Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure Reviews

Such a unique experience. I recommend this game! It has cute characters and a really heart warming love story filled with comedy and music.

This is such a sweet little game. I haven't played many of the NIS classics, because I didn't have a Playstation when this game originally came out, and it was an absolute treat to play it now. At its core, this game is a light strategy RPG with strong musical theater elements. There's plenty to sink your teeth into, and the story and characters are delightful. If you've never played a strategy RPG before, this one is a good one to get your feet wet with. I can't wait to play the rest of the series, as I've heard they are even better.

[h3] Think of Rhapsody as a visual novel rather than a JRPG, It’s better this way. [/h3] The battles, at least on the normal difficulty, are - there can be no other way to describe it - significantly broken in favor of the protagonist’s party. The team members gain EXP extremely quickly. It is not unlikely to raise a level 1 character five levels with a single victory. It may be justified by the fact that completing several side quests demands raising certain party members to their 30s or above. Nonetheless, it keeps the mains grossly overleveled for the remaining part of the adventure. [h3] Let me derail the current train of thought here for a while. [/h3] Every major member of the party has a certain side quest that is completely optional. Rhapsody indicates it only at one place and in a rather indirect way, therefore it is not unlikely for some players to finish the game without even being aware that said quests existed in the first place. Nonetheless, the only reward for completing them is the game’s lore and maybe saving a life or two, so not a big deal, right? [h3] Now back to the original idea. [/h3] The overpowered primary party. From the midpoint of the story on, my main tactic was to skip the Coronet’s (Rhapsody’s protagonist) turn, put the spellcaster in the middle of the battlefield and use the area-sweeper that instantly destroyed every enemy. Rince, repeat. Furthermore, the dungeons can be infuriating. First, they are all made up of the same, one-screen segments: an intersection, vertical and horizontal corridors and turns. While not unusual for a jRPG game, all the rooms use exactly the same template with only minor objects that differentiate one room from another. There are also teleporters and long, mazelike sequences of dungeons that can span across several levels and lead to an empty room with no reward at all. Later in the game, these same assets appear with an extremely lazy blue, yellow or red overlay put on top of them to indicate the location’s element. To make matters worse, Rhapsody provides no map at all, making it exceptionally easy for the player to get lost, constantly pestered by annoying, meaningless battles with feeble enemies as the party struggles to find their way. Speaking of which, the encounter RNG mechanism is a mystery, and a terribly inconsistent one at that. The party can easily travel through the entire dungeon floor without a single battle, or they can have two fights inside a single room, one just a few steps from the other. This manages to be annoying regardless of whether the player is scouting a new location or grinding those side-characters to meet their quest demands. Luckily, there is an extremely convenient item that instantly teleports the team to the world map, although some of the dungeons prevent the party from using it. On a much more positive note, the defeated enemies have a certain chance of joining up with the protagonist’s group. As far as I know, there are no dedicated capturing mechanics like in a traditional monster collector, so it remains entirely luck-based. Furthermore, the ‘core’ team is both unique and extensive enough to make the entire monster catching entirely optional. It is a welcome feature, nonetheless. [h3] Now then, since we’re already somewhere halfway through my ramblings, let me take you all the way back to the beginning. [/h3] The game starts with the protagonist, Coronet, trapped in the darkness running away from a monster chasing her. Just as it is about to capture her, the prince appears, kills the monster and saves her. Then, just as she is beginning to swoon, she gets bonked on the head and wakes up. Could I ever ask for a more charming twist on the ‘JRPG hero waking up in her room at the beginning of the story’ trope? Don’t answer. It was rhetorical. This scene perfectly showcases Rhapsody’s wonderful charm and the sense of humor. I’d go as far as to say that it was the primary factor that kept me finishing the story despite all the annoyances encountered within. The writing in this game is marvelous. It is whimsical, light-hearted and also extremely heartwarming. Think of it as an entire season of Slayers! packed into one experience. It also successfully turns into something deeper, more solemn and meaningful for a moment or two. [h3] Coronet is a wonderful person. [/h3] The progress she makes from the time she needs to be saved from the dragon by the prince to when [spoiler] she slays dragons to save the prince [/spoiler] herself feels so natural I’ve only noticed after it had already happened. And, in contrast to the more contemporary narratives, it does not feel one bit preachy. Coronet is stubborn, innocent and extremely charming, and so much more than just a girl on her quest to get the prince. She changes, grows up and discovers one or two important truths about herself and the people surrounding her. Who, especially Etoile – Coronet’s lifetime friend and rival – are astonishingly fascinating individuals capable of displaying some unexpected but also very welcome depths of character when the time comes. [h3] The game’s art is exquisite. [/h3] Rhapsody gives most of Square’s 2D games run for their money without breaking the sweat. The backgrounds, character designs, animations – everything is astonishingly stylish and crammed with wonderful little details to marvel at. Even the repetitive dungeons. The pixel art is top notch, especially with the optional CRT filter applied. The only stumbling block here is the fact that Rhapsody runs in the original PS1 proportions with no option of stretching it to fit the modern screens. Ironically, for a ‘Musical Adventure’ the sound design is rather mediocre, and the English arrangements of the game’s songs are – at least in my opinion – atrocious. [h3] Come for the feels. [/h3] The game’s mechanics are far from perfect, and the tactical options during the battles are rather limited. Dungeons are unnecessarily labyrinthine and irritating too. Finally, Rhapsody’s story is far from being original. And yet, the tones, moods and the proportions in which they are evoked make this tale an emotional masterpiece. As always, do with this whatever and, as always [h3] Try to have a wonderful life. [/h3]