Here’s some information that I would like to add to get more ppl excited about this (I was in a hurry when submitting the game and didn’t have time to write this down): what I personally dig about Riviera is how it plays. This isn't your typical RPG - be it action, adventure or whatever. You do not control your party in real-time as with so many other RPGs where you point the D-pad or analogue joystick towards the direction where you want to go, run, sneak, jump or whatever. But nor can you call Riviera’s system of control turn-based.
Moving
Instead, the game’s divided into screens/backdrops where the game’s main character Ein (or Echtel if you’re playing the Japanese version) wanders into. Many of these backgrounds are beautifully drawn and very detailed since they’re not in real 3D but flat backgrounds as with old point-and-click adventure games. Every backdrop, or screen, has at least one exit pointing north, south, west or east (sometimes north is exchanged for “up” and south is “down”, depending on the situation - such as jumping Down from a roof or climbing Up a ladder). This is presented by an arrow and its direction corresponds to the control pad - so if there’s an exit to the north, you press north/up to go there, thus leaving this scene and entering a new one. So that’s basically it - you walk your character(s) through screens one at a time rather than steer them through a seamless world as you would in FF or Fable.
Looking/Searching
Each screen may also offer up to four points of interest (see screenshot #2); whether it be a pointless statue that can only be examined, an NPC whom you may or may not be able to actually converse with, or an actual object that you could interact with (by e.g. picking up or moving it). Points of interests works in the same way as with moving; you first enter Look-mode with the press of a button and every point of interest is then displayed as an arrow (again - pointing up, down, left or right) with a short description or word next to it (mistle, bread, loose rock etc). But what really differs looking from moving is that it normally requires one TP (Trigger Point) to carry out the action. TP is earned by defeating monsters and the better you perform, the more TP you’ll earn. Many of these POIs not only require TPs but some skill as well, such as following a sequence of buttons that needs to be inputted correctly, or just one button at the right time (a test of reflexes). You switch back to Move-mode with the same button that took you into Look-mode.
Character advancement
Character skills and the way they level up work in mysterious ways as well; some weapons and items can be used for learning powerful skills, such as Fia using Herbs for creating Potions or Lina learning the level 3 skill “Arrow Rain” from using her Longbow enough times (and yes, you’ll know just how many times a weapon or item needs to be used before the skill has been taught). And once a new skill has been acquired - that character goes up a level, boosting his or her stats.
Well then... I guess that’s it, dang I never meant to write this much about the game, but hopefully it was an interesting read for those of you who tormented your way through it ^^
Thanks.
Moving
Instead, the game’s divided into screens/backdrops where the game’s main character Ein (or Echtel if you’re playing the Japanese version) wanders into. Many of these backgrounds are beautifully drawn and very detailed since they’re not in real 3D but flat backgrounds as with old point-and-click adventure games. Every backdrop, or screen, has at least one exit pointing north, south, west or east (sometimes north is exchanged for “up” and south is “down”, depending on the situation - such as jumping Down from a roof or climbing Up a ladder). This is presented by an arrow and its direction corresponds to the control pad - so if there’s an exit to the north, you press north/up to go there, thus leaving this scene and entering a new one. So that’s basically it - you walk your character(s) through screens one at a time rather than steer them through a seamless world as you would in FF or Fable.
Looking/Searching
Each screen may also offer up to four points of interest (see screenshot #2); whether it be a pointless statue that can only be examined, an NPC whom you may or may not be able to actually converse with, or an actual object that you could interact with (by e.g. picking up or moving it). Points of interests works in the same way as with moving; you first enter Look-mode with the press of a button and every point of interest is then displayed as an arrow (again - pointing up, down, left or right) with a short description or word next to it (mistle, bread, loose rock etc). But what really differs looking from moving is that it normally requires one TP (Trigger Point) to carry out the action. TP is earned by defeating monsters and the better you perform, the more TP you’ll earn. Many of these POIs not only require TPs but some skill as well, such as following a sequence of buttons that needs to be inputted correctly, or just one button at the right time (a test of reflexes). You switch back to Move-mode with the same button that took you into Look-mode.
Character advancement
Character skills and the way they level up work in mysterious ways as well; some weapons and items can be used for learning powerful skills, such as Fia using Herbs for creating Potions or Lina learning the level 3 skill “Arrow Rain” from using her Longbow enough times (and yes, you’ll know just how many times a weapon or item needs to be used before the skill has been taught). And once a new skill has been acquired - that character goes up a level, boosting his or her stats.
Well then... I guess that’s it, dang I never meant to write this much about the game, but hopefully it was an interesting read for those of you who tormented your way through it ^^
Thanks.
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