The name Level-5 makes most RPG lovers sit up and take notice. As the developers behind Dragon Quest VIII, both Dark Cloud titles, and the highly anticipated but cancelled True Fantasy Live Online, Level-5 has quite a few high-profile and high-quality RPGs under its belt. It appears they are about to add another, as Rogue Galaxy, their latest RPG project, is shipping in January.

Rogue Galaxy follows the story of Jester Rogue, a 17-year old orphan, on Rosa, a desert planet. Jester wants to be able to travel through space and adventure and he considers his planet Rosa to be a boring and uneventful dead-end, which, is obviously counterproductive to his dreams of excitement. For better or for worse, Jester soon gets his wish, as a war erupts in space, involving his planet and setting into motion a chain of events that send Jester throughout the galaxy. The story obviously has a strong Sci-fi theme reminiscent of Star Wars/Star Trek, as the player is able to visit five different worlds in their quest.

Like the Level-5 standard, the graphics are gorgeous, made up of a cel-shaded look that is better than any of their past projects. That is saying a lot considering how great both Dark Cloud 2 and Dragon Quest VIII were. The environments and character models all have a high level of detail and animate very well to create a completely immersive game world.

Combat in Rogue Galaxy is real-time with certain RPG limitations. Instead of being able to attack relentlessly, the player is given a meter that empties slightly with each attack. If the meter is emptied completely the player must wait until the meter is recharged to perform attacks. The character can maneuver around the battlefield with complete freedom, however, as well as jump, create combos, and alternate between long distance and short ranged attacks. Also, there is no shift to the battlefield, as when your player encounters an enemy, the foe appears in the exploration environment, which (thankfully) cuts out the stop-and-go feel of traditional random battles. Some of the enemies also have special kill requirements that prevent the game from becoming the button-mashing slashfest that some action-RPGs quickly devolve into. The player can control one person out of a party of three, while the others are controlled by AI. One interesting addition to this familiar setup, however, is that computer controller allies ask permission to use healing items instead of instantly using them when their HP gets too low, and permission can be given or denied with the quick press of a button.

As always, Level-5 has thrown a bunch of distractions and side quests into the gameplay to extend gametime and replay. The Revelation Flow system is a way of customizing characters using a grid (Like FFX's Sphere Grid and FFXII's License Board) to unlock abilities and stat boosts. To unlock squares on the grid, however, the player must find items to plug into the squares, as each square has certain item requirements before it can be accessed. There is also an Insectron Mini-game that allows the player to collect and fight insects for prizes and money a la Pokemon.

The version of Rogue Galaxy that US gamers are getting is actually an enhancement of the Japanese release, which has been available for over a year. In addition to enhanced graphics and voicework, there are additional monsters, weapons, items, and an entirely new and optional planet for exploration. All told, there will be over a hundred new weapons and items with the US version. Considering that the Japanese version received great scores overseas, the fact that Level-5 is still making improvements should make gamers excited.

Rogue Galaxy is almost assuredly the RPG to look for in early 2007 and may be the last great RPG of the last generation. With great visuals, an exciting battle system, tons of distractions, an epic sci-fi storyline, and Level-5 as a developer, Rogue Galaxy has a lot going for it. Look for it at the end of January.

By D'Marcus Beatty
CCC Assistant Site Director