Level-5 set up shop during the PS2 era when they put their first game out in Japan in 2000,Dark Cloud. The West would not see it until 2001 and thus began their legacy as another great RPG company from Japan. The firstDark Cloudwas a hit too on the PS2 which struggled initially to provide some RPG goodness.
Over the years, Level-5 branched away from RPGs to create franchises likeProfessor Laytonwhich is a series of logic-based light novel detective games.Professor Laytonaside, these are Level-5’s greatest RPG achievements from the PS2 era and beyond. It will be exciting to see what surprises Level-5 will showcase next.
8Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
Metacritic Score: N/A
Mobile Suit Gundam AGEcame in two flavors when it launched for the PSP in Japan. There were theUniversal Acceland theCosmic Driveeditions kind of like how thePokemonseries typically launches with two colors.
Both games are set in anewGundamuniversewherein players follow different sides of the war. No matter the version, the gameplay is the same as they are action-based RPGs. While the game never left Japan, there has been some effort from fans to translate the games although nothing is 100% complete yet.
Fantasy Lifewas a lighthearted 3DS action RPGwith simulation elementswherein players could tackle the story through many random classes. There were battle-heavy classes like the Paladin which involved typical RPG quests. Then there were more obscure classes like the Tailor which involved making clothing. Crafting, overall, played a huge role in the game as it was a way to get better gear for the protagonist. Also, crafting was needed to complete quests for NPCs in town. The story was a backdrop to an otherwise gameplay-focused experience that was rewarding if not a little repetitive.
Rogue Galaxy, despite the name, is not a roguelike followup to a classic likeRogue Legacy 2. It’s another action RPG from Level-5 starring a bunch of good-hearted pirates and adventurers exploring the galaxy. Players will tackle all sorts of planets and dungeon types in the campaign from dusty sand ruins to tropical jungles filled with robots.
Unlike a few of the earlier Level-5 games, this one directly gave players a party to command who followed the hero, Faster, from behind. It was still a brutally difficult game if players didn’t keep up with the grind but it was made easier with the assistance of a RPG party. This game can be played easily today thanks to a PS4 digital port.
5Yo-kai Watch
Metacritic Score: 76
Yo-kai Watchwas Level-5’s solution toaPokemoncloneon the 3DS, to be a bit blunt. Players began as a young schoolboy, Nathan, who found a special watch in the forest. The titularYo-kai Watchallowed Nathan to both see and capture ghosts he could then use in standard turn-based battles.
All of the creatures were based on classic Japanese ghosts and demons like the Kappa which is a water demon. That name wasn’t changed but there were a lot of clever puns from the English localization like Snotsolong and Tattletell. Even though the game was aimed at kids, it was still fun for adults too as was the anime adaptation that was closely tied in.
Jeanne d’Arcwas a PSP-exclusivetactical RPGthat still remains trapped on the system as far as consoles go. The game is loosely based on historical events through the guise of a fantasy setting. For example, the main character, Jeanne, is based on Joan of Arc, the legendary hero who led the armies of France against England during the Hundred Years’ War. The big change here was the inclusion of monsters along with anthropomorphic animal people like lions. It was a typical tactical RPG that led players along a grid-based system through ever-increasingly difficult maps.
Dark Cloud 2was a follow-up to the first game in name alone but it did have similar features. The game’s story followed Max, a young inventor, who ran into a warrior princess, Monica, who could leap through time. Together they went through different eras to put them back together as the villain was trying to deconstruct the world.
In dungeons, players could find pieces they could then use to rebuild towns and place NPCs in them as well. The town-building simulation aspects were a big part of the game but so was the action gameplay. Max had the assistance of a robot in battle while Monica could turn into monsters she copied.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchis another game from Level-5 that could be considered to be aPokemonclone. This one starred a young boy, Oliver, who lost his mother. One night upon crying, his doll, Mr. Drippy, comes to life and leads Oliver to another world where he promises Oliver can find his mother.
Level-5 received assistance from Studio Ghibli in the art department so it’s the closest thing fans will get toplaying a Ghibli movieanytime soon. The combat was turn-based and every character in battle could summon forth Familiars to do their actions for them. However, unlike thePokemongames, human heroes could act as well and do things like cast magic.
1Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies
Metacritic Score: 87
Level-5 teamed up with Square Enix to make two games in this franchise. Their first adventure was on the PS2 viaDragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed Kingwhich is often referred to as one of the best in the series. Slightly above that is the DS-exclusive,Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. What made this game so great was the multiplayer as players, for the first time in the main series, could team up with three others in turn-based battles.
There was an online shop and map-sharing mechanic that felt like an early iteration of the 3DS StreetPass system. It was the type of RPG that kept getting better the more updates went on and it was a constant among convention goers at the time. These features were great, but so were the core mechanics like the class system.
