You know, I kinda like Infinite Undiscovery. Despite being the “latest” from Square Enix and tri-Ace, it is not the “greatest,” and when I started playing I was sort of disappointed.

Though it sets aside the old school menus in favor of a more active, action-RPG style of gameplay, I found the Connect Action system clumsy and the on-the-fly inventory navigation an unmitigated hassle. As neat as it is to be assisted by your party members, battles often turn into a button-mashing “clusterfight”. I could go on complaining (and probably will) but I still kinda like Infinite Undiscovery. How can this be?

You play as Capell, a scaredy-cat flautist who is continually mistaken for Lord Sigmund, the “Liberator,” the breaker of chains. Chains? Yeah–they’re attached to the moon. The Order of Chains is pretty into that, for whatever reason, even though it’s sapping the planet’s energy.

Of course, it could have something to do with lunaglyphs, which allow those who are not without one (and thus “unblessed,” like Capell) to wield magical power. After being inadvertently busted out of prison by a cute girl named Aya (she thought he was Sigmund), Capell ends up joining the Liberator and his Force on their quest to free the planet.

There’s a lot going on in this game, but it makes sense to talk about combat first. Sometimes you’ll fight in a party of four, sometimes in two or three parties of four, but you’ll always be in control of Capell. I like the way he dashes in to a target once the reticule turns red, and the system for ambushing enemies is great, except when they ambush you and all their hits are critical.

Capell can take advantage of his immediate teammates via the Connect Action system. Connecting gives you access to ranged attacks, super powerful moves, a few buffs, and even a ride on Aya’s giant bear. Unfortunately, pressing the right bumper, choosing your connection, and finally deciding what moves to use is a bit putzy—especially since you have to be wary of enemies, and it deprives you of one of the most important and frustrating buttons in the game—Y.

Y is used to request healing, something you apparently can’t do when you’re shooting Aya’s bow or having Edward step in to work that huge sword of his. Not that it always succeeds anyways, but it’s usually responsive enough until Capell dies. Then, even though there may be a pile of Miraculous Medicines (read: Phoenix Downs) in the inventory, no one will help you. I swear they use items on each other, and sometimes even on you—just not reliably. The spottiness can be maddening, especially since when Capell falls and the others are still alive, shaded black bars close in on the screen, leaving a window of opportunity (presumably) for someone to save you.

In addition to non-random encounters, you’ll cross paths with plenty of bosses, but also some timed battles or special events, like the initial escape from the ogre in the prison. Often, these types of situations carry “Situation Bonuses” based often on the time it takes to complete them.

Shopping for increasingly expensive and powerful gear is a pastime everyone can enjoy, but you can also stock up on a mind-numbing variety of healing items for very specialized occasions. This would be fine except you can really only feasibly access your inventory without dying after a fight ends, since the game doesn’t pause for you to menu dive.

Other items include materials for the superfluous crafting system. At least, I wouldn’t miss it. Each character specializes in cooking, forging weapons, or writing music for Capell to play, but this feature wasn’t really interesting enough to warrant a ton of time investment unless you’re really so much of a completist.

All the environments in the game look great, whether you’re in a super ornate palace or just a bunch of sand dunes. Each areas seems to have its own twist. Switch puzzles, warps, spider web bridges—rarely do you come upon a zone without some sort of gimmick. My favorite gimmick, however, is the pervasive use of Capell’s Percipere song to uncover hidden items. I even hear the wavering sound that accompanies the hazy patch of air while walking down the street, now…

So if I feel like the gameplay has some obnoxious-but-not-game-breaking flaws, why did I feel compelled to keep playing and even hand-draw a map of the beautiful yet damnable Cobasna Timberlands? Besides the awesome soundtrack, what stood out for me the most above everything else in this game are the character designs—and there are so many characters!

From the first time I saw Aya’s freckles, months ago, I knew that I would be completely charmed by the art direction. The outfits, the faces, the animation— and even though the facial expressions aren’t perfect, they add a lot. I only wish the Japanese voices would’ve been included (but I suppose the game is two disks as it is…)

In the end, I’d have to recommend Infinite Undiscovery as a rental first. There is a strong possibility that you, too, will be enticed by the excellent graphics (despite, yes, the bit of unfortunate slowdown during hectic battles) and the story of lunar disenchainment, but there is a sadly equal possibility that the combat system will just not jive with your gameplay tastes.

Tags: Infinite Undiscovery, Square-Enix, tri-Ace

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