Japanese RPGs: they divide opinion, arguably, like no other. While any genre of game has its lauders and its detractors, JRPGs seem to have something of a bipolar effect on gaming as a whole. Offer one to a gamer and they will probably have one of two reactions; utter revulsion or eager anticipation. Few games garner such a cult following as some of luminaries of this gaming sub-section and even fewer garner such utter dismissal and ridicule from those who dislike them.

The thing is, while this is true, what I find most notable is the divisions within those who profess to love these types of games. Yes, there are always variances in opinion within the fan groups of any set of titles as to what is best, JRPG fans seem to have huge disagreements surrounding the relative merits of different titles. Hell, I’m fairly sure blood has been spilled over whether Final Fantasy 7 or 8 is better… (Regular readers will be able to guess my views). You will be hard pressed to find a JRPG title which doesn’t have some pretty major disagreement over it. It seems that for every staunch advocate of a particular IP willing to defend its every nuance ad nauseum, there is an equally vociferous opponent willing to decry its faults far into hyperbole.

But what in the blue hell does this have to do with anything, I hear you ask? Well, (if you let me finish, you impatient people!) this was something I was driven to reflect on to a great extent when playing today’s subject The Last Remnant, by Square Enix, that most divisive of gaming companies. Alternately, it seems, portrayed as either a messianic, idyllic figure representing the cream of the gaming industry or, the malevolent cause of all its evils depending on who you speak to, Square (Latterly Square Enix) typify the reaction to JRPGs in the industry. Their products, while usually quality, always engender strong debate, mainly because they seem to favour some pretty baffling design and mechanic choices. And, wouldn’t you know it; The Last Remnant is pretty much typical of this.

The game itself is based on a pretty solid, if fairly high concept premise (I know, shock right?). The thing is, if told carefully and effectively, the premise of Remnants being the focus of political and military power in the world and a dark figure of unknown motives arriving to enslave them could be an enthralling and emotive story. High stakes and high adventure you’d think? Well, yes, but the thing is, the story can only do so much when it has to fight against its design and projection choices. The pacing of the story is rather off, with there needing to be a lot of exposition given in large blocks, which would be hard to absorb even if the voice acting wasn’t god-awful. And, boy howdy, is it. Now, not speaking Japanese, I can’t give you any sort of impression of the Japanese version of the game, but I suspect that the narrative and voice-acting has suffered a lot from the western translation. This would seem to be borne out by the fact that the game was much better received in Japan than in the west. Consideration of regional preferences aside, the game itself between the areas is the same but for the language, so I think the differing receptions illustrates how much of a weight the poor voice acting is around this game’s neck.

What isn’t the fault of the voice acting is the technical and graphical issues, of which there are many. The game boasts large-scale pitched squad battles, which does lend somewhat unique scale and impact to the combat compared to most turn-based JRPGs, but this seems to come at significant price. During battles involving more than 3 squads, the slowdown and frame rate chugging is not just noticeable, but prevalent, really bringing you out of your sense of disbelief and reminding you that, hey, this is a game. For any game that’s a problem, but for an RPG it’s a huge issue. Don’t even get me started on the graphical quality either. I will be the first person to say that graphics don’t make the game, but in The Last Remnant they really do look poor. When you consider it came out a full year after Lost Odyssey, the difference in visual quality between the two, as an example, is staggering.

But that all pales in comparison to the main issue I have with the game: the combat system. Yes, a moment ago I referred to it as a large scale pitched battle system, which is true. The issue is not with its scale or ambition, but with its execution. There’s no way to choose what your squad do, not really. Yes, before fans hunt me down in the comments, you DO get a choice, but that is between a few seemingly random combinations of actions. Usually this will amount to 2 out of your 5 guys doing a spell or an attack, while the remaining members just use a basic melee attack. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this and it makes the combat both baffling and frustration. I actually took to reading the bloody manual to try and gain some inkling of what was going on and do you know what it told me? Nothing. Not a thing! I’ve looked online for an explanation and do you know what I found? A fully fledged answer? Nope. All I found were a great number of fan theories on how it might work. Fan theories! On a core game mechanic! How does that happen? I’m no game developer, but even I know that if one of the central mechanics of your game is a genuine mystery, you’re doing it wrong.

The thing is, there are people right now reading this and getting angry at me, furiously panning down ready to slate me for my unfair criticism of the game, saying I plainly don’t get it and that the voice acting gives it charm, that the battle system is challenging or, that most pointless of internet argument, that other games are worse. This is what I mean about JRPGs, they engender dedicated fan followings like no other and, often, criticism like no other.

The thing is though, despite the fact they are often extremely flawed, they have the seemingly unique ability to rise above the multitude of flaws to become more than the sum of their parts. Before those people angered by the comments rush to castigate me, consider this fact: I like The Last Remnant. Despite all its flaws I enjoy it. I find it frustrating, baffling and sometimes controller-smashingly obtuse, yes, but I enjoy it.

Is it a good game? God no! But the thing is, somehow it transcends all the problems and issues to be truly fun. It possesses that indefinable spark, that quite literal je ne sais quoi that all good games possess.

In that sense it’s something of a microcosm of the JRPG genre as a whole; it shouldn’t work but somehow it does.

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