I hate weapon durability. Some might argue it provides more realism than the average role-playing game that lets you use a weapon indefinitely. I find it to be a bit tedious, because when your weapon dies, so do you. You are completely helpless, unable to inflict damage and can only receive it. But my thoughts on the matter might be changing due to the influence of Hexyz Force for PSP.
Hexyz Force follows the story of two leading characters: Levant and Cecilia. Both are Hexyz, people who have inherited the powers of a god. The reason is simple: Thousands of years ago, there was a war between the gods and the destroyer. The dark god was sealed, but the cost was colossal. The land was ravaged and barren. The gods died and returned to the Divine Vessel as force (the game’s version of a soul). There are some people who are hard at work to resurrect the dark god and bring all of the world’s progress to a halt — unless Levant and Cecilia can tilt the world back toward creation.
In all honesty, we have all seen this before. Saving the world is considered a staple of RPGs. However, it is how everything is handled that matters. Cecilia’s tale is a lighthearted tale hilarious to watch unfold. Levant’s story is a darker story concerning racial clashes — literally ... there are several beast races in the game — and is ultimately a story of loyalty. And it is told rather well. Characters’ portraits, and I mean all characters, are seen on screen and emote as they converse. The characters even gesture at times.
As such, the graphics go perfectly with Hexyz Force. The old-school 3-D anime art style works in its favor. Castles, temples, caves, ruins and forests have a sense of historicity. This feels and looks like a world that has slowly raised itself out of the ashes and could collapse if pushed hard enough. It may not push the limits of the PSP, but it holds it there comfortably.
For sound, you’ll hear lush orchestrations during combat and exploration. Royal horns trumpet an imperial march. Strings mesh together with vocals to create a bittersweet melody. Voice acting is a bit rare, saved for the ending of battles and those ultra-rare anime cutscenes. In other words, it has an old-school inspired presentation. Some people are going to love it with its modern flairs, while others are going to miss the opportunities to use voice acting. On the plus side, Hexyz Force does add an extra punch to those rare scenes.
Gameplay is the typical traditional RPG. You run around the towns, explore dungeons and destroy monsters. There are three things that make the game unique. First, combat is turn-based with combos. Each attack is associated with one of the three pillars of creation. It’s a rock-paper-scissors relationship. As you use attacks that are stronger than the previous pillar or of the same pillar, the combo counter grows. As such, the higher the counter, the greater the damage. The problem is that the enemy can use this against you. Attacks that were originally weak can become devastating. Void-aligned attacks break combos. Certain weapons have a limited use due to their durability. However, they might have skills found nowhere else. The downside is that once it runs out of energy, you can no longer use it during combat.
Second, there is no money in Hexyz Force. There is only force. This energy is obtained by destroying enemies and restoring items to their original essence. And you can even use it to restore your health, not your ragnaforce (the game’s version of magic points). You rely on your equipment, and you have to create it yourself by finding the necessary reagents. Some pieces of equipment are required for fusions. In other words, you upgrade them. Even “dead” weapons can be fused with other items to create newer pieces of equipment.
Third, force is needed to upgrade your ragnafacts. Ragnafacts are weapons that only Hexyz can use. There are three areas to improve: technique (allows access to stronger skills), attack power and resonance (how well the artifact responds to users). Different characters can equip different ragnafacts and might have access to different skills. For example, with the bow ragnafact, one a character will be able to use the wind attack while another can use the water attack.
As experimental as Hexyz Force is, it still functions as a traditional RPG. Having solid levels are still mandatory to effectively traverse locations. The strongest pieces of equipment are still needed to conquer opponents without fear of death. So, it is a strategy in which you know what you are doing.
I have enjoyed my time with Hexyz Force. I like the fact it is a gem hiding in plain sight. It plays exactly as a good RPG should: smoothly The weirdest thing is that this works to the game’s advantage. And I don’t want to tell anyone about it. This is one of those games that will have a cult following and whose popularity wills slowly grow over time. A great joy can come to those who discover Hexyz Force for themselves. For $30, this is an easy purchase to justify. Now, tell me, which do you prefer: destruction or resurrection?
