Review: The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch
Role-playing goes old school in The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch.
The Pilgrimage
Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch starts off with two teenagers preparing for the journey of their young lives. The village in which they live practices an ancient tradition. When a child comes of age to adulthood, they must take a treasured silver dagger and go on a pilgrimage of self-discovery. Only after visiting five special shrines scattered throughout the world, and interpreting the visions that each shrine presents them, can they return home. But, the journey isn't quite as simple as that, or so the youths learn. What begins as a normal journey quickly evolves in to a quest to discover the mysteries of an ancient witch rumored to have traveled the world and then disappeared without a trace.
The action that follows is pretty standard RPG fare. The combat is turned based, although there is neat battle initiation system that gives you a general idea of your enemy's strength before you start fighting. As you roam around the game world, you'll see enemies skittering about with a little bubble over their head. Inside that bubble is a little face, that sports an angry scowl if the enemy is aggressive and ready to take you on, or sad and sullen if it knows you could defeat it easily. Strong enemies, once they've spotted you, will chase you for a short time and try to start a battle. Weaker enemies, however, will actually turn tail and run away from you if you happen to approach it. The system is pretty fun to mess around with, particularly after you've built up your characters abilities and don't want to be bothered with taking on weak enemies.
Have Pet, Will Travel
Making a return in the sequel is the unique and quirky Pet System. Early on the in the game you'll be given a pet dog, who will follow you around and occasionally pick up helpful items that are hidden around you. To give the system a bit more depth, your pet can also be used to bolster both your offense and defense by feeding it certain kinds of food. For example, if you feed your pet special food imbued with fire properties, your next battle the pet will appear and unleash a fire attack on your unsuspecting foes. The same system works for defense, too, with some foods resulting in your party getting a defensive boost in a battle. The effects only last one fight, but when planned properly, you can really gain the upper-hand in a big fight if you know it's coming up.
Visually the game is pretty similar to the last Legend of Heroes title, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Character models are sprite-based and retain their amusing appeal. Back again are the anime-style character cutouts that pop up during important dialogues, too. The worlds, however, are a bit too simplistic to really get my excited and their tiny size doesn't help give them any more charm. But, given the game's pretty engrossing storyline, you probably aren't playing it for tons of eye candy.
If you enjoyed the last Legend of Heroes PSP game, the second one will be right up your alley. You get a fairly long quest, memorable characters, and the addictive Pet System to keep you busy. But, if you're new to the Legend of Heroes scene, you might want to give the game at least a three or four hour grace period. The storyline comes out of the gate like an old man with a walker, but does ramp up as you progress. It's not going to set the RPG world on fire with innovation, but for an old school experience, you could do a whole lot worse.
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