Product Description

• Create your own martial arts style by combining more than 150 skills, yielding countless combinations.
• Easy to control with simple one-button operation, unleash deadly sword actions.
• Download new shields, skills, and a sword via Infrastructure Mode to develop your swordsmanship skills.
• Show off and exchange your skills with wireless connectivity using Ad-Hoc Mode.
• Expand your arsenal of moves by finding and collecting various skills as you progress.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12960 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2006-03-24
• Platform: Sony PSP

Manufacturer's Description
Three hundred years ago, the known world consisted of 9 continents spread across a vast ocean. The centre of this world was "Ohka", a wondrous continent rich in Oriental mysticism.

Ohka was ruled by five "Bumon," or houses of martial arts, each boasting their own unique fighting style.

It soon became apparent that invading forces led by the "Demonic General" from "Sema", a continent far to the west of Ohka, threatened the rule of the Bumon's.

Following a fierce battle, the five Bumon's finally brought the war to a close, "sealing" the Demonic General in Ohka by means of a mysterious "Key".

With the war ended, all believed that peace would reign eternally....

The story begins with Shinbu, a young boy residing in a village near the Gate of Seiryu, earning his living as a hired bodyguard for travelers visiting the area.

A few years earlier, his parents left on a trip from which they never returned. Rumor had it that his father and mother met with an unfortunate accident. Shinbu now lives with his foster father, Seidatsu.

Like his father, Hohaku, who was adept in the martial arts, Shinbu was a disciple of the Gate of Seiryu. However, Shinbu was expelled from the Bumon when he was caught attempting to read the "Monument of Secrets", a right he had yet to earn.

One day, while returning to his village after delivering a traveler to safety, Shinbu saves a girl named Suirin - a disciple of the Gate of Seiryu - from being attacked by members of the Gate of Kirin. Suirin was on her way to see Shinbu.

When Suirin learns that her rescuer is the one she seeks, she informs Shinbu that a party from the Gate of Kirin raided the Gate of Seiryu, and that the Master of the Gate of Seiryu and all his disciples - with the exception of herself - are dead. She goes on to explain that the group took the Divine Sword of Seiryu.

As the only survivor of her Bumon, Suirin sought Shinbu in the hope that he would help her recover the sword and restore the Gate of Seiryu. Having been deemed unworthy and expelled from the Gate of Seiryu, Shinbu was troubled by Suirin's request. However, his doubts are dismissed when Seidatsu, his foster father, hands him the "Singing Sword" which was bequeathed to Shinbu by his father, Hohaku.

Armed with the wise teachings of Seidatsu and his father's sword, Shinbu decides to join Suirin in her quest....

Playing as Shinbu, use your deadly swordsmanship skills to avenge your clan's decimation and restore the balance of powers across the land.

Customer Reviews

Very promising
This is much, much better than the frankly poor first-wave RPGs that came out with the PSP. It's very pretty, in proper 3D with nicely chunky combat based around an engaging system under which attacks are pre-prepared using icons that you collect as you travel around - sort of a Pokemon with combat moves rather than creatures.

The storyline is rather bonkers, but it's all voice acted and the impressive cut-scenes use the game engine which is a tribute to how good the engine is.

Down sides? Two, really - there aren't any puzzles to speak of -it's just a matter of getting from A to B, fighting as you go, in order to find/speak to character C. There's a fair bit of running around talking to identical characters to find the one who triggers the next quest.

The main problem is that the combat, although enjoyable, suffers from an inability to block properly that had to be counterbalanced by massively overpowered magic attacks that work like smart bombs. From quite early in the game you can basically kill anything without breaking a sweat by running away, charging your magic meter, then hitting smart bomb. If you try to play without using the smart bomb approach, you get smashed to a pulp in short time. It's still really good fun to play, but there's little sense of drawn-out battle using different techniques - just smart bomb and slash.

If a game like this can be done so soon in the PSP's life, then we are in for some real treats. It wouldn't be too much of a step from this to a full 3D RPG - a World of Warcraft-lite, or a Morrowind/Oblivion, all of our own. Time will tell.

Recommended.

Pleasure
A great looking game with real depth in terms of story line and gameplay. Being able to customize your own attacks using free style is really impressive addition and takes the genre to another level as opposed to following suit and being another worn out rpg. A definate addition to anyones psp collection.

Brilliant
The game is a well thought of game but i found it a tiny bit easy ( i never died ) maybe that was just me. But its very fun and enjoying to play and took me 20 hours to complete and them 20 hours was brilliant and enjoying. I would say if your looking for but a rpg i would say this is the best one out on the psp and the only 3D one aswell.