Ephemeral Fantasia

Unlike most RPGs, you won't be controlling a warrior. Instead you follow the adventures of a bard named Mouse. Some of Mouse's occupation-related tasks include composing songs and playing rhythm games similar to Konami's Guitar Freaks. Most of the game has Mouse reliving the same day over and over (think Groundhog Day). Although he's stuck in a time loop, he retains the items and allies acquired each time he relives the day. It's an interesting twist, but the plot eventually devolves into the usual saving-the-world drivel.

The game's graphics aren't going to impress anyone--there are several PS One games that look better. Further hampering playability are several lulls in the game where you have to wait until a certain time before you can progress. This wouldn't be so bad if there were engaging side quests for you to take, but there aren't, so you're often stuck standing around town. When the action does pick up, it's often brought to a halt by extremely long load times. These frustrating aspects combined with the game's difficulty make it a poor choice for casual gamers. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Innovative combat system
• Several attempts at originality
• Cool minigames

• Poor graphics
• Excruciating load times
• Very difficult