Go Fanboy - Everyone Has A Favorite

Ragnarok DS has finally arrived here in the US, and likely just in time for those who love the MMORPG that has chomped up hours of gameplay from over 3 million North Americans users. So while they wait for the sequel to Ragnarok Online, which seems to have disappeared into gaming limbo since being announced in 2005, XSEED has decided to cash in, err, quench the RPG thirsts of the MMORPG crowd with a little portable grinding and new story on the DS.

So that we can save the time of Ragnarok Online fans, I’ll just reveal right now that they will love this game even though it’s not online. The real question is will other gamers, in particular RPG fans, love Ragnarok on the DS?

As far as RPG fans should be concerned, everything is in place for a classic role-playing game; although the pacing may be a little off or old-school for some. You start off by naming your character, although I just stuck with the default Ales. After getting all your initial saves out of the way, we’re off to the story which begins without our hero. An adventurer, researcher, and girl are all on the run from soldiers. While escaping, the party you’re observing realizes that they can’t all make it. So of course the adventurer entrusts the researcher to take care of the girl while he stays behind. Shortly after this the girl is cornered and just as we think it’s the end for her, we flash to our hero Ales as he visits his mother’s grave. This sequence provides some back story about your character – like that his dad abandoned both you and your mother at a young age, which still has Ales harboring hard feelings.

Just as you think you’re about to begin your journey to becoming a big adventurer yourself, you stumble upon the girl we saw earlier. Low and behold she has amnesia. Instead of the conventional storyline where our hero has lost his memory, Gung Ho has changed it up a little and struck our first party member with a case of the forget-stuffs. The only thing she remembers is her name, which is Sierra (if you keep it default). And I mean the ONLY thing Sierra remembers is her name. She doesn’t even know what money is. After almost fifteen minutes of in-game engine story, Ales actually does the tutorial himself because our first member has amnesia.

So the actual journey begins with our star Ales trying to become rich as an adventurer, all the while whining about being screwed over in life. Things from here do pick up in pace slightly, but just like the online RPG this DS title is named after, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll need some time to complete this quest in the world of Rune Midgard. No, I didn’t say Midgar. You’re thinking of a city from Final Fantasy VII. But I’m pretty certain the name is intentionally one letter off.

Moving around your surroundings is fairly simple and thankfully Gung Ho decided to allow players to use the touch screen or d-pad for movement. Attacking however is controlled completely by the touch screen and is handled by selecting a monster on screen, then using a toolbar located in the top corner to cast spells or use abilities. Ragnarok’s level system consists of two independent attributes. One side is for the typical RPG levels which control attack, defense, and magic skill points while another separate system handles skills and spells for jobs. There’s also a myriad of character customization possibilities.  Each time you level up, you’re given status and skill points which can be used to upgrade your team any way you wish. Another fun feature is that you can upgrade weapons that you have taken a liking to when you visit a town or village.  

I should note that there’s a multiplayer mode as well. This additional feature allows you and two friends to wirelessly link up and grind through randomly generated dungeons.  It’s not the most exciting thing in the world to do, but the fact that the option is there if you and three Ragnarok Online addicts get together and have three copies of the game is awesome. This feature is most likely to only get utilized by those online fans who want to replicate the party feeling on the go.

Visually, Ragnarok DS looks very nice. The imagery displayed on the DS is easily on par with that of Ragnarok Online, which while an old game, has some snazzy graphics of its own that still hold up today. You can zoom the camera in and out which completely changes how the game looks. This allows for players to get a personal feel and decide what’s best for them. The world of Rune Midgard is colorful and vibrant and full of forests, deserts, and dungeons. The classic sprites deliver a great RPG feel familiar to anyone who enjoys colorful JRPGs.

The audio in Ragnarok DS is great. This is primarily due to large amount of music borrowed from Ragnarok Online. Fans of the MMORPG will recognize several tracks from the online counterpart. New music is present and melds quite well with the classic tunes. In particular, the final boss battle is very well done and along with the rest of the audio compliments Ragnarok DS nicely.

Overall this is an RPG that Ragnarok Online fans should already have in their collection or ordered. For everyone else; the only downside is the main character Ales and his knack for coming off as whiny and annoying. While initially a turn off, Ales becomes more likeable as the game goes on. The great battle system is something everyone will enjoy too. With thirty to forty hours of gameplay on one cartridge, Ragnarok DS is a game worth checking out.