As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I found myself utterly captivated by Beyond Galaxyland. This game is like a breath of fresh air in a genre that has been somewhat stale for quite some time. It’s not perfect, but then again, what truly great game is?
This game offers a refreshing take on the traditional “three characters in a row” genre, which is typically overshadowed by remakes these days. Drawing inspiration from classic role-playing games such as Final Fantasy VII and Dragon Quest, it presents a familiar yet engaging experience, making you feel like catching up with an old companion.
Instead of asking directly about how Beyond Galaxyland compares to its previous versions, let me explore that question as we delve into this review. With the impressive role-playing games (RPGs) that have been produced by other stars in the past, it’s reasonable to feel a bit hesitant. So, let’s dive right in and see how Beyond Galaxyland stacks up!
Soaring Across The Galaxy
Beyond Galaxyland nurtures curiosity and discovery, instantly capturing my heart. After an introductory scene where Doug, the protagonist, departs Earth via a secret portal, you find yourself settling on your new abode: the planet Erros. Your next mission? Embark on an adventure to explore.
On Erros as well as various planets within Galaxyland, which is run by DreamCore Corporation, you truly have the freedom to discover. The side quests and secret treasures give an atmosphere of endless exploration as you traverse each destination. Once you’ve obtained a spaceship, you can visit other planets too.
The game doesn’t coddle you with easy solutions. Abundant healing resources and regular save spots eliminate the grueling, endurance-testing dungeon exploration found in games like Final Fantasy. But unlike these games, Beyond Galaxyland seldom uses clear obstacles to keep players away from risky areas.
In the course of my gameplay, I discovered that when a character advises that a particular area is risky or a sub-quest takes a lot of time, this caution may well be the sole precaution provided.
The techniques I used deepened my engagement in the narrative of Beyond Galaxyland, fostering a feeling that Galaxyland is a real location. Additionally, venturing into areas beyond the norm for your character’s level provides fair compensation for achievements. Some boss battles are nearly impossible if you’re underleveled, but there’s no rule against giving it a shot.
The mini-map Radar offers guidance to help navigate you towards the appropriate screen for your current goal. This ensures a balance between discovery and direction, preventing Beyond Galaxyland from feeling entirely open and aimless.
As an enthusiastic gamer, I must admit that the exploration aspect of this game is captivating from start to finish. However, I’ve found myself feeling a tad frustrated by the rhythm at which these exploratory opportunities unfold. The game advances time after each major story mission, enhancing the immersion and depth of its world-building significantly. Unfortunately, many side quests seem to necessitate this time leap in order for them to progress, which can sometimes feel a bit constraining.
Once you’ve opened your spacecraft, you’ll find the primary storyline that follows is rather extensive. The absence of opportunities to pause and delve into side-explorations during these narrative missions may have diminished the full impact of the exploration motif.
Going Beyond Nostalgia
As a devoted JRPG enthusiast, you’ll find the gameplay in Beyond Galaxyland remarkably reminiscent of the genre. It blends the active combat system with Chrono Trigger’s turn timer, creating an exhilarating blend that feels like a cherished compilation of classic JRPG mechanics.
As a seasoned gamer, I’ve discovered an exciting feature in this game: besides weapons, any character I bring on board can wear various gear finds, referred to as “artifacts” within the game. On top of that, there’s a crafting system that allows me to concoct potions and create new artifacts using my hard-earned battle loot!
Throughout the storyline, characters acquire unique skills as they progress, these abilities are powered by points called ‘ability points’ that you earn when you successfully execute an attack. Additionally, captured creatures can be utilized, giving a touch of the Pokémon universe, which you can deploy in combat using ‘summon points’.
Even bosses can be captured! Well, the majority. Trying to capture every valid boss I encountered was definitely my favorite gameplay element. Enduring a boss’s attacks and not killing it in order to continue making capture attempts was a satisfying tactical challenge.
Combined, the varied options for gear and summons enables experimentation.
Adapting to the management of multiple resources was a learning process, yet proved to be an enjoyable challenge. Ordinary monster battles are far from routine or mundane. In contrast to traditional games, Beyond Galaxyland eliminates random encounters during map travel. Instead, visible monsters can be circumvented, attacked preemptively, or may even surprise your team.
Beyond Galaxyland competently synthesizes mechanics into a fluid and engaging combat experience.
In my opinion, I found it challenging to differentiate one character from another because they could essentially perform any role and their abilities tended to overlap significantly. As a result, the statistics of these characters remained quite similar as they progressed through levels. Consequently, I chose to stick with the default starting characters in Galaxyland, as the game’s aim for diverse player choices didn’t seem to provide much benefit with the current character roster.
In a game featuring an interactive defensive mechanism where pressing a button stops attacks, I found the inconsistency in the attack animation quality to be disappointing. The roster lacks distinct and swift attacks that are easily recognizable and quick to execute.
Sometimes, certain adversaries will approach, pause, and then launch an unexpected assault without any warning signal. On the contrary, others may attack immediately. Generally speaking, this behavior doesn’t inherently pose a major issue in itself.
In Beyond Galaxyland, some defensive maneuvers can be executed during the animation sequence, while others demand a preemptive block prior to the animation starting. Despite my familiarity with this mechanic from other games, I found it challenging to discern the fundamental “timing” or rhythm for defense in Beyond Galaxyland.
Beyond Galaxyland seamlessly combines mechanical elements to create a captivating and smooth battle encounter. Minor issues crop up occasionally, but they hardly detract from the overall experience. As the closing credits appeared, I was left craving more of this unique fusion – a sure indication of its quality.
Luckily, they’ve included a “Rewind and Upgrade” feature for repeat plays. Now, you get to retain the equipment gathered before, and even challenge yourself with increased difficulty levels.
Close To The Classic Stars
Beyond Galaxyland skillfully borrows concepts from some of the greatest JRPGs in history, but instead of innovating or expanding upon these ideas, it effectively implements them.
Achieving that level of ambition can be incredibly challenging; it’s crucial to evaluate just how near the game came to its lofty goals.
Exceptional games within this genre are not just distinguished by an engaging environment or captivating mechanics. They boast compelling narratives and characters that leave lasting impressions as well.
Beyond Galaxyland surprises with a more impactful narrative than initially expected in its early stages. The narrative revolves around themes of choice, optimism, time travel, and existential angst. Unforeseen layers of philosophy and morality are woven into the storyline.
Beyond Galaxyland” isn’t weighed down by deep literary introspection about the intricacies of consciousness. I prefer thick non-fiction books, but their themes don’t align well with JRPGs. This game’s story touches upon such topics, but it primarily revolves around Doug’s escapades rather than delving too deeply into them.
In the early stages of the game, DreamCore’s actions and Queen Zero’s paternalistic attitude towards lower lifeforms sparked my genuine curiosity as to whether they were truly the antagonists. Later plot developments delve deeper into the story, so I’ll refrain from revealing more to avoid spoilers.
Compared to the neutral gameplay experience, the character development within Beyond Galaxyland is quite impressive. I took great pleasure in the diverse array of alien creatures, their interactions with humans, and most notably, the warm bond between Doug and his chatty guinea pig ally, Boom Boom.
Discussing Beyond Galaxyland without bringing up Boom Boom feels a bit like telling a story about a fairground without mentioning its iconic carousel. While he doesn’t play a pivotal role in the main plot, Boom Boom is undoubtedly the character that stands out most vividly in everyone’s memory.
His character participates in numerous side activities within the narrative, such as being pushed into air vents for trap disarming, riding speeder bikes from Star Wars VI, and shielding the group during brief skirmishes using his reliable blaster.
The inclusion of a mini-game within a game doesn’t guarantee that it will be a recurring element throughout the storyline. Unlike games such as Paper Mario or Metroid, the appearance of a new mini-game does not necessarily mean that players can discover new paths to explore. This results in less memorable events and companions because they don’t offer additional ways to interact with the game world.
Puzzles can face challenges due to inconsistent application. Instead of expanding on previous learning, the game “Beyond Galaxyland” often introduces fresh ideas for its mini-games and puzzle sequences.
In summary, the game Beyond Galaxyland offers a fresh and thrilling experience within a somewhat predictable genre. However, it falls short of being exceptional or groundbreaking, which is not necessarily a flaw given current standards.
In every aspect of Beyond Galaxyland, there are minor imperfections that keep it from achieving its grand ambition, but these flaws don’t detract significantly from the overall enjoyment. The game offers an immersive narrative, formidable boss encounters, and a captivating world designed for exploration.
Beyond Galaxyland doesn’t possess the iconic moments that make a classic game stand out, such as when Hooktail consumes the audience in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Closing Comments
Inspired by over three decades of gaming classics, Beyond Galaxyland is a heartfelt tribute to the Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) genre. While it doesn’t completely break free from its ancestors’ influence, it outshines many contemporaries in brilliance. The blend of gameplay aspects from Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy with Paper Mario and Pokémon makes it a must-play for JRPG fans, and an appealing choice for other gamers. The increased challenge in New Game Plus mode increases its replay value, while its unique narrative sets it apart among other JRPGs.
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2024-09-25 15:09