As a kid almost everyone went to 7-11 and made the ultimate slurpee. Take Coke flavor, mix with manga, lemon and cherry, what’s not to love. They all taste great separate so mixing will just make the ultimate flavor … right? The results were usually a bad tasting brown mess proving mixing too many good things is not always a good idea. Spectral Force Genesis for Nintendo DS is the mixed slurped of games for the DS and it yields the same results. With a huge amount gameplay types there is potentially so much to love but in the end it just does not mix well.
Gameplay – Pick a country, manage resources, battles, taxes and alliances as gamer’s progress to controlling 40 countries and winning the game. Tons of menu reading, navigating and decisions await as this is more a management simulation than a true RPG title. Prepare to read a ton and spend hours deciding how to proceed into battle with this souped up version of Risk.
Graphics – The characters are pure anime gold with beautiful detailed design that reminds of Lodoss War. This is where the beauty ends and the functionality kicks in. The bulk of the game will take place in menus deciding which choices to make for the controlled country with battles taking place with tiny characters in large groups charging at each other. Spectral Force Genesis is about results not graphics.
Sound – Cookie cutter, typical, uninspired. Battle sounds range from canned magic casting to swords clashing and overall the music is just not that great. Since gamers will spend so much time in menus they are better off listening to an MP3 collection than the in-game music.
Design – Confusing levels and objects just add to the steep learning curve that will frustrate all but the most die-hard fans. Character designs are gorgeous and worthy of a high quality anime but they are the only design success in-game.
Miscellaneous – The brown slurpee of the DS … nuff said.
Overall, every game has its audience and there is one for Spectral Force Genesis. The steep learning curve and level of detail will not appeal to most gamers so tread carefully. While the brown slurpee taste bad to many there was always that one kid who loved it.
