TomWithNoNumbers
Since: Dec, 2010
01/29/2013 00:00:00
Well that sounds like an interesting type of game =D I'm going to have to check this out
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It's an RPG Parody! It's a Dating Sim! No, it's Romancing Walker!
When FLARE made this one, she certainly threw away the mold.
Romancing Walker tells the story of Ryle Laster, a young man from the very small town of Lavas, who wants to be a sword-wielding adventurer. Like most teenage boys, he also dreams of romance. At the end of the story, he certainly gets both, but not quite in the way he expected.
This game is an odd hybrid. It can be viewed as a straightforward, if rather cliched, Eastern RPG; it also has strong "dating sim" elements in the form of "attraction points", which end up being essential to completing the game. But there's also more than enough reason to believe that the game shouldn't be taken too seriously; despite the drama that intrudes at times, this is clearly an Affectionate Parody, or at least a close cousin of one.
Story-wise, there's nothing too special here - the young idealistic hero who goofs up now and then, the young girl who grows up to be a messianic figure, and the world-destroying demon who feeds off negative emotions. The gameplay is good, but don't expect Final Fantasy or even Love And War; this is a fairly easy game, and the few difficult parts are more "what do I do next?" than "that @#$! boss!!".
But what makes Romancing Walker work in spades is its memorable set of characters. Though they're stereotypes - Caris the Tsundere, shy and devoted Orubia, Hayami the curvaceous ninja, Mariel the gun otaku, Latyss the aloof elf, and Fina, the reluctant Chosen One - they're all well-drawn, amusing, and entertaining in their own way. Ryle himself provides more than enough comic relief, the supporting characters all add to the fun and atmosphere, and the multiple endings are actually quite clever and realistic.
One major drawback is the translation, which was obviously done by a non-native speaker of English, and which often ruins what would otherwise be an amusing, moving or dramatic moment. But if you're able to look beyond this, and recognize the game as somewhere between "old-school RPG" and "pastiche", Romancing Walker is well worth a play, despite its flaws. I'd rate it a solid 7 out of 10, or 8 if you ignore the numerous offences against the English language.