Game Review 03: Threads of Fate

Platform: Sony Playstation
Developer: Squaresoft (Now part of Square Enix)
Release: North America Version, 2000

Summary:
Threads of Fate is played through two heroes which the player can choose, the mysterious Rue and ex-crown princess Mint. Both of them are hunting down a powerful artifact known as the relic which is said to give one the power to do anything in order to fulfill their own agendas. The story will differ depending on the character picked but most of the quests are similar to each other. You're heading for the same goal but how each of the main character takes it is different. However after completing one character you can continue on to play the other main character. Complete both of the protagonist story will unlock the 'true' ending which is based on the two storylines.

Gameplay:
Depending on the character you pick, the gameplay will be different. Rue is the warrior type who takes down enemies with his club/axe weapon. His special skill is to take on the form and ability of the monster he has defeated which will leave a disc behind. Rue can only take up a limited set of monsters so any new ones will replace the older ones. This ability allows you to not only defeat your enemies and also solve puzzles in the game. Mint however is your typical magic user and uses these large hoops for her melee attack. Her set of magic she can uses are elemental base with varying strength and range that can be collected as the story goes along.

(Rue as a red monster lizard)
(Mint's Magic- Can only at set one spell)

One interesting thing to note is that you don't really collect any items(not including in quest items) other than coins which are used to revive you when you die in the game. Yes there is an item shop but the items you buy are immediately used and they're all for you to increase your stats only. That means no special effect like immunity to some elements of speed up, etc. Mana can be regained through time but for health you need to defeat monsters and hope they drop potions; red for mana, blue for health.

There are no level up features in the game nor is there any experience gained when fighting enemies. Only the chance to increase your stats by either going to a shop or doing a special quest. So most of the time you have to make sure that your health and mana are both sufficient before heading into the dungeons.

Graphics:
The 3D graphics can be considered good for during that time. The graphics are colorful though simple. It is not as realistic as some of the games now like Final Fantasy but it is still visually pleasing with the exception of one scene with Fancy Mel's place which is painfully bright and lots of odd colors. But since she is supposedly an oddball(but powerful) character so the developers probably did this on purpose.

What makes the game so compelling:
I guess what really draws me are the characters in the game. You have main characters that have a personality of their own and talk (I know too many games with the heroic mime...). There are some pretty interesting dialog littered in the game which makes the experience more fun.

(Yes, he is really dressed as a star...)

Is it fun?:
Yep. Especially when you're someone who is very new to action RPG games. It's not complicated and the graphics are nice. There are mini games which you can play and you can revisit the dungeons again, without the boss monsters though.

Is it hard:
For seasoned players, no. It will actually be quite a breeze. Unfortunately, this game was one of my first games I played so I actually took a long time to finish both Mint's and Rue's story and get the secret ending. There are rumors of people able to complete this game within a day...