as well as have the opportunity to collect items. At the game’s beginning you are given a pet dog that dutifully follows you and can spot items along the way that you may not have seen, like potions and such.

The game itself is very plot based, and the plot has several layers that create a pretty deep story. What confounds efforts though is that you must pay attention to the flashing exclamation points as they are the keys to the mission you are on. NPCs may direct you to other NPCs who will impart wisdom about the restrictions in the game. Grandpa Lap, for example, will tell you that you may not return to your home village, Ragpick Village, until you are through with your pilgrimage.

Unfortunately, in many regards, Legend of Heroes II does little to distinguish itself from the other similar-style RPG titles. The game is rather long, but the fundamental gameplay elements are the same as so many others. Learning curve? Not if you have played this type of game before.

Now remember two paragraphs where it was mentioned about the exclamation points? That is key because you do not get a quest log, and the world map does little to tell you where you need to go next. Even at the beginning, when you are told about the pilgrimage, you are given little direction. You are told the first shrine you must visit is in the kingdom of Deane, and then after that to head toward the last shrine in Oldos. That’s it – the rest you must discover as you adventure forth.

Of course, there is a greater challenge waiting to be discovered and that is where the Moonlight Witch comes into play. She is an ancient and mysterious figure that once traveled the world and then disappeared. Give the game some time and you may find the secrets underscoring the world of Tirasweel.

The audio is rather Spartan. The dialogue is mostly of the typed variety, which players will need to cycle forward, and while the type is up, you will see an illustration of the character speaking. Nice, but typical. The in-game graphics have the large-headed icon character (the one representing the party) wandering through the three-dimensional environment, viewed with the isometric camera position. The world is lush, not much is seen on the screen and you can start to get mildly disoriented in a hurry.

LoH II is more of a typical RPG experience with a longer-than-expected amount of gameplay. The actual game mechanics, though, are rather stock for the genre. Those who like the Japanese RPG style of gaming may enjoy the length of this title, which does get more entertaining and interesting the longer it is played. Unfortunately, if you prefer your PSP gaming in small doses, best to pass on this title. With little in-game quest help, picking it up at scattered moments may have you spending several minutes trying to figure out where you are and remember what you are doing.

Gameplay: 6.5
This is pretty much a standard Japanese RPG experience. Even if you have not played these types of games before, you will not have much of a learning curve here.

Graphics: 7.0
While much is typical, still the look and style is very nice. The combat animations could be a great deal better. They are very arcade-ish in nature.

Sound: 5.0
The PSP is not even tested in this department.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
There are several settings but with the ability to evade confrontations, players can wander through this game and discover the secrets without a lot of combat (though your characters will not be that high and may get crunched when it counts the most).

Concept: 6.8
Nice characters, a decent length to the game itself but mostly standard fare.

Overall: 6.7
The game is entertaining but it fails to stand out in the crowd.