Adventures to go: (Really just) a farming fest

Some say that the PSP is the true king of the RPG hill as far as handhelds go; and as much as I love all my DS and Vita RPGs, I have to admit that there's a kernel of truth in that assertion — a mighty big kernel, mind you. Even the most low-fi and budget PSP RPG has a certain wholesomeness to it, as though RPGs released on that system miraculously managed to capture the very essence of what RPGs are about. PSP RPGs usually strike a perfect balance between fulfilling gameplay mechanics, gorgeous graphics that borrow from both retro and modern gaming and premises that are original yet not too gimmicky or outlandish. They are so utterly excellent that I still have to play a PSP RPG that I don't like and whose evocation don't bring a giddy smile to my face and dreamy memories to my mind.

Adventures to Go is no exception to that rule of PSP RPG awesomeness. It's very obviously a budget release; and yet it sports pretty decent graphics, an entertaining cast of characters and a fighting system that's the stuff of dreams, expertly delivering turn-based combat goodness with a whiff of strategy. If you've played Rainbow Moon, you'll feel right at home playing ATG: this is the exact same fighting system, with the added — and wonderful — possibility of ambushing foes in ATG. Last but not least, ATG boasts a simple yet terrifically efficient and addictive premise: to farm items in randomly generated dungeons, over and over. 

As you may know already, I dislike farming; and yet, I found myself really digging ATG. There are two reasons for that unexpected love: the first, and most minor one, is the forgiving drop rate that pretty much guarantees that you'll snatch the required item(s) after a mere couple of battles. The second and major reason is the fact that dungeons are designed on demand by none other that you, the player. You can mix and match enemies and landscapes to obtain the dungeon of your dreams — in other words, the dungeon that will grant you the stuff required by your quests du jour. Not only does that feature provide a modicum of control over events and eliminate the frustration that can stem from genuine random dungeon generation, but it also allows for some welcome profitability. If you play your cards well, you can polish off several quests in one fell swoop and a single dungeon visit! In practice though, that dream scenario is not always possible: enemies and landscape options in dungeons cost a hefty sum of money, and ATG's tigh money balance won't always allow you to make the most of your trips. Using cheap or free dungeon visits to farm money is pretty much required, especially if you want to upgrade your party's gear on a regular basis or build up their magical abilities.

As much as I love ATG, it's hard to ignore its major flaw: the farming premise, as entertaining as it is, is simply not meaty enough to support a whole game. The thrill of discovering new locations, foes and items quickly wears out, especially when dungeons get longer and foes grow more obnoxious. Either ATG should have been significantly shorter and more fast-paced, or it should have introduced more features as it went on; because as it is, that game is really not much deeper than your average phone game. Sure, one can argue that phone games were not yet a thing back then, and that ATG's premise was thus perfectly acceptable; however, that doesn't make the gameplay any less boring on the long run. I just dropped ATG after a mere 10 hours of play, simply because it was becoming too dull for my taste. That doesn't mean that I swore it off, though; I'll definitely come back to it later, just like I did with Rainbow Moon. Some games are made to be enjoyed in small doses, indeed! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!