Kartia

Kartia (previously titled Rebus) is a new strategy RPG by the creators of Revelations: Persona, and it already looks like a serious threat to the current kings of fantasy warfare, Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Karte Blanche

The peaceful and extremely prosperous world of Rebus is under attack by thieves, and only you and your army have the strength to stop them. Your power and special items come from a mysterious card known as Kar-tia. Using the card enables you to create unique armor, weapons, monsters, and magic, all of which are designed to help your soldiers achieve victory. Other exciting features in the game include the ability to use memory cards to trade items with your friends, a two-player mode where each person can use the weapons and items they've collected during one-player games against each other, and two separate story lines that depend upon which character you assume.

Phantom Fighting

Fighting enemies in Kartia is a different monster than in other RPGs. Because there are so few swords and arrows to be found on the battlefields, your army must instead use phantoms as its weapons. Three phantom groups--Common, Doll, and Shadow--dominate the game, each with its own strengths and weaknesses when up against the other phantom types. For example, Doll phantoms fight strongly against Shadows but are vulnerable to Commons, while Commons work well against Dolls but get their butts whipped by Shadows. Cool gameplay elements like this could make Kartia one of the most unique RPGs coming out this year.

Kartia, the fun, new fantasy warfare game from the creators of Revelations: Persona, adds some unique twists to the strategy genre while offering the same great gameplay originally established in Final Fantasy Tactics. Casual fans might find the pace a bit slow and the characters dull, but strategy buffs will dig the interactive environments, monster creation, and engaging two-player fights.

The Battle Begins

In Kartia, a band of thieves is terrorizing your world and it's up to you and a special brand of magic (Kartia) to stop them. The game plays like Final Fantasy Tactics (characters plod around on gridded maps and must defeat enemy units to continue to the next area), but has a few added bonuses. Kartia's maps are not only much larger than FFTs, but the terrain is also fully interactive and a critical part of each battle: You use magic to freeze rivers, raise or lower the ground level, and burn trees to help your troops gain

Kartia has also provided a new element to the tactics/strategy genre: A two-player versus mode where gamers can use characters and weapons from their one-player games to battle in a variety of scenarios. Whether you're attempting to cross an enemy-filled river in under 10 turns or storming your opponent's fortress, the two-player game is exactly what strategy fans have been drooling for. Other cool gameplay and control elements unique to Kartia include trading special items with friends using memory cards and the ability to create your own weapons, monsters, magic, and armor using the mysterious powers of Kartia.

Spells and Sounds

Although the graphics include solid character details (correct weapons in hands, and funny facial expressions while being clobbered), the spells and attacks aren't as visually stunning overall as those found in Final Fantasy Tactics. Kartia's terrain is well detailed, but poor effects (like blocky moving rivers) take away from the enjoyment of the game. Audiowise, Kartia's score is fair but not memorable, while the sounds of battle fail to capture the chaos of the moment.

Mind Over Magic

If you're a role-playing freak who enjoys strategically moving troops on maps and fighting wars with your mind, Kartia is the perfect game for you. It's not quite as good as Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, but the two-player mode and unique features make it worth the price of war...or a weekend rental.