Radiant Historia
2010
- puzzle
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- fantasy
- historical
- single player
The story
In the midst of an unending war for dominance between two super-powers, Special Intelligence Agent Stocke is assigned to a routine escort mission that goes horribly awry. However, wielding a mysterious book called the White Chronicle, Stocke discovers a way to travel to the intersection of time itself: Historia. With this power in his hands, he must travel back and forth through key events and an entirely alternate timeline to right the world's ill-fated course. The lives of his companions, the fate of nations, and the resolution of an impending disaster that now threatens the land all depend on Stocke's ability to discern the one "true" history.
What it’s like
Warm parchment tones and hand-painted backdrops give this one the feel of an old illuminated atlas, with crisp anime character portraits layered over ochre plains, dim stone interiors, and brass-and-steam machinery in the steampunk districts. The mood is wistful and studious, a slow-burning unease under courtly sunlight. Its turn-based battles, played out over a sprawling map, pair well with a long evening at the desk or a patient session with headphones, and its wandering back and forth through the same events suits anyone who enjoys puzzling over a story in pieces. Story beats are often talky, with lengthy conversations between the characters, and pacing rises and falls with each reversal. Combat is cartoonishly stylised, with deaths and betrayals handled in a mostly matter-of-fact way; the darker material, including murder, war, and racial prejudice, sits in the dialogue more than in gore. The arcs follow a restless agent learning what his loyalties really cost, and a band of companions grappling with the consequences of his choices. It is for players who want an intricate, reflective RPG with a melancholy, politically tinged undercurrent.
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