Brave Fencer Musashi

Squaresoft unleashed what appeared to be a brawler-esque action-RPG with Brave Fencer Musashi, but the shallow combat and frantic scenes of its opening chapter are misleading: Theirs is de facto an action-adventure game that takes on many forms, graced by Square's elaborate production and a cheeky sense of humor. To start with, Musashi's flippant remarks and the caricatures surrounding him give an original twist to the format, defining a sort of over-the-top version of Alundra (and Link's Awakening by extension) as the former works a variety of odd-jobs around town. Variety is also the keyword for its gameplay. Far from just fighting and exploring, their dungeons contain all sorts of clever scenarios, utilizing bits of 3D platforming, Zelda-like tools & puzzles and some tough minigames, before concluding with tense (if occasionally unfair) boss battles. Its systems are equally as diverse, and the most unusual of the bunch: Skill mimicry a la Kirby, use-based stat exp and (above all) an in-game clock that affects everything from shops, area access, villager behavior, objectives, unlocks and even a fatigue system. If gameplay polish is not exactly their strong point, they at least excel at cross-pollinating genres and mechanics.

Progression is more of a mixed blessing - however. While getting lost is very likely - mainly due to the camera's short range and the lack of a permanent map, they offer a lot more clarity in terms of tasks and item usage, often guiding/instructing the player via menus or NPCs. In other words, there's difficulty in 'where to go' but rarely in 'what to do'. Only the final dungeon veers into truly vague and frustrating territory, and that's enough to end the playthrough on a sour note. But for the most part, each of these ideas coalesce into a lively, sprawling work that - in a sense, acts as a bridge between the RPG-spoofing of Mother and the incendiary whimsy of Disgaea.

I finally came around to finishing Brave Fencer as an adult after initially buying it at the age of 7. I had a really good time with it from a gameplay perspective. The combat is fun, a few puzzles are satisfying to complete, and the crest guardian boss battles really shine in this game. However this is just one of the worst written RPGs I've ever played. Some of the more interesting characters drop out of the story entirely without a word given to explain what happens to them, and it has one of the most god-awful endings I've ever seen. Honestly, it felt like a massive slap to the face given the amount of time I put into this game. I was dead-set on giving Brave Fencer at least a 3 going into the final dungeon given the amount of fun I had with it, but the story just completely drops the ball and led me to drop the overall score. Also, the mini-games are terrible, and I was really close to quitting the game during a couple of these. The final dungeon was also disappointing, complete with trial-and-error puzzles and some of the least impressive boss battles in the game.