Twelve: Sengoku Fuushinden

Now most of the world is done with the PSP hype. You’ve unlocked every skin in Lumines, won all the races in Ridge Racer and even played through ported PS1 games like Rockman Dash. You’re dying for something new, just so your PSP isn’t a glorified movie player and web browser. Konami comes to the rescue for some and brings out Twelve: Sengoku Fuushinden, a strategy RPG. Twelve is the spiritual the child of a Nippon Ichi S-RPG and Samurai Warriors. The game itself is set in the Sengoku era of Japan, but contains artwork similar to Disgaea. This fictional account of the states focuses on a warlord called, Masanaga who has dreams to take over all of Japan. He’s got the magical powers to do it and already kidnapped a princess named Tien. This is where you either a warrior named Hibiki or a female swords expert Minori comes in. You run into the princess who just escaped the fate of being Masanga’s sacrifice.

Since it is a strategy RPG the game really focuses on battles. Everything takes place on an isometric 3D battlefield, that includes varying levels of height and terrain. Although character models are sprite based, which gives Twelve a different look than other games in the genre. Each turn starts out with you moving your troops and then once you’re done attacking it’s the opponent who moves next. You don’t have free movement in Twelve, instead you’re restricted back to grid movement. Fans of the genre probably won’t mind this. On the surface Twelve can be very basic where you attack, be attacked and then attack again. It takes awhile for players to actually taste Twelve’s unique features.

Outside of your basic sword slash, elemental magic spell and cool to watch combo attack Twelve adds something new. No it’s not timed button pressing, though Twelve did include this, it’s the Gunshi system. The Gunshi system allows you to shout support commands to your characters on the battlefield. You can boost defense by encourage an ally to stand his ground or you can increase magic power by shouting "focus". However, the effect of the bonus depends on the relationship between the two combatants. If there’s a friendly relationship expect the boost to be worth even more than usual. The Gunshi system adds in an extra twist to boosting.

Even though there are some additions to gameplay, Twelve would be considered standard if it wasn’t for its phenomenal presentation. Maybe it is because we haven’t seen any strategy RPGs yet, but hearing full voiceovers for a handheld game is impressive. And the quality of the voice acting isn’t half bad either. The addition of voice clips does come at a price for loading times. When you’re shouting out commands, expect two seconds or so of loading time. While it isn’t a long wait, the random pauses make the game feel disjointed. The graphics in Twelve are equally as impressive. The 3D backgrounds look great, even better than some PS2 games. Having sprite models makes Twelve look even better. You’ll get a close up of all the characters during cutscenes and battles. Taking a cue from Fire Emblem, Twelve zooms in on the combatants to show each fighter dealing out blows or casting spells.

Ok now with all of that good stuff aside there are some mechanisms that those hardcore S-rpg junkies might have issues with. First is the level of difficulty in Twelve. It’s not hard at all. Besides mastering the elemental wheel, Twelve doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on strategy. None of the thoughtful rock-paper-scissors system in the Fire Emblem series and no complex character management like in Makai Kingdom. On top of that computer opponents aren’t fearsome. In some battles, the opposing force will sit in one position just waiting for you to move up or cast a multi-hit flame spell. The party system is basic too. You have preset Twelve preset characters for your party, with each character representing a different Chinese zodiac sign. No jobs to balance out or any deep character customization.

Even though Twelve lacks some of the things that S-rpg gamers are used to, the more basic gameplay fits a handheld title. Pick Twelve up if you need a fix of tactics on the go. If you do pick it up, give the game a fair chance. After ten or so hours the game grows on you.

Import Friendly? Literacy Level: 5

You probably guessed that the story, voice acting and interface is all in Japanese. What’s worse is the menus are kanji based with no furigana help. Just to complete battles you’ll require a FAQ with command explanations or know how to read kanji.

US Bound?

Konami has been very quiet about this title. No E3 showing, no announcements, nothing. Since there’s such a void in PSP releases you would be that Konami would consider it. However this requires voice actors, translators, and a lot of money for a game that didn’t even sell well in Japan. This makes a US release rather unlikely.

+ Pros: Lush graphics and high production values makes Twelve feel more like a console game.

- Cons: Doesn’t stray too far with from the strategy RPG formula.

Overall: Twelve is pretty to look at and pretty fun to play if you’re a fan of Nippon Ichi s-rpgs or the Fire Emblem series.

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