
There is also no stopping the ATB gauge except by pausing the game, which can make many encounters quite chaotic.Ĭombat’s frequency might not be such a concern if the player’s team being surrounded happened less often, but enduring enemy attacks before anyone can strike back makes the battles take much longer, especially since the animations for multiple blows to the same participant cannot be aired simultaneously. The strength of the enemies encountered varies wildly within locations, though more powerful enemies only start to show up as levels increase. Battles never take place on an even keel one side has always surrounded the other and thus gets first strike. First is that no character has a straightforward attack option - instead a variety of arts are available in addition to the standard magic, item, and defense options. Without looking at a FAQ this can only be done through many cycles of wandering around Pandule and listening to the vague advice provided, not a task for the faint of heart.Ĭombat takes the form of randomly encountered foes in a variant of ATB, with a few interesting elements. Another ally can only be recruited by having a replacement pen ready when he breaks it, a task that demands having two other allies to reach areas initially out of reach and waiting for a golden bird to appear, which must then be beaten to provide the needed material. Knowing that one prospective ally is going to attempt to kill Loreille through an explosive in her drink is not enough to recruit her - that task requires fighting the sentient deadly ingredient twice, including once while it is actually in the glass.
EPHEMERAL FANTASIA MAX LEVEL HOW TO
Making the plot progress is done by recruiting allies, and figuring out how to do this demands either an extraordinary level of patience or the willingness to live by a FAQ.
EPHEMERAL FANTASIA MAX LEVEL MOVIE
If read as a translation in the spirit of bad kung fu movie dubs the text becomes somewhat entertaining, but otherwise the poor proofreading and word choice evident will repel.Īpparently Dynamic means the camera aimlessly pans around, because that’s what it does.


Getting there requires a sizable investment of time and patience though, not helped by Konami’s localization work. The eventual explanation for the time loop and Mouse’s resistance to its effects is intriguing, and some of the moments near the finale are interesting. Accepting that Mouse and Loreille instantly fall for each other is extremely difficult, and most of the characters who join have astonishingly little to say about their predicament until select scenes are triggered. While a unique occurrence in an RPG, it’s hard to praise this mechanic.Ībsent the horrid pacing, Ephemeral Fantasia‘s narrative manages glimmers of interest. One minute in real time equates to about one hour in the game, so often the most expeditious course is to just stand around waiting until the clock hits the right note. Only one place on all of Pandule lets the player skip time forward, and only by a maximum of six hours. The pertinent moments of the cycle can be reached with a quick edit in a movie, while here the player has to sit around killing time until the necessary spot arrives. Condemned to repeat the same five day cycle that culminates in Xelpherpolis’s wedding, Mouse and Pattimo must use their ability to retain their memories in a struggle to stop the time loop.Įphemeral Fantasia‘s scenario is similar to Groundhog Day in video game form, but having to go through the same events repeatedly is much less compelling here. An attempt to stop things with force at the wedding results in Mouse’s utter defeat, but instead of dying he is transported back to the day on which he arrived upon Pandule.

Mouse’s investigation of the island quickly uncovers strange and dismaying things under the festive surface, and Xelpherpolis quickly reveals that he is responsible for orchestrating the problems. Wandering musician Mouse and his sentient guitar Pattimo have been summoned to the island of Pandule, where the noble Xelpherpolis wants him to compose and perform a fitting tune for his upcoming nuptials to the nation’s princess Loreille. Konami came up with a distinct idea that might be remade one day in a good way, but as it currently stands Ephemeral Fantasia is a mess that requires a great amount of patience for scanty rewards.

Ephemeral Fantasia is at least unique among titles for any platform, though its quality is otherwise what might be expected from launch RPGs for any system. In its early months the PlayStation 2 was not the dominant home for RPGs, and the few that trickled out were an underwhelming bunch.
