Title: The Guided Fate Paradox
Format: PS3
Release Date: November 5th, 2013
Publisher: NIS America
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: T
The last game in the trio of PS3 exclusive RPGs coming from NIS America has arrived, and the Guided Fate Paradox delivers even more of the eccentric gameplay that make these games standouts of the year.
In the Guided Fate Paradox, you play as an extremely lucky high schooler that retrieves the winning ball in a lottery, which makes him a god in the process. Now, with his new role and title, he must fulfill his journey of answering prayers by raiding numerous dungeons and battling tons of monsters. He also meets a host of diverse characters and angels along the way that help him along the way. Surprisingly, the narrative works well with the unique presentation and gameplay. NIS always puts their stamp on games in this particular fashion, by making these ridiculous premises actually coherent, and the narrative is quite fun once you get deep into the lengthy title. The voice acting is really good, and there's a lot of it to take in. The lead character is voiced well, but sadly, the supporting actors don't fare as well. The graphics take a step back this time around. When you compare it to Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, it just doesn't look as good. The art style looks similar, and even though characters are uniquely created with diverse backgrounds surrounding them, the visuals have a lot of issues. There are frequent jaggies on character sprites, and the animations come off as canned and scripted. Other than that, the presentation is solid all around.
The core gameplay in the Guided Fate Paradox is similar to a number of roguelike titles that I've grown accustomed to playing. You spend most of the time in the Fate Revolution Circuit, which transports young Renya to a duplicate world thats connected to reality, called the "Copy World." You and a companion, that you select from a wide array of angels, move through tile based dungeons while battling monsters who block your faithful flock from achieving your prayers. This isn't a traditional turn based RPG, you move freely through the dungeon at your on pace. The monsters scattered throughout the dungeon only move when you do, which creates a new level of strategy I didn't see in Disgaea D2. There are randomized items as well, which also adheres to the traditional roguelike formula. After you complete a dungeon, that specific character you're supporting will get their wish, and the accompanying cinematic is mostly always satisfying to some degree. Just like every other NIS title, it will take a lot of investing to get a hold of the complex battle and layering system. Renya can equip a wide variety of weapons and armor, which can change up your battle style drastically depending on what you choose. Your companion also comes with an assortment of different abilities, so underneath a ridiculous plot, is an extremely deep game.
This rounds out the trio of PS3 exclusives coming from NIS this year that included, Time and Eternity, Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, and finally the Guided Fate Paradox. I would say that Disgaea D2 was the best out of the three, but you shouldn't pass on the Guided Fate Paradox if you liked the previous games.
S&S Rating: 8/10 @whatsPlay