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Intro With From Software and Activision’s latest release, GameCube owners are given their first semi-RPG. Playing the role of Princess Katia, gamers will need to rid her land, the five Kingdoms of Argwyll, of the darkness that is plaguing it. By mixing the RPG genre with the gameplay styling of card-battle titles, Lost Kingdoms provides a unique experience that casual gamers will find fun, though fans of the specific genres might find it all a bit too watered down. Gameplay: 6.5/10 The fact that Lost Kingdoms comes closer to an RPG than any other GameCube title out there, while still not really being an RPG has to be bittersweet to fans of the genre. Utilizing a lenient card-battle system that executes in real-time, Lost Kingdoms plays out more like an adventure title with a bit of a twist. Depending on what kind of card is used, the game can feel like a Zelda-style action RPG, or even a Final Fantasy-style whenever a creature is summoned. Those are very small aspects of both titles, but with so few true RPG elements, they stand out more so than usual. With a world map showing the kingdoms, and said kingdoms being represented by small icons on the map, traveling throughout the world is a breeze and very RPG-esque; there are many things like this, and while they are reminiscent of role-playing games, they aren’t necessarily basic elements. What I enjoyed about Lost Kingdoms is a facet that some might frown upon; I enjoyed its simple card system. Unlike other titles, previous knowledge of a card game isn’t needed and the intricacies are learned as you progress through the game. The only real points to worry about are the card’s elements and their attack styles. For the attack styles, some cards will simply have a creature appear around Katia; others will attack from a distance, like a bird creature that swoops down for a quick peck. Summoning a creature has Katia turn into the card’s character and attack in the direction that is faced – this is an interesting tidbit and one that is important to remember during combat. While other cards are more defensive in nature, they will stay in place offering bonuses or attacking the enemies so that the princess can get to safety, and so on. The cards are also broken into different elements: fire, water, earth, and wood. That aspect is somewhat basic as it’s the standard water-defeats-fire kind of paper-rock-scissors. However, adding a bit of spice to the mix are neutral cards that aren’t negatively affected by any of the other elements; on its own, it’s weak, but coupled with other elements, it fits in the simplified style well. Katia never attacks creatures herself, only through a card, leaving her time to be spent running around the combat area trying to pick up crystals to increase the magical points that are used to call the cards into battle. Staying away from combat is harder than it sounds as battles take place on the levels, in confined, often cluttered areas. The main strategy is determining which cards are beneficial to use with the magic left, since using a card without any points will take health away; also, once a card is used, it’s destroyed, so picking which to use at the right time is extremely important. Tossing a monkey wrench into everything is the fact that the cards selected in combat are random, so it’s important to make your 30 card deck as powerful and varied as possible. Helping to alleviate a bit of the potential that could result in random choosing is the fact that the cards chosen are often fair and appropriate for the situation at hand. With random cards hiding in chests and in certain spots, along with a card shop, various decks can be made and cards exchanged, just to ensure that those varied deck(s) are accessible. Wandering through the various kingdoms will take Katia through various realms; a sewer, graveyard, a castle, each with a distinct look and feel. They also have a nice progression of difficulty to them; it’s easy to get through the first few by feeling your way around the system, but once later stages are reached, an advanced knowledge of the elements and basic attacks really pays off. For those who just like firing off random cards, that method works too, but look forward to restarting quite a bit and relying on a healthy dose of luck. One feature that I enjoyed was that after dying, the game simply starts you over on the beginning of that level, unlike Yi-Gi-Oh! where a death meant game over. Even with the increased difficulty of the later stages, Lost Kingdoms is never really all that hard, and can be beaten in about 9-10 hours with random searches for secret cards, or upwards of 15-20 if you’re diligent and want everything and the best scores. There’s also a 2 player mode, but if you’ve beaten the game once, going through again with a friend isn’t very compelling. With the story and advancement being the only true RPG traits, many might find Lost Kingdoms too light in that area, while fans of card games might find the simplified system a little too simple; however, for those of you out there who are interesting in tinkering with either genre, or want a bit more action than normal, Lost Kingdoms is well worth a try.
Graphics: 7/10 Sound:
5.5/10 Control:
8.5/10 Overall:
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