Game Description
Taking place in and around the town of Walondia, players find themselves trapped in an ethereal existence, able only to help the town's forlorn inhabitants. You aid these people by possessing them, after which you must find and alleviate the cause of their misery. Doing so will make them happy, forcing you to leave them be and move onto the next miserable existence. You find yourself in this predicament, because, as the mercenary
Leise, you angered the God of Light by removing a sacred artifact from its resting place. To atone for your sins you must, among others, help reunite a daughter with her father; aid a clumsy monk in unleashing his full potential and pay back the crippling debt of yet another.
As you wander about, trying to solve your vessel's quandary, you'll encounter enemies that, in true RPG fashion, must be fought in turn-based battle. They are easily spotted however, and thus battles can be avoided if so desired. When engaged in combat, your character is capable of performing a host of defensive maneuvers, each of which is assigned to a particular face button on the controller. A standard block reduces damage significantly; another counters the enemy attack; a third, while not very effective, grants your character more "Strage" points; and the fourth avoids the attack altogether, but in doing so, consumes a quarter of your Strage Meter. Each of these blocks must be timed correctly, in real-time, in order to be successful. The caveat, however, is that each enemy's attacks vary in both speed and frequency. Once filled, the Strage Meter allows your character to unleash a devastating attack.
Runes and Amulets form the basis of
Tsugunai: Atonement's magic system. Acquired Runes can be used to cast basic spells, but by placing them in the grooves found within the various Amulets, you'll unlock their true power. Doing so will grant the player the ability to summon beasts during battle, who will then fight alongside your character. Throughout your quest you'll flit from body to body, but only by completing the quests of a select group of people will you be able to return to your own body. The title's soundtrack is composed by
Yasunori Mitsuda.
~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Tsugunai: Atonement is a fairly ugly game with a small world and simplistic battle systems. It also happens to be a treasure trove of interesting and creative ideas, all melded to form a title that falls short of a classic, but will fill in the niche void for the console's RPG fans. The concept behind Tsugunai is its greatest asset. Here we have the typical swords and sorcerers setting, complete with medieval trappings, and yet one element separates it from the rest. You've become a ghost, and the only hope of getting your body back is to help other people. To help them, you must possess them and guide them through the often-harrowing tasks that they must perform.
You will encounter and possess a number of different people in the game's single town, but the story revolves mainly around four of these wayward souls and the protagonist, whose status as a wayward soul is literal. During the course of the game, you'll inhabit these four people, battling through forests, dungeons, and cemeteries, bringing them closer to the brink of true happiness with every success. This augmentation of the traditional RPG storyline is a powerful twist, and allows the game to change narrative perspective quickly and often, moving things along with an almost perfect pace.
There is only one town in Tsugunai, which might turn off some RPG fans who expect tremendous worlds out of their games. But the truth is that this works in the game's favor, as it is able to build a rapport with both the characters, whose lives twist around one another, and with the locations themselves, fleshing out a small universe rather than skirting quickly across a large one. There are still plenty of different areas to explore, and the game doesn't feel as small as you might think. The setup is reminiscent of the feel of the original Diablo.
The combat system contained within Tsugunai is simple and refined take on the turn-based system. You have your normal attacks and a special attack, known as the "Strage Attack," which does crazy and powerful things to the host of enemies you'll face. And then you have the guard feature, somewhat similar to the one found in Square's Vagrant Story. The different buttons correspond to different guards. One lets you guard and get rid of most of the damage, and one allows you to counter-attack after the enemy's initial blow. But you must time these button presses to the moment when the enemy hits you, or you'll take full damage. This relatively small interactive addition to the gameplay really opens up the battles, giving you both more options and a sense of connection to the action.
The magic system contained is very simplistic, requiring you to purchase runes that you must then place into amulets in order to use them. You have cure and attack spells, and once you complete an amulet, you'll also be able to summon different creatures that will help you during battles. Again, it is nothing that will blow you away, but it certainly works well within the game.
The visuals are certainly the biggest letdown. They are muddy with low resolution, and are more often than not dark and difficult to make out. Textures are blurry and models are uninspired. Except in a few areas, such as the Summon Monsters portions of the game, the visual aspect is certainly no better than average. Music, on the other hand, is very good, with a tight soundtrack that serves to fit the mood perfectly. It's catchy without being annoying, and generally well composed.
Tsugunai: Atonement might not be the best-looking RPG on the market, but when it comes to the PS2, it is certainly one of the best playing. The story will hold you on to the very end, and its easy combat system is a pleasure to play. RPG fans should not overlook this title.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Tsugunai is a treat to play, even with the bland graphics. It takes its idea and runs with it, creating a vibrant narrative and living game world that will impress many RPG fans.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Some of the visuals are occasionally impressive, but for the most part the game possesses a muddy, dim look that does not convey its overall quality.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
The sound is very fitting for the game, and it becomes more endearing than annoying over the course of play.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
Once you finish the game, you're going to likely be done with it. But there's enough meat on this quest's bones to last you a good long while.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The instruction manual does a fine job of explaining the particulars of this occasionally strange game.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
