Game Title: Antiquia Lost
Developer: Kemco
Platform: PlayStation Vita
Download: 267 MB
Availability: Digital Download
PSTV Support: Yes

If you’re a mobile gamer, you should know that Kemco has a reputation of late with RPGs. In fact, their reputation is about releasing several RPGs a year and many of those RPGs are not hold in very high esteem. There are gems, of course, and we have been getting some of those gems in the console world. The game Asdivine Hearts, for example, is considered one of their greatest accomplishments and we already got the first of those games on PlayStation platforms.

And with going forward, Kemco’s RPGs are all made in a retro style, so the biggest thing that help each game is having to maintain some form of originality that is special in that game and not the others. The last Kemco RPG I reviewed, Revenant Saga, maintained this with 2D Exploration and 3D Battles.

So, we now have a new Kemco RPG to review, after a bit of a mess with Sony messing up the initial release on PSN. Now that it is fixed, here is my review of Antiquia Lost for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV!

Story

The setting of Antiquia Lost is a world diviided by three separate tribes that clashed in an ancient war. Now with some form of peace forming, the tribes mingle and interact with one another, which is where the story begins.

You play as Bine, a man from a small village whom helps a young girl of another tribe, whom are consisted of slime-like bodies. After losing her mother to Demons, Bine begins escorting her to their nation’s capital to make something of herself, unaware of the disappearances happening across the world that threaten to plunge the three tribes into yet another world-splitting war.

The story I find interesting, but at the same time, not so. The different races and interactions are pretty unique compared to Kemco’s past console games, but the lack of depth with the character development I found a bit lackluster. Things escalated with some characters a bit too quickly to feel natural and some of their character-specific quirks is pushed a little too hard. It’s interesting, but it feels like they just tried too hard with each character’s individuality.

Gameplay

Atiquia Lost is a turn-based RPG set in a retro style that mimicks the SNES-era or, if you are familiar, RPG Maker-style games. So you will be traveling across an overworld, exploring towns and dungeons, and taking part in turn-based battles as you play through the game.

Like previous Kemco RPGs on the Vita, progression is pushed forward by the story. You get story scenes that point you in the direction you are supposed to go for new areas and the next part of the story that will keep you going. It is typcal retro RPG formula. There are side quests to do as well with NPCs in each town, but you mostly follow the path the story sets you on.

So, we have our typical RPG formula, so what sets Antiquia Lost apart from other games? That element is the main Heroine, whom has a non-traditional way of leveling up and increasing her stats and abilities. While the other characters gain Experience from combat, she does not. Instead, you can Feed her gems that are dropped by enemies and eating gems will increase her stats and abilities, each different depending on what kind of gems she eats. This makes the character growth here a bit unique in that you have to remember to feed her or you will get far ahead in the game and everyone will far exceed her stats.

Aside from that, it is very similar to other Kemco RPGs with the side quests, turn-based combat, using skills and MP, etc. Granted, there is another feature that is unique, with certain characters requiring to be in the lead position to get past obstacles like small corridors and boulders, but the game uses these so seldom that you will likely forget the feature is even there. Imagine Pokemon with only one or two boulders for Rock Smash in the entire game or only a single tree to cut to open up new paths.

Now the rest of the game is pretty much all about combat. If you are not familiar, turn-based combat consists of each character taking a turn with an action, like attacking, skills, items, etc. This is all very standard RPG formula, and like previous Kemco games, you have Auto-Battle available for when you just want all of your characters to use physical attacks and do battles for you if you ever have to grind.

Although, outside of the Harder difficulties, you should never have to grind things out. If you play on Easy or Normal, fighting all the battles you come across should be more than plenty to get you through the game. Though getting through the entire game is another thing to mention. Over the course of the story, Antiquia Lost will likely only take around 10 hours to complete.

Controls

The controls for the game are pretty standard. Like their other games, Antiquia Lost is compatible with the PlayStation TV. So there is no need for the PS4 version to have this RPG on the big screen.

Simple controls. You can move around with the D-Pad or the Left Analog Stick and the Right Stick is not used for much of anything. The triggers can be used for auto-healing with your party’s MP pool. And then the face buttons. Triangle pulls up the menu / Auto Battle. X is used for talking to NPCs or confirming menu options. Circle is for canceling menu options.  And Square is used for bringing up the Map.

All in all, pretty simple control scheme.

Presentation

Here is where Antiquia Lost has always hit a few bumps. Even on mobile, the game was not known for being incredibly stable. At least visually, the game looks nice, for the most part. The 2D world looks pretty crisp. There are a few jaggies on enemy renders in battle, but nothing too major.

Performance is where things hiccup. When you go into combat, there are regular times where the game will freeze for a moment before actually acting out an action you pick, whether that is a normal attack or a skill. I have been told it is the same way in the mobile version of the game, but it is still strange to see such a simple type of game have trouble running on current-gen devices, whether it is an iPhone or a PlayStation Vita.