Elvandia Story is an SRPG developed and published by Spike for the PS2 in 2007. Most descriptions you read of it will mention the game system’s striking similarity to Fire Emblem‘s. I have FE7 in mind because I watched my brother play it recently (between my brothers and I, we’ve finished that game at least 15 times) but the resemblance applies just as well to most of the other FE games. Game design is a conscious and deliberate act that can take years, so there’s no doubt that Spike set out to copy FE as much as possible. In my book that’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing.

After all, I love SRPGs in general and Fire Emblem in particular. If anything the world needs more FE clones and fewer clunky, slow 3D isometric FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre-inspired copies. In fact, where Elvandia goes wrong isn’t in ripping Fire Emblem off but rather in trying to diverge from the standard FE formula in several places, with less than optimum results. This is not to say that all rip-offs should be perfect clones, if that were even legally possible. I’m just pointing out that a lot of thought and care needs to be exercised whenever you adopt a tried-and-tested template and then try to add new elements. A few examples from Elvandia Story must suffice.

Example 1 In addition to standard weapons, party members can equip armor, accessories and sometimes shields . I don’t know whether this was a late-stage addition they didn’t have time to test properly or what, but the result is that all characters have ridiculously high evasion and defense. Even mages and healers can take several hits before dying – assuming they even get hit in the first place. Any character with a shield is nigh-unkillable, and since the MC is one of those, you do the math. And this is in the early/mid-game, which is as far as I’ve gotten. Close the door on your way out, Challenge.

Example 2 Super-weapons are readily available for purchase. And they’re not prohibitively expensive either. Physics, Revive, Hammerne, Fire Magic with 50% Crit rates, legendary weapons. Items you would only get a few of in most other SRPGs are doled out in ridiculously generous quantities right from the early stages. As with example 1, the problem is the developers forgot to adjust the balance of the game to counter or at least lessen your party’s overwhelming advantage. Now my party is doubly unstoppable.

Example 3 For some reason Spike added directional effects to the standard formula. At the end of every turn you have to pick a direction for your character to face. It’s common in other SRPGs and is a large part of why they feel so sluggish. But at least in those games directions affect things like accuracy and damage dealt. In Elvandia Story it’s just a time-waster. A side attack gets like a 3% boost in accuracy, back attack like 6%. Any hit under 70% accuracy is going to miss anyway and the enemy doesn’t have a chance in hell of hitting you or doing any real damage if they actually connect so… yeah.

The end result is that instead of being a strategic element, directions just break up the flow of battle. It entirely defeats the purpose of adopting FE’s battle system in the first place. Which is a real pity because once animations are turned off, battles in Elvandia Story are quick, smooth and delightfully simple (and pitifully easy, why am I even doing this, the poor bad guys, think about their families) affairs.

Example 4 Spike also added height and terrain effects, only not really. As with example 3, these are standard features in other RPGs, and as with example 3 these are completely wasted in Elvandia Story. Standing on a patch of grass versus a patch of ground makes absolutely no difference at all. Come to think of it, I can’t even enter bushes or forests. And yet the game faithfully notes what kind of terrain you’re standing on. What for? Heights are equally meaningless. I can hit an enemy 50 feet up at the top of a cliff with a javelin or a crossbow just fine with no decrease in damage or loss of accuracy, and they don’t get any pluses to their damage or accuracy for being so high up. So why add it at all?

My theory about these issues is that Spike started out making an out-and-out FE clone. Then they got scared and threw in some new things to avoid a lawsuit. Only they forgot to actually test these additions and ended up ruining what could have been a very fine game. Just the fact that it is nearly impossible for my main character to be die would take the fun out of any SRPG, even one much better than Elvandia Story. It’s a shame, but there you have it. On the plus side this means I’ll be done with the game sooner rather than later so I can write a proper review of this little-known-for-a-good-reason game. See you then.