Threads of Fate

I'm Rod, the Blade Star! I'm a vagrant, which is a cool word that the people at Sqauresoft have just recently learned! By the way, go play Vagrant Story NOW!

Developer: Squaresoft
Publisher: Square EA
Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1
Memory Blocks: 1
Discs: 1
Analog: Yes
Dual Shock: Yes
ESRB: Teen
Difficulty: Intermediate

My sister really liked the demo of this game. That kinda completely explains the game: simple, somewhat easy, cartoony, and, I quote, "you don't hafta go into the stoopid battle thingy and keep pressing 'Attack'!" During my visit to the Metreon, I won a trivia quiz question, and got myself the game. I actually found it to be well worth my time.

Gameplay-- The game is like any action RPG. You've got HP and MP, you run around and attack baddies, and numbers appear over their heads. The innovative part is that you get to choose between two different characters to play as, resulting in different story angle, different weapon, and some different dungeons/caves. Rue, a man with a dark past, a serious face and a generic aura, uses a pizza-slicer like sword and can doppelgang, or turn into monsters he's previously encountered. Mint, a bratty ex-princess with an arrogant attitude and a cool jump-kick, uses hula-hoop like rings, and learns to use magic over the duration of the game.
The game takes place in one city, Carona, and has no world map. In town, there's a weapon shop where you can buy upgrades to your weapon and defense, and an acessory shop where you can buy strength and defense boosts at ludicrous prices. There's also a church where you can make donations and recieve Life Coins, which you use if you lose all HP to start off at the beginning point of a dungeon/cave.
Because of its non-expansive setting, there are few characters, so everyone has a name, and looks different. You can talk to them multiple times and hear something different every time.

Graphics-- The graphics are very cartoony, but the detail is astounding. For example, the floor of the Carona Inn has thousands of tiles. There's no blockiness anywhere. But because of all this, the 3D models themselves aren't that amazing.

Music-- I think the music is so great because it has no orchestration at all in it. That leaves room for latin, techno, and, well, uncategorizable music. The music has great melodies, and creative rhythm.

Storyline-- The story is a bit weak, for both Rue and Mint. In Rue's story, three years ago, a man he calls the Arm of Death killed his caretaker, Claire. He has been searching for the ultimate [relic] ever since to revive her. Mint was to be the heir to the throne of the East Heaven Kingdom, but her selfishness took away that privelege, and her younger sister, Maya, took the throne. She searches for the ultimate [relic] to be more powerful than Maya, who posesses a [relic] of her own.

Fun Factor-- The game is very fun, because the dungeons have fun enemies and puzzles. Also the story sequences are interesting and funny (especially in Mint's scenario).

Overall Satisfaction-- Although it is not the most creative game ever made, Threads of Fate has redeeming qualities. It's a lighthearted game with good graphics and great music. The only thing is that it's made by Squaresoft, which is looked at with sometimes too high expectations, and some say this game is underrated.

Highs: Good music and graphics, no world map
Lows: Weak story, short
Score: 7