Customer Reviews

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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 character animations are pulled directly from Chrono Trigger. The laughing, running, and spell casting animations, will all remind you of that epic, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides featuring similar animations and sound effects (such as the breeze found in Narshe), Black Sigil also has many events that draw on your nostalgia for the RPGs of yore. One scene will remind you of the Battle for Narshe where you divide into three parties. Another will remind you of the mysteries surrounding Gau. There are many moments like this that make you yearn for the days of old, but thankfully, they don't detract from Black Sigil's already great storyline.

The last element of Black Sigil I'd like to cover is the music. The soundtrack isn't quite as varied as FFVI, but what is there is excellent. Black Sigil's musical score will likely remind you of Suikoden, Chrono Trigger, and even Chrono Cross. The musical themes are quite emotional, and really add to the experience despite being midi files. Black Sigil's music really makes you feel the magic of Bel Lenora, and there are plenty of songs that perfectly complement each scene. As in many RPGs, one song will likely grow repetitive, however--and that's the battle theme. I actually really enjoyed the battle theme, despite it not being upbeat like Lufia 2, but it grew stale after being forced to hear it thousands of times. Studio Archcraft should have taken a page from Namco's Tales series and created multiple battle themes, but that's a minor flaw present in most RPGs.

Black Sigil clearly has a number of issues that will detract from your enjoyment of the game, but the music, storyline, characters, and artwork made it worthwhile in my opinion. I would have bestowed Black Sigil with a lofty 9.0 if it weren't for the major flaws with its battle system, but sadly, I have to subtract a few points. Due to the problems with the battle system, only the most hardcore RPGs will enjoy Black Sigil. If Studio Archcraft would have spent more time balancing the game, it could have been an amazing experience that would rival the best RPGs the SNES had to offer. Unfortunately, I just can't recommend it unless you're willing to brave the battles to see everything else the game has to offer. Still, I'm quite impressed with what Studio Archcraft accomplished with their first RPG. Until hitting the incredibly short credits, I didn't realize that most of the game was produced by fewer people than the number of fingers on your hand. After seeing the credits, it didn't surprise me that the game took four years, considering the incredible amount of detail in this 40-hour game. Since Studio Archcraft made such a noble effort, I'd hope that fans of old-school RPGs would give this a shot, because I'm sure this development team could accomplish something amazing with their next project. Black Sigil may not have lived up to Chrono Trigger, but it's still an adventure worth experiencing for those who miss what is often considered the golden age of RPGs--the 16-bit era.

Summary

Pros:

* Great character and background artwork
* An emotionally charged musical score
* Humorous character dialogue
* Plenty of references to RPG classics
* An excellent fantasy tale analogous to many real world scenarios
* Creative battle system
* A lengthy handheld adventure

Cons:

* Random encounters are far too frequent
* Characters regularly get stuck behind objects in battle
* Battles are too drawn out
* Not enough save points
* Bosses can surprise you when you aren't ready for them
* Game occasionally freezes
* Unnecessary division of your group into parties
* Grueling treks on the world map
* Some unconventional controls aren't explained (hold the B-button to run from battles)

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

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!!

Listen the game is buggy, dated, and flawed but it is a sterling effort from a fledgling developer. That is the reason for the high overall score and the low fun score.

Do know that while it is compared to Chrono Trigger, it is not Chrono Trigger. The difference being story setting and battle. The twist on battle is supposed to be that position matters but largely it doesn't. Mostly it just serves to slow down battle if you want to use a regular attack. You will battle a lot as the encounter rate is sky high (random encounters one more difference). The game isn't really that difficult so things just get monotonous.

Overall, a nice homage to Chrono Trigger with it's own unique hackneyed JRPG story. A nice cast of well developed static characters (rarely have I ever seen a true dynamic character in RPG as they all just come across as destined to save the world from the get go).

In the end noting pushes the mold except the fact it's from a little Canadian (I think they're Canadian anyway) Indie Company breaking into the JRPG industry and one of the most successful commercial console attempts on North American soil. They got the look and feel down. Hopefully they'll survive to make another game and put their own spin on the genre.

I recommend if you're a connoisseur of the indie scene, old school rpgs, or just like to see a little guy succeed.

...Huh guess this is more of an essay than a review.

This game is pretty awesome, cool story and lots of secerts too bad the random battles happen every 5-6 paces... people should buy it to support a another

I don't understand the apparent apathy for this game. I admit I'm only about 15 hours into it, but so far I've really enjoyed what I've played. I concede that the frequent random encounters are frustrating... While it would have been lovely if they'd avoided them altogether, Chrono Trigger this is not. That being said, the characters are interesting and well-rounded, and the story so far is solid enough that I want to keep playing. I may be alone in this, but I actually enjoy the strategic aspect to positioning that the combat brings, and deciding whether to fight or flee can be challenging. Judicious use of your magic and team-up abilities are vital to your success, and so far the difficulty hasn't seemed unfair or overwhelming. Not to mention it has some of the better sprite work I've seen on the DS.

This is very definitely a fan game, it's an homage to the days before a certain spiky-haired ex-soldier and his ragtag group of friends beat the snot out of a test-tube baby and a self styled, silver-maned nihilist. It's not perfect by any means, but it's a throwback that's paying tribute to some of my favorite games of all time. I realize that it's a DS game, and perhaps some extra concessions should have been made for portability. Maybe it's retro-goggles, but I'm looking at it as a 1997 console game that fell into a time capsule, and as such I'm willing to cut it some slack and enjoy it.

This is the best looking game I've seen in a long time . . . because I love the old SNES RPGs. This game looks great, and the 'movies' are in game, none of the high rendered CG crap that so many games throw in and just seems tacked on now-a-days. I haven't played all the way through it, in fact I just got the 3rd character, but so far I really like the characters, play mechanics, story line, music, and graphics. If you're the kind of person that likes to play old RPGs on emulators rather than the re-makes then you'll love this game. I couldn't stress enough how this feels like a RPG from the golden era of SNES.

Another thing that it seems clear of is the 'collector' fad, why should my character that is trying to save the world collect worthless items like cards, marbles, stars, pictures, bottle caps, underwear, or whatever? Also, so far I haven't walked into a tavern and had a smack down of pogs with anyone either, so it's more geared towards the older players.

One problem that I have had thus far, and this has happened twice, is there are parts that have a ton of story, things you need to do, then without an opportunity to save it throws you into a dungeon that seems way to high level for you. You end up dying because the monsters are just a huge jump from where you just were right before the big story push. It gets a little stressful to find the save point before you die. I've died a few times needing to re-do 20-30 min of play time. I just died in a dungeon and have to go though it and 10 min of the story again and I still don't know where the save is. It seems that you might go through a dungeon the first time to find not where to go so the next time you can have a rough idea where the save point might be. This leads me to believe it isn't as polished as a Square Enix game but the story, graphics, and general game play will pull me through I'm sure. This is the reason I took away a star however.

This is the RPG I've been waiting for since the GBA could do SNES graphics. I really hope this sells well and shows game makers to take out all the fluff and just focus on story and characters.

I was hoping for a Chrono Trigger like game when I bought this in terms of style, game play, story, etc. While it does resemble Chrono Trigger in some ways, it doesn't compare. The story develops very slowly (so slow that I didn't feel like finishing the game), the battle mode is very cumbersome with characters getting in the way of each other all the time, and the graphics started to give me a headache after awhile. I can't say I would recommend this game to anyone who is expecting a Chrono Trigger like game with decent quality and entertainment value.

I bought this game specifically because I love old school SNES RPGs. After about 8 hours of having no fun whatsoever I gave up and never looked back.

The graphics are adorable 16-bit sprites as promised, no complaints there. The music is completely forgettable. Story is fine, at least the 8 hours I played anyways.

The problem is the gameplay. Way too frequent random encounters. That in itself is not make or break, but when you pair it with boring lengthy battles the game starts feeling like a chore. The complete opposite of why I play video games.

I really wanted to like this game and was excited about it, but in the end let down. There are so many fantastic RPGs on the DS, don't waste your time/money on this one. Do yourself a favor and go back and replay those 16-bit RPGs. I promise you will have more fun.

Black Sigil is a game that pays homage to the 16 bit classic RPGs; engaging gamers in a new world with high drama. Many would compare the style of the game to such legendary games like Chrono Trigger. Its nowhere near the classic that CT was at all; but it still manages to hold its own.

The story line in the game is what sets it apart from the usual formula; instead of having a protagonist that has a special ability over the rest our character starts out at the opposite end. The people treat you like crap and you can't understand why you seem to be the only one who can't use magic. The story gets better from there and the adventure gets better from there. The story will keep a player committed for hours.

Graphically Black Sigil stays true to the 16 bit style over a pretty nice overlay, yet this the DS and it's disappointing that the game designers did not attempt to take advantage of the graphic capabilities that the DS can produce. Especially in battles where the terrain will affect the combat strategy, There were times when you will find yourself wondering why your character can't get around some parts because something looks slightly in the way. The dungeons can look like bland at times and moving about these areas can prove to be difficult because the graphics are jagged. Nice to look at but nothing that will blow you away.

Gameplay is traditional; you collect items, you talk to people; you explore you fight enemies in time based strategy combat.

Speaking of combat, this is the game's biggest flaw, you fight your enemies via random encounters like in Final Fantasy and its very very BRUTAL and downright FRUSTRATING. Many time you cannot walk two steps to get out of the room with out dealing with enemies and there are no alerts sounds to indicate that combat is gonna happen; the screen fades to black and you in the fight; yet what that part even more annoying is that if you were leaving through a door or to another area it does the same thing so you have to guess or what till after the fight to know if you advance or not. On top of an unforgiving random encounter rate the battles themselves waste your energy. To run away from the battle you have to hold down B to make them "run" (which can only be achieved if your action bar is full) and it takes a long time for them to finally run away. The combat is active battle with selective combat (attack, special attack, Combo) and during the time the enemies can wail on you, even if you enter the fight with a pre-empt upper hand it still take a while to run away and the bad guys still get open season to drain your energy.

I like the combat style; it does require a bit of strategy because the terrain will also affect your strategy. it s a good and bad thing. Sometimes you most effective fighter can be cornered in one sense and can't contribute nothing so you must depend on you magic users and vice versa. But the lack of better graphics would have made that distinction more clearer. Its an ok system but the random encounters and the fact that your main character for a good chunk of the game gets afflicted with random ailments really bring this down

Another major flaw are the times when the game will freeze during scenes; the music keeps going and others things look in order but nothing is happening, and it could happen at the worst times (hopefully you saved). I read online that people remedy this by changing the message speed on the settings part of the menu, I've done that and it has worked but shame on you Archcraft and Graffiti for not dealing with this problem.

Thankfully there are online guides to help get you through the game because to play cold turkey may get one lost what is the next step or where to find certain treasures. Which is no less relieved when you include the high encounter rate of battles.

Overall Black Sigil is a good attempt to recreate the experience of the 16 bit RPG; many will be charmed by the nostalgia the game provides. However; be prepared to deal with the choppy combat and frustration of the random fights. I hope Archcraft and Graffiti continue to make more RPG games; I would challenge them to take advantage of the DS capabilities and hopefully listen to the gamers of what they can fix in future projects. Overall the game is a solid C+, give it a rent before you dive in though.