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Riviera: The Promised Land Preview
Written by Cody Musser on Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The remake of a remake of a ... Oh, who the hell cares? It's still looking good!
The remake of a remake of a... well, I guess it's only two, but still, that's a lot. What I'm getting at is that players should probably recognize Riviera: The Promised Land. Probably not too many remember it from its debut on the WonderSwan Color in 1994, but the remake on the Game Boy Advance in 2005 should ring a bell. Originally released by Atlus, Riviera was a niche RPG that garnered a cult following on the GBA, as games developed by Sting usually seem to do. Apparently that first release didn't satiate the appetite of enough fans (or more appropriately, the bankrolls of The Man), because Riviera: The Promised Land is coming back on the PSP (again by Atlus), this time with all the bells and whistles attached.
This is a remake, so expect the story to be the same one you've been hearing about since previews were dropping for the Game Boy Advance version of the game. A (sort of) quick recap for the uninitiated: The tale starts with Ragnarok, the ancient war between the land of the gods, Asgard, and the land of the demons, Utgard. Losing the battle of Ragnarok, the gods broke an ancient taboo and created Grim Angels, black-winged angels who carry powerful weapons called Diviners, by sacrificing their own lives. The gods left their knowledge to the spites of Riviera, The Promised Land, after their deaths. The 7 Magi, who've taken the place of the gods, fear the arrival of more demons and seek to unleash the powers hidden in Riviera. Confused yet? There sure is a lot going on in Riviera's story, but it all comes together in an awkward mixture of Norse-themed mythology and angelic fiction.
Players will be taking the role of Ein, a wingless Grim Angel, as he embarks on his mission to help the 7 Magi reach Riviera and begin the onset of Retribution, the power hidden within the land. Luckily, Ein catches a nasty knock on the head, and falls prey to a bout of amnesia before his mission of destruction is realized. He loses touch with his friend and fellow Grim Angel Ledah, and ends up accepting the role of protector of Riviera, the land he was once ready to destroy. See where this is headed? Friend vs. Friend. Angel vs. Angel. Showdown of the Millennium! Tickets only available at the Heavenly Gates, ladies and gentleman.
Riviera's got the kiddie visuals, but the humor is notably for adults.
All that aside, there's got to be some reason to embark on this journey one more time if you've had the opportunity to play it before, and Atlus is willing to offer up a few. First, Riviera has been given full voice-acting for the PSP, by that we mean, everything is voice acted. A truly daunting task for a portable RPG, but it is part of the games lineage, as even the GBA version had almost 200 voice clips. Over 25 characters within the game all have voicework, and it's available not only in English, but also in the original Japanese. The hardcore j-Gamers should be wetting their pants about that one.
Second, the game also features a small section of expanded content for the PSP release. A new dungeon with new enemies and allies has been created specifically for this version of the game. Also, the music and visuals haven't exactly been given an overhaul, but they are both streamlined for the PSP, with the music being the better of the two. The visuals, as they always been, are nothing to write home about. The sprites on the PSP are quaint, but the obvious stretching and resizing have left them looking a little worse for the wear. However, the sprites take backseat to the new animated sequences added for the PSP version as well.
With those updates out of the way, everything in Riviera is going to be pretty much familiar for those who've played the GBA release. With the game being a little rarer than other GBA games though, this is a perfect starting point for those who've wanted Riviera but couldn't find a copy in stores. This is a regular turn-based RPG with something close to 30 hours of gameplay contained within. There's a cast of more than five playable characters, and some interesting dating-sim elements pop-up in the gameplay between Ein and his crew of supporting ladies. Battles and field movement in Riviera also contain a slew of unique concepts, all of which we'll detail in a later review of the game.
The original GBA release was met with largely positive criticism, and even still, Riviera: The Promised Land is held in high regard as one of the best RPGs to have appeared on the platform. It's nice to see the game get a second wind, and if we're truly lucky, maybe Atlus will see fit to do the same for Sting's other unique GBA roleplaying romp, Yggdra Union. Make sure to check out our huge collection of Riviera screenshots while waiting for the game to ship early this July.
posted June 21, 2007