Cosmic Fantasy

~ COSMIC FANTASY ~

Laser Soft / Telenet

CD-ROM

1990

This is always the first game I recommend when people are looking to get into Japanese RPGs but don't know the language and aren't sure where to start. The menus are easy to figure out, the quest is very straightforward (you go from to town to maze to town in strict, linear order; the world doesn't open up to you until near the end when you get a ship, but even then, it's not difficult to figure out where to go), and you have to manage only two characters, Yuu and Saya (known as Cobra and Sayo in US CF2). More characters join your party but they, uh, don't do anything.

Of course, the simplicity could be off-putting for those who have already experienced the intricate likes of the Tengai Makyous. This quest basically boils down to leveling and dungeon exploring, without much mystery or depth involved. If you don't mind the linearity of the adventure and the rudimentary gameplay, the only potentially irritating factor is the fact that, after every battle, you have to sit through an empty screen for a good 7-10 seconds before play resumes. I got used to it after a while, but some folks might not have the patience to reach that point.

Simple as the game is, there are a number of positive things to note in its favor. As you'd expect from a CF episode, the story is a great blend of crazy humor (like when Yuu is caught peeking at a bathing Saya and forced to pay the price)...

...and quiet, touching moments (like when Yuu and Saya convene outside an inn and talk late at night).

As you might also expect from a CF game, the soundtrack doesn't consist of many tunes, and most of the ones here are chip numbers, but quite a few are good (particularly the main cave/maze track), having an appealing old-school-adventure sound about them that veterans should enjoy. The in-game graphics are at once conspicuously primitive, but they're not revolting or anything.

And the cinemas, while coming nowhere near the quality and theater of those in later PCE RPGs, are nice in their own right, and certainly compare favorably with those in most other early CD games.

Battles can be completed very quickly, and the encounter rate isn't bad at all, which is pleasantly surprising for an old RPG. And, for the most part, if you make sure to explore the labyrinths thoroughly, you'll earn enough experience that you won't have to worry about perfunctory leveling up.

CF might not be an outstanding game when you break it down into its elements, but it does a lot of stuff pretty well, and it doesn't really screw anything up (except by having those empty post-battle screens). Again, it'll be a nice way to get your feet wet if you're thinking about trying some Japanese RPGs, while those who are already pros should find it to be a cheap, quality addition to their adventure-game libraries.