Ragnarok is one of the oldest online multiplayer games out there, and it has received sequels, a cartoon, toys and other products, and many spin-offs.  Ragnarok Odyssey ACE for PS3 and Vita is one of those spin-offs (reviewed on PS3 here).  Create a character and send them out on quests to defeat monsters and explore new lands in this 3-D action RPG that’s similar to other titles like Phantasy Star Online and Monster Hunter.

The first thing you’ll do is create a character.  You can have a male or female warrior and choose their hair style, color, outfit, and more.  You’ll also need to choose their class.  Will they be a swordsman or a cleric, or another class entirely?  You can change their class and looks during the game, too.  When you start the game, you’ll be part of a guild that goes on quests to defeat monsters and reclaim lost lands.  So you’ll be taking on quests to kill a certain number of monsters, collect a specific number of items, or defeat giant boss beasts like ogres and dragons!

After you finish a quest, you’ll return to home base and earn money and other rewards.  Use your money and items to upgrade your weapons and armor.  You won’t buy new armor in the game, but you will upgrade what you’re wearing so you can carry more monsters cards.  As you defeat monsters in quests, you can sometimes earn cards.  Equip them to your outfit for status boosts and even special moves.  You can even take on co-op online quests with other players, or hire computer-controlled mercenaries to help, although the A.I. isn’t always useful.  It may seem like a lot to take in, but the game does a good job of easing you into all the gameplay aspects.

Button placement is a little weird sometimes, but getting used to the controls won’t take long.  Play control did feel a little sluggish to me, but that may be because I picked the Hammersmith class, one of the slower fighters.  Really the only problem I had with the game is that the quests are a little unbalanced.  Regular monster killing quests are fairly easy, but fighting giant bosses is way tougher.  But I really like the Ragnarok character designs for both humans and creatures, and fans of games like Phantasy Star Online and Monster Hunter will eat this stuff up anyway.

Kid Factor:

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, and Use of Alcohol.  You do slash and zap all manner of monsters with weapons and magic, but I really didn’t notice hardly any blood.  Most of the other ESRB descriptors are in the text only, and are barely noticeable.  Some of the outfits for the female characters may be a little suggestive, but nothing is really too bad.  Really the best reason why this game is better for older gamers is the high level of reading required and the difficulty of some of the quests.

Tags: Game Reviews