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PSP
Magna
Carta Portable
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New Import |
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NCS
Game Synopsis
«©NCSX»
In a war-wracked land called Efferia, humans and
creatures called Yasons are locked in a conflict
that threatens to destroy them both. Skirmishes have
turned into full scale battles with increasing
ferocity. Taking place amidst the combative
backdrop, the protagonist Calintz Jerevinan returns
home...only to find it destroyed. Vowing vengeance
upon those who wrecked his homeland, Calintz
ventures forth into the world and rallies various
allies to his cause in a bid to stop the war and
perhaps bring about a new peace.
Softmax takes their popular Magna Carta brand and
applies the license to a tactical adventure
where heroes travel the world and engage in battles.
Exploration and adventuring is performed on a world
map whereas battles take place in closed fields. A
fighting system called "Trinity Drive" was
developed for the game where powerful attacks may be
struck when points have been gathered up in the
Trinity Drive meter (located in the upper right
corner of the screen). Fatal blows struck upon
hapless Yasons and others also boost experience
points exponentially during battle.
The illustrations and artwork in the PSP game are of
the same high caliber as the original Magna Carta
and the music is rich. One fairly insignificant
niggle: Square made androgyny somewhat of a fad
where males appeared nearly female and Softmax
seemingly falls into this pattern as well where the
gentlemen leads are willowy and fairly feminine.
Calintz, for example, sports a girl's haircut down
to the spiky ponytail.
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NCS Game Notes
» The intro to the game shows quick trip through
a green forest area and sparkling water before
focusing on a field where a gal in a yellow dress is
standing in front of a pink blossoming tree. From
bright green utopia to dark and drab scenery, the
scene changes to one of battle and swordplay as
armies march into war. Heroes are shown performing
killing blows and dramatically fighting foes in
slow-motion theatrics. The title song is wailed in
English by a female singer who bleats out the words
"Tears of Blood" and assorted lyrics.
» After starting a new game, the camera pans
downwards on a town that has been set ablaze. A
youth runs out of the castle and is immediately
surrounded by three salamander-like creatures. A
knight is among them and he swings his sword
downwards on the youth but his blow is blocked by a
warrior with pastel blue hair. A battle commences
and he makes short work of two of the salamanders
and eventually drops the knight and then the last
salamander. The man tells the youth to seek shelter
but he cries and says it was his fault that all of
Fuget is dead.
» From the scrolling text intro to the game, we
learn that the Humans and race called the Yason are
battling in the land of Efferia. Centuries of
fighting between the two races have pitched over
land and resources. At the present time, the humans
are losing to the Yason but their last ditch effort
is to use Forbidden Magic known as Magna Carta to
gain the upper hand. We learn later in the game that
Chi is very important in the world of Efferia and
that it can be used to unleash the power of Magna
Carta by collecting powerful Chi stones.
» Once the game proper starts, the lead character
Calintz wakes up on a red bed and says to himself,
"It's been a while since I had that dream. Am I
nervous about the plan...? I should have the others
get ready. I'm sure the General will contact us
soon." He then proceeds to search for his comrades
named Eonis, Azel, and Haren. Once control is given
to the player, the L-analog controls Calintz's
movements but the camera is fixed. It will however
follow Calintz a short distance behind which allows
for a good perimeter for viewing his immediate
surroundings. A number of guards and NPCs are
standing in the hall and Calintz may speak to them
by pressing the X button. If Calintz is near, they
will automatically rotate around to face him.
» Calintz locates Eonis on the same floor once he
exits his room. She's located in the upper right
portion of the area and will join the party after
their little chat. Azel is located downstairs and
she also joins the part after a little pep talk. On
the lower level which is accessible through the
stairs near the communication sphere, the last
member of the party, Haren, joins the party after he
discusses his reasons for fighting the Yason. Once
the party is complete, race to the communication
sphere and speak to General Agreian where he tells
Calintz that the mages of Bayer will use the
Forbidden Magic to end the war. A large magic circle
has been created at Mt. Aremori and they''l attack
the capital of Yason-Roven (Epentar) from the magic
circle. The mission of the Tears of Blood is to
protect the mages while they prepare the magic
ritual and complete the spell.
» The Tears of Blood are a mercenary group that has
joined up with the larger human army in a supporting
role where they handle dangerous missions and
assignments.
» When Calintz runs around, it sounds like he's
clippety-clopping along like a big 'ol horse. He
also appears to be wearing sandals. Or medieval
Birkenstocks.
» Before leaving for Mt Aremori, Calintz and Azel
engage in a little practice battle where she times
her attacks and uses a little Chi. The battle system
consists of a ring where the player will have to hit
the "O" button at the right moment three times in
order to pull off a successful attack. Think of the
Judgment Ring and its Hit Areas from Shadow Hearts
for an idea of the attack system in Magna Carta but
this one moves a lot faster and there is little time
for hesitation. Azel will also learn about the
Leadership Meter - in the upper right corner of the
screen, there are two meters - the top meter is
marked with an "E" for enemy and colored orange. The
second meter is marked with a "P" for party. The
meter slowly fills up which allows actions to be
effected by the party. Leadership meter - The
charisma of a party affects how they'll do in a
battle - if the enemy has a higher total Charisma
level, the battle will be difficult. To reach a
higher Charisma level, it is important that the
party members get along with each other. Lessons on
what Chi is and the importance of mixing different
types of Chi amongst the party members are also
taught.
» Trinity Drive points are accumulated when you
receive a "GREAT" rating after pressing a button
during an attack sequence. As long as there is a 30%
or more Trinity Drive meter reading, it is possible
to use it by pressing the "SQUARE" button. When the
Trinity Drive is at 100%, it will double the amount
of damage impacted on an enemy. Once the Trinity
Drive is activated, you will still have to perform
the three button press attack sequence in order to
pull off a successful attack. If you happen to miss
a Trinity Drive attack, the meter will drain all the
way down to 0%.
» The voice acting is fairly unemotional and droll
with the exception of Azel. However, these are
mercenaries and they might not have the best
personalities on the planet. We imagine the
recording sessions to be very straightforward with
just the voice actor alone in a room, reading from a
script without any deviation from a monotone
delivery. Dramatic pauses and undulating vocals are
absent here...
» Calintz is a mercenary leader who is cute. He's
supposed to be a bloodthirsty killer with a penchant
for whacking enemies out. But he's cute. With his
hair tied up in a spiky bob and his willowy frame,
Calintz could find work as a model for Versace or
Prada. He'd also make a versatile "female" runway
model if the occasion called.
» The battle system is a treat and requires actual
timing and a little skill in order to succeed.
There's no random button jamming or roll of the dice
here.
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This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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