The year on 2DS was great though a bit unexpected. The bulk of early 2015 was spent with Persona Q: The Shadow of the Labyrinth. Persona Q was a Persona and Etrian Odyssey mash-up, both games that I had minimal experience with. I went back and booted up The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and I spent a lot of time with a new game, Yo-Kai Watch, the oft-compared Pokemon successor. I am sad to report at this point, all three of the games remain unfinished, but not for lack of desire or effort.
So I spent close to 70 hours in Persona Q. It's a RPG/dungeon crawler set with a combination of Persona 3 and Persona 4 characters. As I understand it, the Etrian Odyssey contribution came in the form of the dungeon crawling element, complete with mapping feature, supremely well-executed on the bottom screen of the 2/3DS. Not since I played Legend of Zelda had I been so obsessed with game mapping. I was intent to exploring 100% of each floor I visited.
Completely unfamiliar with both series, in the end, I wasn't sure I completely got what was happening with the Personas. The short of it each character possessed a persona that added to combat options. They could be upgraded and combined and had their own set of skills. At a certain point, I ran into enemies that I couldn't quite figure out how to get past. And like many games of this type, there often aren't easy FAQs of how to overcome these obstacles. The same derailed my Bravely Default efforts and have stalled my Yo-Kai story.
But I enjoyed the game, I loved the exploration aspect. I dug the soundtrack, repetitive as it got. The characters were weird and quirky. I don't expect that I will ever return, but I see myself keeping an eye on any Etrian and Persona entries in the future.
I was excited to play Yo-Kai Watch last year. While I understand the desire to compare it to Pokemon, it certainly rested on its own merit. I found the stories and yo-kai to be interesting and the combat to be nice and active. The game is very Japanese and while I understand some care was taken to localize it, the game reminded me a bit of the Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! conversion to Elite Beat Agents. Part of the attraction is the exotic aspects of the underlying premise -- yo-kai or spirits are among the human world and have real effects on our attitudes and affairs.
The interesting thing about combat is there appears to be underlying mechanics that I am not sure how necessary or involved they may become. In Pokemon, it's fairly easy to see and become familiar with the elemental aspects of Pokemon and moves and how choices are accordingly determined. For the greater part of Yo-Kai Watch, I didn't seem it so necessary to pay attention to Yo-Kai dispositions. The characters themselves act and attack or defend on their own. The player's role is limited to choosing or managing the fight, what characters to have in play and when to activate special attacks.
And so while less active as far as making selections go, the game requires the player to be very active in choosing how to approach the fight.
Like Bravely Default, it was a new fight system that I came to appreciate in its innovation. And like Bravely Default and Persona Q, I hit a wall where multiple attempts at a boss have proven unsuccessful. I think it's actually the final boss though I can't say for sure. And like Pokemon, I think the game offers more than just beating story mode. There are a lot of side quests and yo-kai to befriend. I got very close and have tried making adjustments without luck. Unfortunately, I think I am at the point where some of the bonuses I had through previous play (a fair amount of money to purchase things like medicine/HP restorers) have been depleted and I cannot just approach the final battle as I had. So one of the nicest things of the game had been the lack of what I feel was RPG grind, I am now in position where I might have to do just that. We'll see.
I got Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon for my birthday and I'd like to finish Zelda. I have enjoyed the latter though it seems to be less a pick up and play title because I want to devote some time to finishing each dungeon. Certainly, there are few things that bring a smile to my face as hearing the Legend of Zelda theme song even though I have really only played the original and sequel on the NES. I think a Bravely Default sequel is on its way and I always wish I had the wherewithal to fire up Monster Hunter 4 again. That was one that I had really hoped to have a new 3DS for to make use of the second analog stick/nub. But alas, I am still playing my 2DS and MH4 collects dust.
I sometimes wonder what's up with Vita, but am almost pushed to apathy because Sony, itself, seems not to be too concerned with it. Now if Shadow of the Colossus or Kingdom Hearts or Valkyria Chronicles made appearances on the handheld, I'd begin to charge it post haste. But until then...
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