Raganarok Odessey PS Vita import review.

 

I seem to have an import lust when it comes to handheld gaming, I find myself buying more imports for a handheld than I do for any home console and I gotta say straight off the bat I am really glad  I picked up Ragnarok Odyssey.

Ragnarok Odyssey for the Vita is one of those games that begs you to play just one more quest.  Whenever I turn it on I get the feeling that I am playing a wonderful mesh of Monster Hunter, PSO and God Eater Burst, 3 great games full of action.  RO is one of those games that really show why games such as Monster hunter and the like appear more on handheld in Japan.  This is a game that is perfect for pick up and play sessions and it is constantly rewarding you at all times.

When the game 1st boots up you are asked to make your character from a selection of options and there is enough variety here to satisfy most players and the more you dig into the game the more armor, hats, and weapons become available to you, in fact at later points in the game it feels like the game just throw weapons at you for the fun of it, trust me you will collect a lot.  There are 6 classes available, Warrior, Cleric, Mage, Assassin, Hammersmith and Archer, each has it’s strengths and weaknesses and the more you play the more likely you are to find the class that is right for you, me I started as a Warrior but ended up as a Cleric as I preferred the added healing options that became available.

The game really has a lot of variety in it’s weapons and outfits and it is surprising to note that this game, like Monster Hunter, does not have a leveling system.  When you complete one of the 9 chapters fully you get a HP and AP increase, but the rest of your stats are determined by your class, weapons and equipped cards…Yes cards.  As you kill monsters they will from time to time drop cards, these have lots of different effect that range from more health to added bonuses on spell, the list is huge.  You equip these cards into the slots in your armor, the better the armor the more slots you have to play with, it is really quite a robust system and makes your character feel very unique.

Combat in the game is simple and fast, you have a basic attack button and a heavy attack button, mixing the 2 together allows for different combos, for example a Mage has a different ending spell in his attack depending on what number you end the combo, it is simple and feels a little like dynasty warriors at times, mix into the mix a great dodge maneuver or two and you SP gauge you have all the makings of a real Hero on your hands.

Controls for the game are nice and simple too, potions you want to use in the field need to be equipped to the hot bar and can be activated via a button combo or by tapping the screen, same for the map, tapping it enlarges it and reduces it, having touch screen interaction like this is not intrusive and helps the flow of the gameplay.

Let’s talk about the graphics for a moment, the game looks epic, it has a style all of it’s own and really feels alive with vibrant colors and a lot of variety in it environments, it really is a looker.  It is also worth mentioning that loading is really fast and that moving between areas has no load screen it is instant so the pace never slows once in a mission.  This is really one of the more beautiful games on the handheld.

Each mission in the game can be played solo or multiplayer and whilst i found it hard to find a good multiplayer connection, I have found it to be a real blast to play, online and off.

Ragnarok Odyssey  is a great game and a great import with hours of  questing to fuel any adventurer.

Overall Score 9/10 a great game worthy of any Vita collection.

PSVita Asian english version reviewed, all images taken using the PSVIta software.