Review : Rogue Galaxy

Rogue Galaxy, renowned developer Level-5's farewell to the PlayStation 2, centers around a case of mistaken identity as novice Jaster Rogue attempts to pass himself off as Desert Claw, one of the galaxy's top bounty hunters. However, the situation soon escalates far beyond anyone's expectations, leaving Jaster and his fellow ragtag crew mates as the only ones capable of resolving the ever-worsening condition of the galaxy. Though a simple story, and one that rarely surpasses its predictable course, this plot also serves as a cohesive backing for the wealth of options contained within the game.

A large portion of Rogue Galaxy centers around exploration, during which a detailed mini-map constantly tracks a player's location, charting explored environments and occasionally offering guidance (in the form of an arrow) towards certain items and areas central to the plot. Frequent save points, which also double as warp points, resolve any potential issues relating to dull backtracking and the arbitrary challenge of irregularly paced save points. Brief load times only present themselves at the game's initial load or when warping between save points. As a result, Rogue Galaxy's planets justify use of that term -- the many environments merging into one another instead of appearing as individual bite-sized segments.

While exploring, foes randomly rise out of the ground or emerge from nearby foliage. As these enemies appear, Jaster and the companions following him spring into combat via the game's action-based battle system. Despite the instantaneous actions, the slowly-replenishing action point gauge dictates which actions can be used at a given time, with frequent alternation between main and secondary attacks an effective strategy.

Thankfully, Jaster's companions prove effective in battle and do not necessitate meticulous baby sitting or micromanagement. Pressing Square alters the party's behavior, the available options including one collective target, independent targets for each character or a focus on defense. Depending on the chosen strategy, party members may prompt the player to select a special attack or item. Represented by a speech bubble in the lower half of the screen, a corresponding button appears alongside each of the available actions, allowing specific orders without interrupting the flow of battle.

In addition, numerous side quests keep players distracted. Item synthesis promises rewards for taking the time to fight with various weapons before combining them into an even-more-powerful whole. Meanwhile, factory management supplies stores with the latest items, all brought about by careful exploration and frantic item collection. Participation in the Insectron Stadium demands a large chunk of time, from capturing the Insectors with traps to feeding them, training them, mating them and eventually, battling them through the numerous Insectron tournaments. Similar to Bingo, Revelation Flow awards new combat abilities based off the random junk collected throughout the adventure. For those more interested in exploration, Rogue Galaxy goes so far as to offer a completely optional planet.

A cast of notable characters also helps maintain interest throughout the adventure. Space pirates, bounty hunters, a robot named Steve and even a talking frog known as Toady populate the game's vast universe, almost always willing to provide their thoughts on recent events. Not only do fellow party members follow Jaster throughout the environments, players can take control of them at any time for a different perspective on combat thanks to each character's unique capabilities. Optional combat challenges also spring up from time to time, rewarding players for defeating enemies under certain conditions.

Through these features, developer Level-5 obviously put admirable effort in its attempts to keep the frequent random encounters from growing too tedious. Yet despite the quick pace of battle and the aforementioned efforts at spicing things up, those twenty or thirty second bursts of button-mashing do get repetitive after a while, especially when interest in a particular dungeon or area begins to wane.

Fortunately, the large variety of Rogue Galaxy's many areas and planets ensures the action doesn't slow for long, even if the plot ends up rather average. Between exploration, battle, item synthesis, item creation, the Pokemon-esque Insectron portions and a predilection towards collecting every random bit of junk strewn about the galaxy, Rogue Galaxy always has something to dangle in front of players bored with one particular play style. Toss in its technical achievements, such as the large worlds appearing with nary a loading screen, and Rogue Galaxy clearly marks one of the most polished and packed role-playing adventures on the PlayStation 2.

Final Score: 8 (out of 10)

Related Links:

Rogue Galaxy Game Guide

Rogue Galaxy Official Site

PlayStation 2