Monday, July 11, 2011

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter ? review

DS, Nintendo, cert 6, out now

Japanese role playing games have often been guilty of esoteric design and storytelling that leave western audiences cold. True to form, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter certainly flirts with this tradition. Welcome then, to the floating islands of the Shepherd Republic, where players take on the role of the eponymous Red, a mercenary dog who speaks French, does his fighting in a massive robotic suit of armour, and can morph into a human whenever the situation demands.

Gameplay is largely RPG standard ? players wander strictly linear halls and roads to find simple puzzles or baddies to beat ? but levelling up and skills trees are stripped to the bone and all the more engaging for it. Breakneck racing mini-games and an entertaining variety of subplot missions make welcome distractions from a predictable "save the world" story and dull central characters.

Aesthetically, Solatorobo does what it can, and the animated cut-scenes are a joy. But the in-game screens look out of date compared with its 3DS peers. Of course, as a JRPG, this will remain an acquired taste for many, but newcomers to the genre could do a lot worse than starting on such a well-rounded if somewhat unoriginal title.


guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/10/solatorobo-red-hunter-review

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