Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure was part one of the Marl Kingdom series, a brief and fairy tale-like JRPG with scaled-down, segmented tactical battle encounters. Their approach to scenes, dialogue and characters - however, coined a uniquely ridiculous form of RPG comedy: Colorful 2D backgrounds and a high-fantasy anime aesthetic almost clash with eccentric and occasionally crude storytelling, a contrast that's perhaps destined to remain Nippon Ichi's specialty. Cornet & Kururu's goofy chemistry joins an equally silly cast that indulge in all sorts of arguments, casual remarks, meta jokes and weird situations, almost like a cutesy and (slightly) less violent version of Brave Fencer Musashi. Enabling that lighthearted nature is the gameplay, which seems to steer clear of depth or challenge (at least on normal difficulty) as if it would distract its audience from the hijinks. While much of its systems are basic JRPG fodder, and despite the weak customization, two of the game's better ideas actually involve its collectible units, particularly in their recruitment methods (that adopts/expands on concepts from both Shining Force and Dragon Quest V) and their exclusive side quests. Overall, if the RPG side of things feel like an afterthought, its breezy combat and dungeons combined with hilarious moments, charming musical segments and an emphasis on personal subplots make for a pleasant, quirky experience, albeit a grotesque one.