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Can a game released in 2003 really be considered retro? It came out on both the GameCube and PS2 so I suppose there is a case for it being retro for it being two console generations back. Now we've cleared that up I have to confess I've been playing this game for the past decade! 12 years after its release it's still incredibly fun and the journey is amazing! I must also confess that of my countless hours poured into this game I've only really played as one of four characters but with that said let's take a look back to the gem of the PS2 library!
First things first let's look at the games plot: Long ago Emperor Kang and his wife Sheva ruled with an iron grip. Two elite mystic warriors: Tai and Naja sealed them in Mt. Houshin restoring peace to the land. However, Kang's son Cyrus raised an army to fight the mystics and free his father but two new elite mystic warriors Shiga (the character I've only really played as) and Lani. The four mystics with the help of their friends defeat Cyrus and once again restore peace to the land. Entombed in Mt. Houshin, Emperor Kang, Sheva, General Grifon and Kai (I have no idea who he is) plan their escape when Grifon tells of the legendary Dragon Star. Kang calls upon the Dragon Star which frees them and creates an army for them to impose their rule once more. The four mystics must journey their way to Castle Kokei and, ultimately, to defeat Kang once more to bring peace to the land!
As I've only really played Shiga's story I'll talk about that (although he and Lani journey to Castle Kokei [and beyond] together so, really, we're talking about both). You begin your journey in a soldiers camp as Roc (a boss later in the game) flies over Shiga and Lani alerting them that Kang's forces are closer than they fought. Along with Captain Dax they fight through a series of interesting and well designed areas to defeat this beast and head for Castle Kokei. Each stage has a boss although the boss may not always be the goal of the level. Each level has a different goal such as slaying every enemy in the level. The bosses all have unique designs and the fights are genuinely fun, parts of the game are hard but its the level of hard that keeps you playing. I can't tell you how many times 8 year old me tried to navigate the two mazes inside Castle Kokei, I didn't even find the boss in the stage until years later!
Speaking of Castle Kokei this area isn't even the final destination of the game but only serves as the point at which our four mystics meet and the stories mix together. It's here that you meet Kang and Sheva up close (where as before they appear in the characters line of sight but at the far end of the level) but they're only ghostly manifestations which only serves to draw Shiga (and Shiga alone but this may happen to the others too) into an ambush! After this stage you continue to hack and slash your way to Sheva who ressurects the fallen Captain Dax to fight as part of her army! In this one fight you are forced to battle one of your closest allies and the one who means to destroy the way of life you are protecting. This is where I make another confession, I've never beaten Sheva, the fight is just too hard! Seriously I tried my hardest earlier this year to beat this stage and I simply couldn't do it! This game may have jaw grindingly difficult sections but the single player campaign is only one aspect of the game.
There is a multiplayer mode which I haven't touched in years is great fun and perfect for learning the mechanics of the game. As well as this there is a great single player section of minigames and playing special multiplayer areas alone. These areas are fun and unique and really add to the games enjoyability. This is, really, the only RETROspective on this blog that hasn't been about a terrible game (other than Battletoads but that game is way more frustrating than, pretty much, any other game) and one of my personal favourite games of all time. I may not have beat the game but the adventure is still incredible and its one of the main reason I ever play my PS2 to this day! The PS2 had an amazing library of games and to me, this game is the greatest the console has to offer. It may not be as well known as games like Ratchet and Clank or Rayman but it has its place as an incredible game. If you ever see this game lying around and you still have a PS2, dust it off and stick this game in, you won't regret it!
