Ephemeral Fantasia, Sony Playstation

It's taken some time for the role-playing genre to take off on PlayStation 2, but Konami's Ephemeral Fantasia has kick-started the RPG extravaganza. As the title suggests, this game is all about fantasy. Fantastic! The game takes place on an idyllic island where all is going well and the island's history of trouble and hardship has almost been forgotten... until now. Before the day of the royal wedding, an unknown and evil sorcerer cast a spell on the island, causing the penultimate day to repeat over and over. As a travelling musician, you discover the unfortunate state of affairs and embark upon an amazing journey to put things straight so the wedding can proceed as planned. The fate of the island rests in your hands. Typical to its genre, this role-playing game features a variety of mythical creatures, including fire-breathing dragons and goblins, most of which are not very friendly at all. Most of the game involves the player interacting with the game's non-playable characters and solving clues and puzzles. The combat side of the game entails the player battling in a unique system. There are no random battles, yet encounters with enemies could happen at any time, forcing the player to stay on guard throughout the entirety of the game. Needless to say, the visuals are outstanding and boast some lovely magical effects. Also, the game design has taken on board a Japanese Manga approach. The environments are extremely colourful and very atmospheric, and although there is little voice acting in the game, the dialogue is very realistic, avoiding that fake attribute that most RPG's pick up. There are a few memorable pieces of dialogue that you just have to see for yourself. Ephemeral Fantasia offers everything you would expect from a good role-playing game. Intense battles, intriguing dialogue, lovable characters and a fantastic game structure. Do you really need any more convincing?

Buy Ephemeral Fantasia for 37.99 GBP

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