Generation of Chaos - Pandora's Reflection: Final thoughts

Well, I'm done with Pandora's Reflection for now. A second run with my overpowered duo was darn tempting, but I was just dying to play *name hidden for suspense's sake* and that took precedence. So here comes my final opinion about the game, warts and all.

This is a PSP budget game, with the good and bad points of such games. I like the lo-fi charm of budget offerings from that console generation, so I was delighted and felt right at home. That lovely fuzziness! Those charming non-animated skits! Those nostalgia-inducing pixelated 2D sprites! Gimme more! What I didn't like so much, on the other hand, was how dark the game was — like, in every sense of the word. From the dull and murky colours to the gloomy story that spares the player no gruesome description of murder, torture and the like, PR did a serious number on my mood after a while. Also, the final boss — the one I fought, that is — is a nasty cheating b*tch. She had as much HP as Claude and Yuri at their max level together, she could teleport, cast spells and heal, she moved four times faster than my duo and, cherry on the cake, she had 25 minions as cannon fodder. How is that fair? It took me no less than four tries to beat her, and boy, did it felt vengefully good. I was initially planning to check the other two endings, but... After that laborious showdown, I really didn't feel like it. Those endings can wait until my next run of PR. 

Although I love PR's simplicity and low-fi feel, there's no denying that the gameplay is a bit lacking. This game obviously wants to be the perfect portable SRPG and Visual Novel hybrid, with its short chapters offering narrative developments along with the battle du jour; but alas, the story and battles are too disjointed and this enticing mix never gels. Like, my crew goes on and on endlessly about how weak and fragile Yuri is and how she needs to be protected from harm, when Yuri is actually a warhorse that eats foes for breakfast on the battlefield — cue Underrated and Overleveled. And talking about the battlefield, it's downright silly to see the battles' winning and losing conditions contradict over and over what the narrative struggled to establish just seconds before. Even when the whole crew insists on sparing opponents, seizing enemy positions first and foremost or destroying a given contraption, battles always unfold the exact same way and can ALWAYS be won by slaughtering every living thing in sight and/or taking the enemy base. Take, for instance, that chapter where you're forced to fight brainwashed young orphans: the way the whole crew insists on sparing the kids' lives, you'd think that the ensuing battle would include a losing condition in case too many kids are killed — but NOPE! You can slaughter them all, and you'll win just the same, with hefty amounts of XP in your name! Also, battles that are titled "Destroy contraption X" or "Take position Y" usually don't even feature the objects in question, let alone the actual opportunity to destroy them! I swear, this became hilarious after a while.

But hey, let's be honest: I don't care one bit. I played that game for the battles, the grinding and the duo run thrill, and I got everything I could wish for on that front. The story can get lost for all I care, and so can the rest of the crew. Claude&Yuri forever! I loved that game, and let's face it, I'll probably purchase a Japanese copy of it somewhere down the road. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!