Players: 1
Price: $39.99
Platform(s): PSP
Developer:STING USA
Publisher: Atlus USA
ESRB: Mature
Website: http://atlus.com/

Riviera: The Promised Land is a remake of a Gameboy advance RPG that sports some great new advancements to the old-as-all-hell genre known as JRPGs (Japanese Role PLaying Game.) With a solid plot and none of the stereotypes that bog down modern RPGs, this one might just be on the right track.

So you played Odin Sphere and now you’re itching for some more mythological Norse action, right? Right? Ok well probably not considering about 10,000 people outside the gaming press played OS. But nonetheless, there is nary a subject that makes gamers giggle with delight than that of the Norse gods, and the legends of Ragnarok. It’s been used in everything from Valkyrie Profile and Max Payne to recent titles such as Crackdown and Too Human, but we never tire of it.

To me it feels like justice, because for the longest time we were using the barbarian stereotype in games and it’s about time the actual history behind these genre-mainstays got some justice. The story I’m speaking of takes place at Asgard, the capital city of the nation of the Norse gods. Asgard has become overrun by demons and in a last ditch effort, the gods break and ancient taboo by sacrificing themselves to create black-winged reapers known as Grim Angels (not to be confused with Grim Fandangos.) The Grim Angels are able to seal away the demons, and the gods followed suit. Leaving their power and knowledge on the idyllic isle of Riviera. One thousand years of peace pass with the gods hidden away. But evil is stirring in Mordor…I mean Riviera. The demons are about to return and the adorable little sprites of the land know they won’t be able to withstand an assault. From there it degrades into a band of seven friends banding together to try and stop it all from happening…very standard stuff, but everything leading up to it sounds fantastic to me. Especially considering how well the mythology was handled last time Atlus used it as a plot device in Odin Sphere.

It’s easy for me to say that the plot sounds cool, but not so much for the graphics. Personally, I love them. I’ve always been a fan of the cutesy sprites made famous in the SNES era in games like Final Fantasy VI and the like. However, after we’ve seen what the PSP is capable of, it’s kind of disappointing to see that they aren’t doing more to utilize the hardware. This is especially true considering that it is a remake of the GBA version, which was released a little over two years ago. Right now it’s looking like a bit more than a straight port, but not that much.

Nevertheless, it's time to move on to gameplay...this is where Riviera really separates itself from the pointy-haired-herd. For starters, where-is in most RPG’s you wander from place to place getting in random battles, Riviera eschews this format for something entirely different. You never even control your characters. You simply tell them to move to a room and they go, there; you fight battles and are given the option to search areas for objects. Weird, but so different it’s cool.

Further taking matters out of the players hands is the battle system. Enemies pop up in preordained places much like you would expect, but then the battle begins and it’s far from your typical Final Fantasy battle. See, players are never given the option to actually target an enemy. Rather, the character’s choice in weapon coupled with their placement on the battlefield determines who will be receiving the hurt.

With all the oddities this game sports, you may be a bit surprised to hear me say what I’m about to say. This may be a good RPG for just about everyone. I know, it’s a bizarre statement. However, with it’s refreshing design gamers who have seen the RPG formula become old hat will probably find something to get excited about again. Whereas newcomers to the genre will be spared some of the obstacles that bar newbies from gaining access to these games (like excessive level-grinding.)