Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled

by Graffiti Entertainment, Inc.

Product Features

• Vivid environments create a realistic yet imaginative landscape
• 30+ hours of game play with tons of side-quests
• Dark secrets and powerful plot twists create an original and intriguing story line
• Strategically customize your 3 person party from up to 8 unique characters
• 100+ different physical and magical skills/combos

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00104KJ2E
• Item Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 7, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,979 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Bel Lenora is a world where people are born with magic at their command. Years ago, a single man walked the land with no magic in his veins. He brought death and tragedy in his wake and was banished by a brave General at a great cost. It has been fifteen years since his banishment and once again, a young man with no magic walks the land of Bel Lenora. Join Kairu, a young knight, born with a cursed spirit...

Complex Worlds View larger. Traditional RPG View larger. Engaging Storyline View larger. Synopsis Play as the young, magicless Kairu, a kind-hearted boy who wants only to please his father, a famous general. Fifteen years ago, the general saved the world of Bel Lenora from the evil Vai, the only other man who couldn't use magic, which makes people wary of Kairu and his lack of magical abilities. Key Game Features: Features complex worlds full of realistic characters struggling for control of their inner powers. Dark secrets and powerful plot twists fill an epic tale with imagination and life. Beautiful and vivid environments create a realistic yet imaginative landscape, filled with attractive and detailed scenery. The fast-paced, active tactical combat system gives the player more control while retaining a classic RPG feel. The player controls a team of 8 fully developed playable characters armed with over 100 different abilities, skills and combos, as they progress through a rich, colorful world, filled with magic and adventure. A high quality soundtrack accompanies the characters on their journey, filling the player's imagination with haunting melodies in a majestic ensemble. Once for Gameboy Advance, now for Nintendo DS Originally meant for the Game Boy Advance, Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled now makes it way to the Nintendo DS thanks to Studio Archcraft, an indie studio based in Montreal, Quebec. Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled is a traditional role-playing game that will remind you of classics such as Chrono Trigger.

Product Description

Bel Lenora is a world where people are born with magic at their command. Years ago, a single man walked the land with no magic in his veins. He brought death and tragedy in his wake and was banished by a brave General at a great cost. It has been fifteen years since his banishment and once again, a young man with no magic walks the land of Bel Lenora. Join Kairu, a young knight, born with a cursed spirit...

100+ different weapons 200+ different pieces of armor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant, But Flawed RPG That Pays Homage To 16-Bit Classics, July 8, 2009

By 

Brian Shirk "Brian" (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled (Video Game)

People have been clamoring for a sequel to Chrono Trigger for years now. Some gamers consider Chrono Cross to be a superb sequel to that time-traveling epic, while others found it to be a dud. I thought Chrono Cross was an excellent RPG, but I had always desired another 16-bit RPG that had the same impact on me as Chrono Trigger. That game of 1995 managed to amaze a young 5th grader like me, because many of the game's concepts were so fresh. For one, there weren't countless random battles. Chrono did away with such an archaic system, and instead, instituted a fast-paced battle system involving three characters and enemies you could see on-screen before you engaged in battle. Skirmishes were quick, you could combine moves, and you rarely had to level. Chrono also featured amazing artwork and more proportionate characters than previous RPGs. Besides this, it had a fresh time-traveling quest spanning multiple eras and featured many possible player-affected outcomes. The music was also quite memorable, so overall, it was a well-rounded package.

Fast-forward fourteen years and multiple console generations later--we now have a new RPG called, Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled, that is modeled after classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. Studio Archcraft, the Canadian developer who was responsible for the game, spent four long years working on this 16-bit-style RPG that originally began as a GBA project, but ultimately ended up on the DS. After spending nearly 40 hours with the game, I've decided to judge Black Sigil on its own merits rather than simply comparing it to its 16-bit brethren. Read on to find out if this RPG modeled after the classics is worth your time, or if it's as crusty as those dishes you left in the sink for over a month.

When I first powered on Black Sigil, I was greeted to a beautiful intro. It wasn't tranquil like Chrono's Millennial Fair or action-packed like the imperial entrance into Narshe in FFVI, but the game clearly had a foreboding atmosphere. You begin the adventure as Kairu, who is an orphan born into a magical kingdom called, Bel Lenora. Even though he was raised by a powerful duke who was commander of the army, Kairu lived a lonely existence due to people's prejudice and fear of those who lacked the ability to use magic. A powerful swordsman named Vai who also lacked magic had previously threatened the kingdom, so their fear wasn't completely unfounded, even though it was fairly irrational. Kairu isn't a silent hero like Crono, but is fairly likeable due to his mostly serious and sometimes humorous nature. Early on, he is accompanied by the spunky Aurora who is the duke's daughter. I know. You're probably thinking she sounds like Marle, right? Well, even with her appearance out of the picture, she's quite different due to her use of sarcasm, and her being somewhat of a romantic instead of being a rebellious tomboy with a case of the giggles.

Kairu and Aurora were quite likeable, but I also grew attached to the game's many other characters. There's a mysterious character who wields powerful dark magic that is somewhat of a ladies' man, a nomadic, but kind-hearted character that will remind you of Gau, a female scout who has the ability to use magic, but has a tragic past, and an adventurer that feels like a hybrid of Setzer and FFIV's Cid. These six blokes are all great characters with a variety of abilities, but they're also accompanied by two secret characters, who I won't reveal. They're fairly difficult to find, as you have to accomplish quite a few tasks outside of the main storyline, but they're both valuable assets to your party, like Magus was in Chrono.

So, Black Sigil has excellent character artwork and a crew full of wonderful personalities, but how is the storyline? It isn't as groundbreaking as Chrono Trigger's, but it's an epic tale that holds its own against many games of today. In the previous paragraph, I mentioned the magical land of Bel Lenora, and the extreme prejudice Kairu faced, but I failed to mention the aftermath. I don't want to spoil much of the story, but as the title implies, one of your characters is exiled, and you eventually find yourself in a new land that is seemingly devoid of magic. This land, called Artania, is home to several continents that appear to have no relation to Bel Lenora. There are several kingdoms throughout Artania that are clearly inspired by historical kingdoms in Asia and Byzantium, and they seem to have co-existed peacefully for the most part. The empire of Sammarkand was on the ascendance however, and had begun conquering various kingdoms through military force and the use of airships. People who've played FFIV and FFVI have seen some of these themes before, but there is quite a bit underneath the surface that I'd rather not spoil. Slavery and issues of prejudice are prevalent themes throughout the game--which makes Black Sigil much more serious than most games of the 16-bit era.

The storyline, art, and characters are all excellent even in 2009 (an era in which our world should be in ruin according to Chrono Trigger), but how is the gameplay? Well, it's a mixed bag. The creators of Black Sigil implemented some original ideas into the battle system, but unfortunately, it's fairly unbalanced. It is evident that Black Sigil's battle system was inspired by games like Chrono, Lunar, and Lufia, but it ends up not working as well as those 16-bit titles. The battle system is like Chrono in the sense that it features three characters that can use combination attacks and are able to obtain a maximum of 999 HP; it's like Lunar in the sense that the characters can move in battle; and it's like Lufia with its cross-shaped icon menu. None of these aspects of the battle system are poor concepts, but the way in which they are executed is flawed.

One of the things that made Chrono great is that there were no random battles. Black Sigil throws that idea out the door and assaults you with more battles than an NES RPG. It gets pretty ridiculous when you're literally fighting battles every one or two steps. Later in the game, there's a piece of equipment that lowers the encounter rate, but even then, you still have more encounters than most RPGs out there. Traversing the world map is especially painful because of this issue. Unlike Chrono, you walk around on the world map, and crawling at a snail's pace is only made worse when you're barraged with enemy assaults almost every step. I felt like I died and went to Heaven the moment I obtained an airship. For awhile there, I was wishing my characters were limbless, so I didn't have to walk another step.

Not only are you brutally assaulted with endless random encounters, but they're also hellishly long. It takes about 8 seconds for your characters' time gauges to fill up, and then you usually have to weather several rounds before a battle ends. One to two minute battles were getting ridiculous, so I made an effort to constantly stock up on loads of healing items and potions to replenish my MP, so I could assault the enemies with endless magic attacks. Some parts of the game dragged on forever, since my abilities were quite pathetic initially, but once I completed some sidequests and gained several spells that attacked all enemies, things got better.

Frequent slow battles are probably enough to deter all but the hardest of the hardcore RPG OGs, but they were made even worse by the fact that your characters can get stuck in battle. The way Black Sigil's battle system is set-up is that you take three characters into battle. You can arrange their order, but you can't give them an ideal starting point on the battlefield. The problem with this is, your characters will often get stuck behind terrain and other characters, so they're left helpless, unless they have magic abilities or long-range weapons that can reach around walls. This was just clumsy programming, and I know the developers could have done something about this if there was more time.

Also, you're often ambushed by bosses. Sometimes save points are infrequent, so this can be especially brutal. Certain boss fights require you to have items equipped to a particular character (there is no stockpile of items to take into battle in Black Sigil), so you can easily hit the game over screen if you aren't prepared. This especially sucks if you've spent over an hour in a long dungeon without hitting a save point. Some dungeons are mazelike with exits that are difficult to see, and they also can feature brutal enemies that use status effects that cripple your entire party. I only had a few of these near- death experiences during long periods of play, but I should mention that I'm a veteran when it comes to RPGs. Rookies, will likely get slaughtered in the early parts of the game if they don't pay close attention to their characters and stock up on loads of items. Like a good scout, you should "Be Prepared".

Before moving on, I have one last negative comment to stain Black Sigil's reputation. This wasn't a major issue, as it only happened two times in one dungeon, but I actually had the game freeze on me. At first, I wondered if it was my DSi, because I had played 22 hours of Black Sigil without experiencing any problems, but after perusing some Internet forums, sure enough, it looks like Black Sigil sometimes has freezing issues. Apparently, this problem isn't too big of an issue, but you may experience a couple freezes late in the game, so make sure to save frequently.

Black Sigil may have some serious issues with its battle system, but you'll likely enjoy the many references made to your favorite 16-bit RPGs. Some of these references are very subtle, while others are quite noticeable. Avid RPG fans will likely notice that many of the... Read more ›

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Old School RPG. If you like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6, you'll love this game, June 14, 2009

By 

Steve D. (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled (Video Game)

I'm about 5 hours in. Im liking it. For the record, I am playing on a DSi and have not experienced one glitch or freeze which some people on a few forums are reporting.

The battle system is fine. The random encounter rate is a little high, but that's by todays standards. Id say it falls right in the middle of FF6 and FF4.

I absolutely LOVE the graphical style. So much of it it ripped DIRECTLY from Chrono Trigger and FF6. If you want to copy something, might as well make it the best.

Graphically this game looks VERY VERY VERY similar to Chrono Trigger. Theres really no other way to describe it. It FEELS like you are playing a reskin of Chrono Trigger. The animations are extremely similar to CT as well. The overworld looks the same as FF6

The game almost feels like a ROM hack combining the 2 with a little bit of Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma mixed in.

There are a few objects strewn about levels that are stolen right from both of those games.

There might be a bug or 2 and a few things people dont like about it, but you have to realize how small the development team on this game was. Its the best they could do. We need to support them so they make more games like this.

We need to send a message to Squarenix that we want more original old school stuff rather than over the top stuff and remakes

(that said I really want a sequel to Chrono Trigger)

The character design is quite nice. Its amazing how much more personality little sprites have compared to polygons.

The story is pretty traditional RPG, but I like it. Its better than the absolute bare bones Blue Dragon and the super overly complication newer JRPG games. The world knows what it want to be. It not some hybrid modern / future / past like many modern RPGs with cell phones and swords mixed in.

The music feels like it was made by Uematsu himself.

This game really feels like it was made by someone who did nothing but play Chrono Trigger and FF6 for 3 years and decided to make a game.


I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys an old school RPG

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Remarkable!, October 15, 2010

By 

J. R. Casey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled (Video Game)

I can't say enough good things about this awesome RPG!! This is the best the RPG genre has to offer. For people to say this is crap/discrdit this; they aren't gamers at all. This is a perfect combination of Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, and Chrono Trigger. The characters are intresting and the plot is intreaging. This is a must have for the TRUE gamer and a must for fans of rpgs! I highly recommend this to anyone! It's worth every penny! A truly remarkable gaming experience!!