GAME REVIEW: ‘Ragnarok Odyssey Ace’ for PS Vita is a blast from the RO past

Nostalgia sells.

 

There's nothing more nostalgic for “Ragnarok Online” players than trying out the first few stages of “Ragnarok Odyssey Ace” for Playstation Vita which, for me, is what “Ragnarok Online 2” should have been.

 

In this game you play a mercenary supported by comrades who battle against Giants. You need to prevent said Giants from gaining access to the Gods of Asguard via a bridge called the Bifrost. It's basically “Ragnarok Online” (RO) turned into 3D with a different story, minus the MMORPG gameplay but still in the same setting. Heck, you're even near Prontera, the capital city in RO, though you'll never visit it in-game.

 

And remember the Angelwing? Well it's an available headgear you can craft in “Ace.” Actually, all the headgear there are lifted directly from the game's online cousin, which packs a punch filled with nostalgia that may make you want to cry (manly or girly) tears.

 

Other popular headgear you can craft are the Devilwing, Deviruchi Hat and Elven Ears, to name a few. Of course, don't forget that annoying and smelly Poop Hat. 

 

The game's outfits similarly scream “Ragnarok Online” when, in fact, they are the outfits of the classes of the said game. So if you had a blast being a swordsman or a mage in RO, you could relive your RO glory days by donning one of these outfits. Yes, some of the higher class outfits are available.

RO players, feel at home

 

Veteran RO players will also feel at home with most items, particularly materials like Elunium, Oridecon and Jellopy which allow you to refine weapons and expand outfit card slots. I would say that around 65-70% of the monsters in “Ace” are from RO starting with the iconic Poring which you encounter during your first quest.

 

Long time fans will also be delighted to see familiar foes like the Spore, Raydric, Deviruchi and Skeleton Soldier.

 

There are also a ton of old bosses like the Orc King (Orc Lord), Orc Hero and Hati which were made into mini bosses for Ace. Most of the main bosses, however, are characters I don't recognize. But I'm glad to reveal that one of the final bosses is a rare Mob from RO, though it wasn't considered as a boss there (Hint: Glast Heim).

 

Meanwhile, some of the NPC's are 3D dopplegangers of their 2D counterparts in RO, namely the six Quest counter Kafra's who are storage Kafras from each town in RO. 

 

As if this is not enough nostalgia, RO's BGMs are also available for purchase in one of the item stores ingame which you can assign as your background music during quests, epic boss fights or even just as your town music. 

 

Nostalgia isn't the only selling point for “Ace.” There's the vibrant environment enhanced by the Vita's OLED screen which is a feast for the eyes just waiting to admired. Just imagine your pretty dream girl enhanced by photoshop – or not but, well, you get my point. “Ace” is already made better by Vita's OLED system. The background really pops out, especially when you come to the grass-filled open area where you get to battle one of the early giant bosses, Hraesvelgr.

 

Character design, clothing, NPCs and monsters are also well done and executed cleanly. There doesn't seem to be any problems with the incredible graphics of the game running on Vita. But there were a few times when it slowed down, though this rarely affected my gameplay, save for one when I was battling a boss.

Forget the story

 

The biggest bummer I see in the game is its lack of a solid story and a Free Roam Mode, though both could be ignored, especially if you're a former player of RO. The nostalgia more than compensates for it.

 

However, if you're new to the Ragnarok world then you will definitely find getting quests at the same counter over and over again to be boring most of the time. I have to agree with others that there should have been some sort of Free Roam Mode where you at least go to other towns to get or submit quests just to give players some fresh air from the fortress setting.

 

As for the story, it's quite lackluster. There's nothing new there, no twists at all. I don't even think there's an actual plot to the story. It's always just a group of monsters or a giant is attacking so you have to get rid of them. Rinse and repeat until the final boss. Honestly, it was disappointing.

 

With combat, “Ace” offers challenging quests and boss fights to the point that some players have furiously vented on online forums expressing the difficulties they've encountered in “Ace.”

 

Personally, I think the game was tedious and dragging. Some quests and bosses were too easy while some were downright difficult and tested your gaming mettle. But it's all doable with enough patience and dodging skills since the game is pretty much skill-based where you have to memorize the attack patterns of foes especially bosses that do one-hit, one-kill skills.

I've also heard the game is like a crossover between “Kingdom Hearts” and “Monster Hunter”, and I have to agree with the former but not the latter, since I haven't experienced playing that game yet for comparison.

Eye candy on the Vita

 

All in all, I can recommend this game, especially to former RO players. It's a visual masterpiece on the Vita that provides at least 30 hours of gameplay (I finished mine in 60 hours with 30 hours inside quests and the other 30 outside quests). 

 

Even though the story is close to non-existent the combat makes up for this with its solid and challenging quests. I just wish they didn't recycle bosses every other quest and put in Baphomet, Drake and Dark Lord somewhere in “Ace.”

 

“Ragnarok Odyssey Ace” is a visually-seductive game with enjoyable and at times challenging combat paired with above average playtime though story is lacking and elements of repetitiveness may be felt during the end. 

 

The game offers a perfect rendition of what should have been “Ragnarok Online 2.” it is a must-buy for RO fans. — KDM, GMA News