Koudelka impressions

[04.08.00] » Sacnoth's horror RPG is finally back on track for a North American release, and we've got full impressions of the Japanese version.

   Infogrames recently announced that it had acquired the North American and European publishing rights to Sacnoth's horror-themed RPG Koudelka, adding yet another entry to the roster of upcoming RPGs. Having already played the Japanese release, GIA agent J.T. Kauffman offers his impressions on the title:

   "Well, this is the start of an altogether disturbing trend: pretty, but vacant. Sacnoth's 4-disc RPG follows in The Legend of Dragoon's footsteps by boasting extremely impressive visuals while totally ignoring the gameplay aspect. Luckily, though, Koudelka isn't a total loss.

   "First off, the good: both the FMV and the voice acting are top notch. The game's developer, Sacnoth, shows that they can keep up with the best in the graphics department with FMV that rivals output by such graphics megaliths such as Square and Namco. Of course seeing as Sacnoth is mainly made up of ex-Square employees, there's good reason for this. Most of the game's in-game graphics are nothing to scoff at as well. Backdrops are dark and moody, and convey the feeling of the game very well. The only graphic downside would be the real-time models. Battles are course looking and even stuttery at times. Characters, weapons, and enemies disappear frequently, and very obviously, to save on polygon count, even during simple attacks. Enemies end up being too small to really enjoy most of the time, and seem to also suffer from a general lack of design quality. The battle scenes don't even feature location- specific backgrounds; instead, a generic blue gradient is used, and the result is not pretty. In fact, the only real-time graphics that seem to be well done are the spells and special attacks, although in a way it's a bit too early to truly tell, as I'm only a few hours into the game.

   "The sound is another mixed bag. The voice acting is good, and flows very well. Koudelka herself is presented in a unique dry-wit type of manner, while the voices of Edward and James both fit their respective looks very well. As a bonus for people importing the title, as it takes place in Wales, all of the voice acting is done in English (although it is presented with Japanese subtitles). Sound effects are good as well. The game goes for the Resident Evil-style 'music,' where sound effects and ambient noise create a nice spooky atmosphere. However, this quality sound and voice acting is countered by very, very below-par music. Instead of getting you into the battle, the battle theme tries to put you to sleep. It is, bar none, the worst battle music that I've ever heard in my entire life. Period. And since it's pretty much the only music that you'll hear, it leaves you with a very bad taste in your mouth as far as sound goes overall in the game.

   "One good point so far is the story. Being presented in full spoken English dialogue, it's very easy to follow. While it has yet to really get going, the game does have a pretty good hook, with Koudelka letting on that she knows more about the monastery than she's telling, and the introduction of a murderous grandparently type couple a mere half hour in.

   "Of course with the good comes the truly bad: the gameplay. Hit the hardest are the battles, which use a system that is a cross between an SRPG (like FFTactics or Shining Force) and a traditional RPG. The end result is a mess. The movement aspect of the SRPG blends horribly with the rest of the battle system, and the battles lack in sheer number of enemies/characters to make the movement aspect of any real value. And when you also consider that the game's worst graphics occur in the battles, fights quickly become true chores. Another aspect of gameplay that wasn't hit quite as hard as the battles is the exploration factor: while it occasionally borders on dull, there's just enough there to keep it going. I'd also would have liked to see the backgrounds be larger and more interactive; each background is a single, non-scrolling screen, and features 'if you can interact with it, you can almost definitely pick it up' interactivity.

   "On a more random note, the ability to rename items is a very cool feature. The fact that you can use the English alphabet makes it even cooler.

   "In the end, I have a feeling that Koudelka will be lumped in with games like Shadow Madness and Legend of Dragoon: very good in certain aspects, but dragged down by poor gameplay. While there is a chance that some of the game's aspects will be tweaked for the North American release, aside from a total battle engine overhaul and major gameplay changes, there's not much that can really be done for it..."

   Koudelka is currently scheduled to ship in North America this June and to Europe sometime in the 4th quarter. 131 screenshots and 4 movies of the title are also available.