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Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone

• By McKinley Noble
• September 04, 2008 10:59 AM PST
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Altus's cult-hit RPG masterpiece, Yggdra Union, receives a broad, beautiful, and extraordinary overhaul on the PlayStation Portable.

If you own a PlayStation Portable and love a good strategy game, keep your eyes out for a deep, enriching title called Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone. This underrated gem from Japanese developer Sting lived a brief life on the Game Boy Advance, and Atlus U.S.A. has now revived it on the PSP with so many tweaks and additions, it's like an entirely new story.

She may be a princess, but Yggdra's still a warrior.

Your Princess Isn't In This Castle

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for video games that star strong female warriors. The story of Yggdra Union chronicles the struggle of Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz, a fugitive princess feeling the evil Bronquian Empire that has taken over her home. Along the way, Yggdra enlists the help of several unique characters -- including renegade thieves, dangerous assassins, and loyal knights -- in order to reclaim her castle, defend her kingdom and bring peace back to the country. The cast of characters in Yggdra Union, both noble and evil, are a colorful and impressive lot, especially with some top-notch voice acting (a new feature of this remake) breathing life into the dialogue. Even hardcore gamers who have played through the GBA version will be able to appreciate the amazing level of quality that the main story is receiving from Atlus.

The artwork remains a major asset to the series, thanks to unique and intricate character designs by Satoko Kiyuduki, along with artwork and illustrations from Sunaho Tobe (character designer for Rivera: The Promised Land). Additionally, all the sprites look like they've been completely redrawn to fit the larger dimensions of the PSP's screen. This is also good news for the menus and battle displays, which were admittedly cramped on the Game Boy Advance.

Carefully monitoring your Aggression can often mean the difference between defeat and victory.

Cards of War

In Yggdra Union, the strength of the units that make up your ragtag army is decided by cards. Every card in the game has four values: Power, Move, Ace, and a Skill. Obviously, "Power" represents the physical strength of your attack, and "Move" determines the amount of spaces you can move on a battlefield. Every special "Skill" that a card has (like dealing magical damage or reviving fallen units) can only used if the "Ace" symbol matches your unit's. For example, Yggdra's unit is a sword unit, so they can be the Ace for any card with a sword icon.

Also, certain types of units will have strengths and weakness compared to other units. Sword aces are strong against axes, but weak against spears and scythes, and so on. Weapon types aren't the only thing that determines victory though -- your current geography gives status boosts to certain units, certain items can prevent damage or lend useful skills, and even your combat level can overpower many opponents. Furthermore, Yggdra Union's tactics system adds an extra bit of tension to every battle with the Rage/Aggression meter. As a battle wears on, enemy units will become stronger as their rage builds. When the Rage meter is full, you'll suffer more damage unless you soundly win the fight. The primary way to combat Rage is with Aggression, which can be charged by pushing left or right on the D-Pad. To give your attacks extra juice, you can deplete your Aggression meter, or charge it to 100 percent, which lets you use your card skills.

Using your cards' special skills will often turn the tide in your favor.

Lastly, the titular Union system can give you another advantage over stronger enemy units. All troops immediately horizontal and vertical of your position can unite in battle if your unit leader is a female like Princess Yggdra, while male unit leaders like thief king Milanor can group together with nearby diagonally-placed soldiers. Sounds complicated, right? Thankfully, Yggdra Union provides plenty of tutorials for newcomers and gamers who need refresher courses. The combat takes a little while to get used to, but the battles are as addictive as ever.

We'll Never Fight Alone, Again

In about a month, Yggdra Union will be back in the states, and at just the right time. Altus U.S.A. is known for quality RPG publishing, and from what we've seen, it's bigger, bolder, and better than any RPG enthusiast could've hoped for. It'll be hard to live up to its GBA predecessor, but we're got high expectations for Yggdra Union's remake.

Male units can unite under an 'X' formation, while female soldiers will gather in a '+' formation.

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