Overall score on pook's 100-point system (TM): 85 rounded to 9. A great, if unorthodox, RPG
-the breakdown-
Graphics (26/30, judged by era)- The game is modeled more on a "pre-rendered background" style than most RPGs which utilize tile-work. In this case these backgrounds are not 3d-rendered ala Resident Evil, but are hand-drawn (well, photoshop-drawn) environments. There is quite a nice variety of these overall, although in various areas backgrounds can repeat a few too many times from screen to screen. Because this isn't a tile-based game, the screens do not scroll but go from area to area. Characters are typical RPG fare, and their animations and battle/spell animations are pretty decent. Large anime portraits and a decent number of cutscene still artwork round out a rather nice and cohesive look.
Sound- FX/Voice (6/10) Quite a nice selection of battle and spell effects make up the bulk of what's on offer here. Since that's primarily what the game is, it suffices.
Sound- Music (7/10) Riviera was a pleasant surprise on the music front. Much of it sounded like it could've come out of Castlevania or even Grandia for the battles. This is a good thing. While I don't remember much of the music being something I'd remember and hum later, it kept the pace, was interesting, and never seemed to get too old.
Gameplay- Length/Lastability/Replay (15/15) At 21 hours this came in just shy of my gold standard. There are some unlockables, but nothing I found overly remarkable. I am adding a point for making design decisions that cut out the "filler" content in most RPGs. Apparently you can play the game through multiple times for multiple endings, however the game is no shorter the second time around due in large part to…
Gameplay- Story: (4/5) The story, largely a matter of character interaction, is doled out in short conversations. These conversations appear roughly every time you change screens while moving. This is a lot. Sometimes it can be a bit much since the conversations aren't skipable. However, most of the time the comments are short and over the long haul create a pretty rich character development, even if the comments are the typical unsophisticated RPG dialogue.
Gameplay- Game Design (27/30)- While this game does some unusual things for an RPG and these things are the subject of much debate, I really appreciated most of what was here. For starters, there are no random battles as such. This on its own is welcome. Quite a number of training battles are still necessary but they can be done at your pace. Levels are gained by mastering weapons and training (practice) battles are typically how you master these. Usually 1-2 battles is enough per unique item to gain the levels from it, then you're free to move on and use them. Items break with usage (except when in practice mode). Normally I HATE this system because it often leaves you screwed but they did a good job of balancing inventory here. You are often tossing items out of your limited inventory to get new things, but this isn't a problem since there are many useless items and there's always a useless item, a weapon now considered weak, or an item near breakage to dump. Also, if you happen to run out of items mid-battle or get pwned by any creature, even the meanest boss, you can re-start the battle with advantages which accumulate every time you lose.
This is an important thing, coupled with the fact that item usage is restored if you lose a battle. If you can't beat a boss in a normal RPG you have to train, sometimes for hours, before attempting it again. Here, if you are not sufficiently leveled up to take a boss, there are no training opportunities if you've maxed all your weapons. That would leave you permanently stuck. By giving these gradual handicaps after each loss, you can explore your strategy and eventually win without the headache of training. I'm all for spending an hour trying to defeat a gradually-weakening boss after successive losses than having to train mindlessly for the same amount of time or longer. Without walk-a-thons or fetch quests, this game focuses on the battle and dungeon-crawling aspect of RPGs and does so remarkably well.
**Final Thoughts- Lots of risks were taken here. For instance, the breakable inventory killed my enjoyment for most of the Final Fantasy Legend games. That Riviera did such unusual things and made me want to keep playing is evidence that I was playing something good.
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