Key of Heaven sports an excellent setting that seems like it’s straight out of an anime. You’re introduced in some wonderful looking Chinese-like mountainsides seen in animes like Shaman King and Dragon Ball. Here, a lone man, Shinbu, is carrying out his daily training. Heading back to his village, he comes upon a young lady being attack by members of a foreign clan. After warding them off (and commenting on their strange behaviour) he escorts her back to his village. We learn that the lady, Sui Lin, is looking for Shinbu, who of course doesn't reveal his identity immediately. We then learn that she came looking for Shinbu because her clan has been wiped out by a foreign clan and she wants him to help her rebuild it.
No, that's not heaven.
For those who can’t handle these shocking revelations, you’re unlikely to guess that Shinbu is the specific target because he was once a student of the clan and was kicked out due to some major indiscretion. Then follows the unwillingness to help, the trials, the tribulations and finally, the acceptance of the destiny. How much more anime could you want? On top of that, all of the main characters that you meet are all over-the-top and exaggerated with personalities to match. The setting of the world has its obvious oriental fantasy influences and, other than feeling a little derivative at points, it serves the game well.
In terms of gameplay, you couldn’t really call Key of Heaven a traditional J-RPG. There are no turns to be taken here, just flat-out hacking and slashing. However, there are a few nice twists to this formula. You see, combat is divided into two main streams of attack. The first is through the "Kenpu" and "Bugei" scrolls, and the second is through the "Chi Arts".
The Kenpu and the Bugei scrolls allow you to basically make your own attacks as you go through the game. You see, with some of the enemies that you defeat, they drop a Kenpu tile (among other things) and from time to time you’ll collect a Bugei scroll. The Bugei scroll is a template for an attack combo and the Kenpu tiles are put in to fill it up. Once a scroll had been filled with tiles, you can use it in battle. There are a lot of scrolls and even more tiles to be mixed and matched (almost) as you please.
Chi Arts meanwhile are the equivalent of magic attacks. As long as you have a certain sword, you’ll be able to use Chi Arts. You start off with one kind and you’ll be able to learn more as you progress by reading the clan’s Ancient Monument. Chi can be used via the Square button, charged by holding down the button and the player is recommended to use it in conjunction with the combos that you are able to make. As with all good RPGs, there are five Chi elements, and all of them have their strengths and weakness.
They've probably got the key to purgatory.
The combat in the game is simultaneously its strong point and its weak point. On one hand, you have a unique system with some nice new quirks and customisation that actually makes a fundamental difference to how you play. Part of the fun is thinking up a new strategy to beat the new bad guys or the boss with. However, one hurdle that players need to overcome is the lack of in-game explanation or tutorial to help you get your grip with the new system. It’s left to the player to hunt through a fair bit of text in the manual and in menus to get what’s happening. This isn’t a major criticism, but more of a small issue that hampers an otherwise sound system.
You attack with Circle, Chi Arts with Square, a sword throw with X and you can use an equipped health item with Triangle. The L button changes the item while the R button flips through equipped Bugei scrolls. But something’s missing … oh that’s right, there’s no block button! Well, the developer has jammed it onto the Square button and you basically have to hold it while an enemy is attacking. Does it work? Rarely. Can the skill be perfected? Not really. It’s a really annoying issue most of the time, but it’s particularly nasty when it comes to the bosses. Normal enemies will normally be negligible but it gets to stages where it can get very bothersome. It’s a shame, because the combat system had a lot going for it.
The combat is good but the rest of the game is a little ho-hum in comparison. Despite the great setting, the combat is the main focus and there really isn’t much to do outside of it. Sure there are towns and people to see and things to buy and sell but there is nothing that makes it really deep or engaging. That and most out-of-battle tasks are a bit like an easter egg hunt and often you'll hit a point where you have no have no clue where to go next. However, there is a fair amount of in-game information that details things about the world that you’re in, all of which can be accessed in the menu and as you come across it. The game isn’t really as long as you’d expect from an RPG but it clocks in at a healthy fifteen hours. There’s limited multiplayer via ad-hoc that involves one-on-ones and swapping and infrastructure that allows you to download content but these aren’t a big part of the game.
As a portable game, it works reasonably well. The load times are fairly reasonable (for a PSP game), and you can save any time that you’re not in a battle. Most are random occurrences but won’t last more than a few seconds with bosses eclipsing a few minutes at most. Effectively, it’s not a bad title to be played on the go, though it’s no Wario Ware. Then there are a few story sequences of character interaction that go on for a little bit longer than they should and when you have one, it’s likely to be followed by two or three more.
Excerise is very uplifting.
The highlight of the game is easily the graphics. Despite being an early PSP title (it came out in Japan in mid 2005), the exclusive development has obviously helped immensely. Not only is the setting beautiful, but it’s artistically and technically excellent. It's the most immersive part of the game. The cinematic sequences are very well done and even though the scope isn’t as impressive in game, it’s great to see so much detail and life in a digital world, especially when you can hold it in your palm. Artistically, the game sets itself apart with a unique style and it’s technically backed up with an excellent performance from the PSP hardware. Virtually everything from the character models to the menus make the game what it is. Sound-wise, the game isn’t quite as strong as the graphics but the job gets done quite well. The music is very suitable, the (limited) voicing is pretty good and the sound effects get the job done. It’s just that nothing quite stands out like the graphics do.
Key of Heaven is a good game hampered by some RPG elements that aren’t up to scratch and one gaping omission from what is otherwise a great and unique combat system. Those in search of a decent hack-and-slash for their PSP can certainly do worse, and it’s actually a pretty good technical showcase for the potential in the PSP. It’s not going to open the door to gaming heaven, but it may scratch that itch if you’ve needed a hack-and-slash on the go.
Loading...
