Cosmic Star Heroine makes a great first impression. Its introductory hours are all synths and saxes, flashy sci-fi espionage, and daring escapades lit by suffusions of neon and moonlight. There`s no mistaking it for some imported decades-old classic, but it still managed to give me flashbacks of loading up untranslated PC Engine games and gawking at the interstitial artwork.Agent Alyssa L`Salle is a beret-wearing, bo-wielding covert ops specialist for the government who spends much of the game unraveling a large-scale conspiracy. Within minutes of being introduced, she`s defusing bombs, hacking computers, and getting into harrowing fights with flying drones while clambering up the side of a skyscraper. She`s almost cartoonishly cool and competent, as are her companions. It may seem a little over the top at first glance, but it`s part of what cements the game`s vibe as a pulpy, joyously unfettered throwback. Pop stars, tech experts, monk-like gunslingers, and literal dancing machines--Cosmic Star Heroine is far from shy about letting its cast shine every bit as brightly as its lead.The game is also a little more than standard turn-based RPG fare. Each character`s abilities can only be used once, with the exception of a handful. While the majority can be restored by using a character`s recharging/guard move, certain powerful abilities, as well as equipped items, can only be used once per battle.Added to this are Style and Hyper Points. Style accumulates over time and offers a boost to allies and enemies alike, so the longer a battle takes, the more devastating each strike becomes. Hyper Points, meanwhile, are accumulated with each turn and are represented as little pips under a character`s health bar. Fill in the requisite number of pips and the character unlocks the damage-doubling Hyper Mode for their turn.That`s a lot to take in at first, but the end result is that combat has an extra layer of strategy beyond what you might initially expect. If an enemy is weak ...
|