Saiyuki: Journey West

Too bad following the legendary exploits of famed Chinese heroes on the PlayStation doesn?t quite make the lasting impact it has in literary form.

Saiyuki is an unsuccessful attempt to make a popular Chinese literary legend come alive. In this strategy-based RPG, you take on the role of the heroic monk, Sanzo, and then set out to India to fulfill your destiny. On the way, you meet up with a variety of auspicious creatures to help complete your journey.

The gameplay is fairly linear: You build your character?s skills through mandatory battles, collect money, and use magic and other items for offense and defense. The character variety, though, has its drawbacks: Timing your attacks and changing into alternate forms can get frustrating in battles that are already slow and repetitive; it?s all about strategy, where to place someone and when to use a specific skill.

And the visuals don?t help the gameplay. This engaging story is told in a bland, colorless world that resembles the 16-bit era. The soundtrack, however, contains great melodies with an Asian influence. In this case, though, it?s better to travel with a legend in a book than play as one on the PlayStation.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment