LogFAQs > #898296041

86. Cosmic Star Heroine
Original Release: 2017
Developer: Zeboyd
Platform: PC

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Here's another love letter to Chrono Trigger, except I think the developer was going more for the Phantasy Star love, a series which I've never played. CSH was a game I was looking forward to when I saw the trailer in 2016, along with I Am Setsuna, and we know how the latter turned out. CSH ended up faring better but had too many flaws for me to actually see it through to the very end.

Probably the biggest problem is the pacing. The game has no problem letting you trudge through lengthy maze dungeons then all of a sudden hits you with a bunch of plot heavy stuff. It feels like the game just threw a bunch of twists and turns at me within 5 minutes. For example, the whole plot summary of the game focuses on the titular heroine, Alyssa L'Salle, who is pronounced dead but is alive and working in the shadows to defeat her former boss who is the true culprit behind some of the bad things happenin' in the game. All of the events just decribed happen within 10-15 minutes. The first hour or two, instead, is composed Alyssa doing her first few missions before the plot kicks in. CSH is also INCREDIBLY linear. Go from point A to point B, do this short dungeon, go to point C, then D. Never backtrack. This might change in the second half of the game that I haven't touched yet, but so far it felt like FFXIII on steroids.

The battle system is interesting. Your playable characters, of which there are many, have various different skills but you can use them only once before you wait for them to cooldown. Same goes for their unique specials and items. There are some issues with balance, as I never really understood how the mechanics work. One moment I'm doing piss damage to the enemy, the other moment I'm doing tons of damage using the same exact skill, towards the same enemy. I understand there's some style meter that acts as a damage modifier but it's not clearly explained. Another example would be an alien cat I fought that seemed to start off doing measly damage but became stronger as the battle went on and soon would do hundreds of damage. I don't think the battle had a gimmick.

HOWEVER! I want to give this game a second chance. Part of the reason I quit is due to the fact that I was playing Persona 5 at the time, a game that demanded almost all my attention. It's a shame CSH came out a week after P5, because I think it was widely ignored due to the former's mass appeal. I actually enjoyed the setting, which takes place on three different planets, all with a unique look but all feeling incredibly sci-fi-ish with cool details never before seen in JRPGs. There's a ton of characters to find and recruit, and the graphics are really pretty for a retro-style indie RPG. Also, the music, done by Hyperduck Studious (Dust: An Elysian Tale) is nothing short of amazing. It feels like a mix of Phantasy Star and Xenogears. It's also only $14.99 which is nice compared to Setsuna's and Sphear's $40 price tags.

One more game to go in this tier and it's quite a doozy!