White Knight Chronicles
If Level-5 has taught me one thing it's that video games can still be a challenging, yet uplifting experience. Whether we're talking about lonely dungeon crawler, Dark Cloud, vibrant science-fiction romp, Rogue Galaxy, or the lovable puzzle series, Professor Layton, Level-5 has never failed to both impress and challenge players. This company has not only gone on to become a well-known alternative to Square Enix, but it's become one of my personal favourites (in addition to Atlus who never fails to amaze me with their random assortment of gems and junk). As a devotee of Level-5's titles, I was ecstatic to hear word of White Knight Chronicles (International Edition) — a game I've been waiting for for years now. The concept appeared a bit more "traditional" than past titles, but I think my restlessness was getting to me, I just needed to get my hands on this title. Level-5 has never been a disappointment so what were the chances that this title would be any different?
WKC frames many famous Japanese RPG tropes — the pre-destined boy hero, damsel in distress, power hungry organizations and, of course, the shadowy emperor ruling over them. Our hero, a delivery boy named Leonard, finds himself saving the timid, yet determined Princess Cisna from a mysterious organization known as Magi. Having made a pact with the White Knight, a mech-sized knight, Leonard can change forms at ease, proving him that much more capable of the rescue. His search for the Princess leads him and his companions through various terrains (albeit linear), with several boss battles blocking their path (these are easier than anticipated). It should go without surprise that WKC will generally exceed the 100 hour mark, (especially if your a completist like myself), but should not exceed 60-70 hours if you simply follow the storyline.
Some of the most compelling aspects of this game were the use of multiplayer (something that's not often done in JRPGs) and customizing/enhancing weapons/armor/etc. (Generally a highlight of any JRPG). While I quite enjoyed the former, the latter didn't strike me as being half as intriguing as, say, Rogue Galaxy's customization proved to be. Don't get me wrong, WKC offers hours and hours of it, but the thought of battle made the task less than enjoyable. I say this because WKC's battles are, frankly, dull and too easy to even require much strategy. When I'm pitted against an impossible boss, I'm more than happy to spend hours strategizing and customizing my party, but if there's little to no challenge, it starts becoming tedious.
WKC consists of real-time, free-roaming battles meant to convey the modern MMO-experience (something just about every RPG is doing lately). When your ATB gauge fills up, you're free to perform a plethora of actions like using an item, curing an ally or unleashing a customized combo. Skills you've learned can be assigned and mapped onto bars at the bottom of the screen. What skills you decide to include is completely up to you, but there's only a certain amount of space available.
While in battle, allies will accumulate Action Chips (AC) which can be used to execute skills, combos and magic attacks. While a great deal of beginners skills don't require AC, skills learned later on in the game will depend on these heavily. At the same time, AC can be saved up for the White Knight transformation, which costs seven chips. In White Knight mode (similar to that in Xenogears, but not nearly as cool), magic power is slowly depleted when attacking so if your MP runs out mid-battle, you must switch back to normal mode. While White Knight mode is pricey and risky, it's essential for bigger boss battles or when you're facing colossal enemies.
The system may seem intriguing and requires some strategy, but there are far too many problems to make the experience worthwhile. For one, range seems to play a large issue. Frequently there are times when your weapon is shy of hitting the selected enemy, however if an enemy attempts to attack, they can execute a successful hit from very far distances. It'll also becomes clear early on that while the monster design is amazing, each area offers little variation in them — expect to fight the same six enemies (weak, medium, strong) over and over again until you've reached the end of a map. These factors, paired with little strategy and challenge, makes for a relatively lackluster experience, something we're not used to experiencing from Level-5.
WKC does, however, do some things right. As mentioned earlier, multiplayer is what makes this game shine. With so few JRPGs utilizing this, it's a welcome to see some change. I wouldn't generally like multiplayer in a JRPG seeing as how I'm more of a old-school RPG lover, but somehow the prospect of joining a group of players in one of the game's many hunts (à la Final Fantasy XII) sounded surprisingly alluring. The experience turned out to be just that.
Another aspect of this game worth mentioning are the visuals, which are plain gorgeous. WKC may not have taken any risks, but the impressionistic visuals are still intense and immersive. Character design is also welcome, particularly when creating an avatar at the beginning of the game. A lot of attention is put into detail, so expect to customize not only face shape and skin colour, but also face depth, jaw structure and various other small details. The avatar customization has more flexibility than any game I know and is definitely a highlight.
Having played a good deal of WKC I have to say, the experience isn't as cathartic as Level-5's past titles. However, with that said, the game is better than most reviewers are giving it credit for. Single-player can be lackluster and repetitive, but the visuals and multiplayer makes up for this, even if the combat system is a bit shaky. If you can forgive the game of its flaws, then even the most experienced JRPG fan should find enjoyment, just don't expect anything genre-defining. Level-5 may have slipped in their latest game, but it's still a solid addition.
Likes:
- The visuals and the soundtrack are breathtaking and provide an immersive experience.
- Avatar customization is flexible and fun.
- Multiplayer is fun and engaging. Definitely one of the game's highlights.
Dislikes:
- WKC is lackluster and far less challenging than Level-5's other titles.
- Combat system is unbalanced and not nearly as complex as it appears.
- While the storyline is interesting enough, but it's far too predictable.
Review Score
/ 
The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
