I'm in my "play Americanish" mode right now, but my age of constant hipster is eternal. The need to keep the two in balance means I must play some Japan only games. And a desire from last year to broaden my horizons with new franchises also needed to be met. Thus, I scoured and searched, dug deep and looked high, and found something perfect! While the game was ported and translated into English in 2006, I'll be playing the original, fan translated version of Popolocrois Monogatari.
PopoMo is based off a manga from the late 1970s. I think it was turned into an anime shortly after in the 80s, but I have a hunch none of the three got a big foothold in America. I've only heard of them recently. It's a brand new thing to me, but I wasn't hyped to play it. The graphics looked weird, the characters are cutesy, while the music is hard to find. What's the chance this niche thing is worth it? But I jumped into the PlayStation One version because it has more story, and well...
It was amazing!
The story starts off as an adorable adventure about reclaiming a crown from an over-the-top villain named GamiGami. He's a Saturday morning cartoon villain, which you notice early on, as no one in his opening attack dies. But Prince Pietro, the ten-year-old heir, goes off to reclaim the crown! He's accidentally attacked by a forest witch who's nonplussed with his presence. But her little sister, Narcia, feels guilty and joins him on his mission. They're quickly joined by another goofball named White Knight. He's a white knight who speaks with a Middle English accent. WK is a true defender of justice and quickly becomes a true friend of the kids.
They arrive at GamiGami City, home to clunky robots imitating human society in every way. It's humorous, and I want to watch the anime. The three ascend GG's castle and reclaim the crown, but only after he's blown himself up, escaping the three. Pietro, Narcia, and White Knight go their separate ways, with the prince returning home to restore peace in Popolocrois! That was book one, and it was a comedic prologue to the game. It fit the graphics and gameplay, but belies what's to come. It also was omitted from the PSP remaster, so that port sucks.
The next books get a lot heavier. The childlike nature of the game becomes something deep and emotional. You see, before the start of the game, Popolocrois was attacked by the Ice Demon, who nearly conquered the kingdom. If not for the Queen, Sania, who single handedly defeated Ice Demon by becoming a dragon, he would have. But that battle put a curse on Sania. She's been sleeping ever since. Prince Pietro then goes on a journey to save his mother. The story becomes one of life and death, family, and the tale of a young boy doing all he can to see his mother. I struggled holding back tears at the end.
And all the while, you play a baby version of Final Fantasy Tactics. It's more akin to Treasure Hunter G, if you remember that one, but FFT is more well known. Battles play out on the field, with potential for all the obstacles to impede both parties. And it's fast paced, so there's plenty of action. The battle plays out on a grid, with characters moving around it as best they can. Each character has their role and unique spells and skills, so everyone fills a role and feels important. Normal battles can feel easy, but it's sometimes the attrition that gets to you. And then there are bosses, and they can get difficult. But only one felt cheap, so you just needed to find the right groove of battle to eke out a win. It all felt rewarding. A tad repetitive towards the end, but fun enough!
The music also fits into the Saturday morning kids' cartoon vibes. There are a lot of weird keyboard sounds I can't fully understand, but they're peppy and upbeat. But there are a few standouts within. When the game needs to get deep and heavy, you can expect to get sad. My favorite song in the game nearly sat me down.
The graphics are, well... Fitting! Remember, the game is based off a 70s manga. When you keep that in mind, the visuals are actually neat. They emulate the look of the vintage media, and start to grow on you pretty quickly. It's colorful and green, and a part of me thinks there isn't much variance in the world, but the late game switches it up enough. Although skill and magic animations are reused. Every wind spell shares the same look, as do all lightning skills.
The world is also a fitting continuum to the game's sense. All the random NPCs feel, mostly, alive, and adorable. My only issue with the charm is the lack of replayability. But that's probably the least important thing about a game, and the most subjective.
I absolutely loved Popolocrois Monogatari. I almost blew this off because I thought it looked weird and didn't vibe with what I saw. But it ticked all the boxes I was looking for, and I'm thrilled I did. It's not perfect in terms of plot and cast, but there's a sequel (or two!) that could "fix that. The epilogue set up enough. I'm definitely playing that one. But, on its own, Popolocrois Monogatari gets a surprising 45 points out of 50. If you're looking for a cute but interesting game with some neat mechanics, then PopoMo is the perfect experience. Can't wait to play the sequel. Thank you, Stardust Crusaders, aishsha, and paul_met.
Which I think is translated...
Update: it is. Maybe after Lufia?
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
It's not the 7th Saga...
It's Elnard!!!
The 7th Saga is another game my childhood neighbor owned. It's infamous for being an incredibly difficult game, requiring constant grinding. And even then, you're at a disadvantage because your stats don't grow with other NPCs. Some people are into that, but ten-year-old me was not. It was painful and tedious, and I never got far. I think the fourth city? I was a bad friend one day and lent the game (which I didn't own) to another friend just as he went on vacation. He got a bit further and actually managed to find one of the seven runes needed to beat the game. But that was the last time I ever traded games...
But, anyway, there was always something alluring about 7th Saga. The music, the unique characters, and the crystal ball/world map radar all intrigued me. But it was too hard, so I never bothered much.
And then I did some research and found the game was vastly different in Japan. The game was called Elnard and was much easier. Your stats grew at a similar rate to your peers, which, shockingly, leveled the playing field. And since you gained double the stats, even the common chaff was manageable. It was still a game of attrition, but it felt rewarding to reach new cities instead of punishment for some long commited sin. And thanks to the glory of the internet and modding, at least one intrepid fan "fixed" what Produce! "broke" and reset the stat growth. While it looks like I played the 7th Saga, I was actually playing Elnard. So the new question is, "Is Elnard worth playing in 2025?"
Let's start with the cool!
Characters. There are seven in total, and all of them are vastly different. Some are fast, others are strong, some tank, or do magic better than others. Everyone has a little bit of magic, but not everyone should. Each playthrough is different. Unique gear and spells also differentiate, and that's before you reach the split path after the third rune. A few even have dungeons only they can do. I kinda want to replay as the alien or demon and see if the world is different. I know there are a few interactions in hometowns, and I'm curious how meaningful these actually are. Sadly, no one's personalities show through during gameplay. But they do as rivals, so there's another way to make every playthrough, even with the same character, feel different.
The rival, or not, system was a big deal back in 1993. You can pick a friend, if any, and see if the others want to kill you. Some even actively want to be your friend. I played as Lux and traveled with Esuna, the black mage elf, for most of that game. But Olvan, the dwarf tank, had a rune and wanted to join me. I could have attacked him, but Esuna wasn't holding up in battle, so we parted ways. All the while, Wilme, the alien, hated me, and the human cleric tried to kill me. And the other two were constant signposts on my travels. It all makes the world feel alive, refreshing, and replayable.
The music is perfect. Bringing up the main menu instantly teleported me back to a happy time with those chimes that give off medieval whimsy. The overworld themes, plural, reflect the feeling of danger, obligation, and wanderlust. Village themes are peaceful, and battle songs add action to a traditional turn based game. I don't know if the entire OST belongs on the Rushmore talk of SNES soundtracks, but it should be nearby.
The crystal hall is a rad way to explore the world. There are no maps, but you can see towns and treasures on the ball, which acts like a radar. Enemies also appear there, giving you a slight ability to foresee a battle and try to avoid it. The encounters aren't random, but they can feel like it.
But some things are kinda less great.
The basic gameplay is lackluster. 7th Saga has the basics down, but it doesn't build much. Magic runs out pretty quickly, so most of the game will be spamming the attack command. Dungeons are also just there. No gimmicks or puzzles at all. The lack of variety gets tedious, especially with the need to grind. It's made better in Elnard, but you still need to seek out battles.
The graphics could have been done better. Sprites look amazing and detailed, but towns, outside of layout, all look the same. This applies to dungeons the most. All dungeons come in two forms: castles or caves. And even the world map isn't immune. Ticondera seems to be a desert planet, as everything is beige. It's a shame because this planet is huge, probably the biggest in the genre, but it all looks the same. Sand and mountains... There are ugly splotches of green scattered here or there, but they don't mean anything. This is probably the weirdest dropped ball.
And now for the bad stuff.
The plot. Beware, spoilers ahead, because 7th Saga does not nail the landing.
I've said before, characters, in playable form, don't have personality. At the start, though, each has a reason for being on this journey. But that isn't explored at all. Huge miss. And the overall story leaves me asking so many questions. For starters, it's a time loop story. Those never end well, and this loop doesn't have an incursion. The gist is you go back in time 5000 years to stop the evil guy plaguing the current timeline. We succeed, but are killed and reincarnated by god as King Lemele, the guy who kicked off our journey. So we're our own boss. That's not too stupid of a concept, but the cast variety muddles it further. King Lemele, a human male, could have been an elf female? Or an alien? Or a robot... A soulless automaton can be reincarnated into human form? Another problem is that the guy we killed in the past killed us five years before the game started and took his place, thus restarting his downfall. I'm gonna move on now...
So that sucked! It's the most important part of the game, and it really drags the whole shebang down with it to me. Maybe if you're not into story and only want gameplay, you won't mind. But I do.
---
Plot: 2-2-1. I put the raw numbers here because the 7th Saga has a unique combination. The characters are great. The villains are memorable. But that story, man. Goodness... 5/10
Gameplay: repetitive. The lack of dungeon variety is the second most unredeemable quality of it all. 5/10
Sound: amazing. Everything I want is here, and it makes me wish this game matched the soundtrack. 10/10
Art: another dropped ball. Everything is just so similar. Enemy variety is decent, though. 6/19
Charm: why I liked the game. The world feels fun with the changing rivals. I felt rewarded when I went out of my way to open chests. The fact that I'm thinking about doing another run now has to carry some weight. But it does last just a tad too long. 7/10
I played Elnard, and not the 7th Saga. But, even then, there was still plenty of need to grind. The main criticism against the game never went away. But it is a lot fairer. Despite the score being lower than I'd wish, I'd still suggest playing this old classic. I had fun. I might continue to have fun. 7th Saga, Elbard edition, gets a score of 33 out of 50.
The 7th Saga is another game my childhood neighbor owned. It's infamous for being an incredibly difficult game, requiring constant grinding. And even then, you're at a disadvantage because your stats don't grow with other NPCs. Some people are into that, but ten-year-old me was not. It was painful and tedious, and I never got far. I think the fourth city? I was a bad friend one day and lent the game (which I didn't own) to another friend just as he went on vacation. He got a bit further and actually managed to find one of the seven runes needed to beat the game. But that was the last time I ever traded games...
But, anyway, there was always something alluring about 7th Saga. The music, the unique characters, and the crystal ball/world map radar all intrigued me. But it was too hard, so I never bothered much.
And then I did some research and found the game was vastly different in Japan. The game was called Elnard and was much easier. Your stats grew at a similar rate to your peers, which, shockingly, leveled the playing field. And since you gained double the stats, even the common chaff was manageable. It was still a game of attrition, but it felt rewarding to reach new cities instead of punishment for some long commited sin. And thanks to the glory of the internet and modding, at least one intrepid fan "fixed" what Produce! "broke" and reset the stat growth. While it looks like I played the 7th Saga, I was actually playing Elnard. So the new question is, "Is Elnard worth playing in 2025?"
Let's start with the cool!
Characters. There are seven in total, and all of them are vastly different. Some are fast, others are strong, some tank, or do magic better than others. Everyone has a little bit of magic, but not everyone should. Each playthrough is different. Unique gear and spells also differentiate, and that's before you reach the split path after the third rune. A few even have dungeons only they can do. I kinda want to replay as the alien or demon and see if the world is different. I know there are a few interactions in hometowns, and I'm curious how meaningful these actually are. Sadly, no one's personalities show through during gameplay. But they do as rivals, so there's another way to make every playthrough, even with the same character, feel different.
The rival, or not, system was a big deal back in 1993. You can pick a friend, if any, and see if the others want to kill you. Some even actively want to be your friend. I played as Lux and traveled with Esuna, the black mage elf, for most of that game. But Olvan, the dwarf tank, had a rune and wanted to join me. I could have attacked him, but Esuna wasn't holding up in battle, so we parted ways. All the while, Wilme, the alien, hated me, and the human cleric tried to kill me. And the other two were constant signposts on my travels. It all makes the world feel alive, refreshing, and replayable.
The music is perfect. Bringing up the main menu instantly teleported me back to a happy time with those chimes that give off medieval whimsy. The overworld themes, plural, reflect the feeling of danger, obligation, and wanderlust. Village themes are peaceful, and battle songs add action to a traditional turn based game. I don't know if the entire OST belongs on the Rushmore talk of SNES soundtracks, but it should be nearby.
The crystal hall is a rad way to explore the world. There are no maps, but you can see towns and treasures on the ball, which acts like a radar. Enemies also appear there, giving you a slight ability to foresee a battle and try to avoid it. The encounters aren't random, but they can feel like it.
But some things are kinda less great.
The basic gameplay is lackluster. 7th Saga has the basics down, but it doesn't build much. Magic runs out pretty quickly, so most of the game will be spamming the attack command. Dungeons are also just there. No gimmicks or puzzles at all. The lack of variety gets tedious, especially with the need to grind. It's made better in Elnard, but you still need to seek out battles.
The graphics could have been done better. Sprites look amazing and detailed, but towns, outside of layout, all look the same. This applies to dungeons the most. All dungeons come in two forms: castles or caves. And even the world map isn't immune. Ticondera seems to be a desert planet, as everything is beige. It's a shame because this planet is huge, probably the biggest in the genre, but it all looks the same. Sand and mountains... There are ugly splotches of green scattered here or there, but they don't mean anything. This is probably the weirdest dropped ball.
And now for the bad stuff.
The plot. Beware, spoilers ahead, because 7th Saga does not nail the landing.
I've said before, characters, in playable form, don't have personality. At the start, though, each has a reason for being on this journey. But that isn't explored at all. Huge miss. And the overall story leaves me asking so many questions. For starters, it's a time loop story. Those never end well, and this loop doesn't have an incursion. The gist is you go back in time 5000 years to stop the evil guy plaguing the current timeline. We succeed, but are killed and reincarnated by god as King Lemele, the guy who kicked off our journey. So we're our own boss. That's not too stupid of a concept, but the cast variety muddles it further. King Lemele, a human male, could have been an elf female? Or an alien? Or a robot... A soulless automaton can be reincarnated into human form? Another problem is that the guy we killed in the past killed us five years before the game started and took his place, thus restarting his downfall. I'm gonna move on now...
So that sucked! It's the most important part of the game, and it really drags the whole shebang down with it to me. Maybe if you're not into story and only want gameplay, you won't mind. But I do.
---
Plot: 2-2-1. I put the raw numbers here because the 7th Saga has a unique combination. The characters are great. The villains are memorable. But that story, man. Goodness... 5/10
Gameplay: repetitive. The lack of dungeon variety is the second most unredeemable quality of it all. 5/10
Sound: amazing. Everything I want is here, and it makes me wish this game matched the soundtrack. 10/10
Art: another dropped ball. Everything is just so similar. Enemy variety is decent, though. 6/19
Charm: why I liked the game. The world feels fun with the changing rivals. I felt rewarded when I went out of my way to open chests. The fact that I'm thinking about doing another run now has to carry some weight. But it does last just a tad too long. 7/10
I played Elnard, and not the 7th Saga. But, even then, there was still plenty of need to grind. The main criticism against the game never went away. But it is a lot fairer. Despite the score being lower than I'd wish, I'd still suggest playing this old classic. I had fun. I might continue to have fun. 7th Saga, Elbard edition, gets a score of 33 out of 50.
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