[hongster]

System: Nintendo DS
Developer: Flight-Plan
Publisher: Atlus (U.S.) Bandai-Namco (Japan)
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: Jun 08' (U.S.) Aug 07' (Japan)

Summary: Summon Nights Twin Age is an action RPG game that is similar in style to the PS2 versions of the series and is differs from the hand-held series, which closely resembles the "Tales of Destiny" style game play. One major difference in the game is that you do not use the control pad, rather all the action is controlled by the stylus (similar in style to Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). One similarity that it shares with the GBA versions is that you get to choose which character you want as your main character; Reiha or Aldo. Reiha is a human girl, whereas Aldo is the Summon Beast summoned by Reiha.



Review:

Graphics (8 out of 10): Comparing the graphics from this game to the GBA Summon Night series is very much comparable as the graphics do not look much different from the GBA series. You can even say that the graphics in the GBA version are much more better, as the main character and enemy design has more details and much more clarity when compared to Twin Age. What Twin Age does better is there are no slow downs, which was prevalent to the GBA games (though that is attributed by the fact that it's on a better hand-held). Another redeeming factor for Twin Age is that you can have more enemies on the screen, unlike the GBA version, which was limited.

Sound (8.5 out of 10): Not much different from the other series as the music and sound effects have always been good and match well with the scenery and background. One major upgrade is the in-voice acting that Twin Age has and it is done very well. All of the voice actors for each character matches up nicely with the respective character. Also, the voice acting during battles is a nice added effect to the overall game experience.

Game Play (9.0 out of 10): If you played either Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass or Ninja Gaiden DS, and have enjoyed playing those games, you will enjoy playing Twin Age. The game is completely controlled by the stylus. You move your party (main character) by pointing at the area you want them to move (you do not need to drag it Phantom Hourglass). You attack enemies by pointing at them with your stylus. To use the various skills in the game, you must first set them up on your edit skill profile and once that is done, you click on the skill you want to use and you can either use it on yourself, on your party, or on an enemy (or enemies if it's a group targeting skill). Some skills require you to slide the stylus in a certain way to activate the skill, while others are done simply by pointing at the enemy. One thing that remains the same from other Summon Night games is the ability to create your own weapons, but the difference in this game is that you will also require gold to go along with the required materials to create weapons (you can also choose to buy weapons, though the stronger weapons are the ones that are made). One big difference from this game to the other Summon Night games for the GBA is that you no longer level up to gain skills, rather you must use up skill points (which can be obtained by gaining levels, completing events or beating a boss). Also, you are not by yourself in this game and are paired with 2 party members to accompany you in the game. You can swap between your partner and the main character, however, you have no control over the 3rd party member (you can only choose what type of action the member is allowed to do by configuring the option menu). Another difference from the GBA series is that you do not have random battles, rather the enemies are on screen, similar to the Zelda series. Playing the game is pretty straight forward, though there are special events that you can unlock, though you must do certain things to trigger them.

Replay Value (8 out of 10): As with all Summon Night games, you cannot play it through once to fully play the game. You have to play through several times to get all character interactions and the different decisions you make will unlock different conversations. There is a "New Game+" option available after beating the game, to help you get through it a 2nd time around.

Comments: Overall, a very good game and lives up to the name of Summon Nights, though it is drastically different the other hand-held games of the series. The graphics are on par with the GBA version, which is a shame, considering how much more the DS is capable, but the game play more than makes up for it. Controlling the game by using the stylus is simple and at the same time offers challenge to the game. The one gripe about using the stylus over the control pad is that there are times when you are moving and get stuck, even though you did not tell the character to move there. In all, a very satisfying game and highly recommended for fans of the series or for those who enjoy action RPGs.

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10

Agree or disagree, share your thoughts

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[Apple Panties]

about the more enemies, I always run around gathering lots of mobs and do an ultimate attack since during cast time there is no physical damage :P

[Zyro]

^ lol~ that's true, but retard AI always get themself while you're casting spell though ^^"

imo, replay value is a little too high. new game+ turn out to be too easy

[hongster]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zyro

^ lol~ that's true, but retard AI always get themself while you're casting spell though ^^"

imo, replay value is a little too high. new game+ turn out to be too easy

replay value is based on just that, will you actually replay the game after beating it and based on new game+, obviously, I will have to score it a bit higher (even if it's easier, since the same can be said of other games with new game+ like Chrono Trigger, etc.)

[KazeTsukai]

Always love summon night's games but too bad i dun own a nds >_< and this look's tempting =P

[Apple Panties]

Quote: Originally Posted by KazeTsukai

Always love summon night's games but too bad i dun own a nds >_< and this look's tempting =P

off topic: sir there are emulators and roms which are not allowed!!!

[kouryu]

at first i found it somewhat amusing and interesting but i got bored by just playing through 1/4 of the game...

[TheDefend]

the game is just boring... 1/2 of the game already make you sick. just a repetition of mob gathering and kill it with ultimate... though the interaction between character is good... kinda like VN

[bubba1652]

I really wish they went with the old summon night battle system (the GBA versions), which was awesome.

This one really reminded me of Children of Mana.