Hexyz Force is one of few RPGs for the PSP. The graphics aren't the greatest, and the storyline is very generic. The game had great controls (since all you had to do was walk around and navigate menus, nothing required elaborate combos). The challenge wasn't very high until the very end of the game, where the last boss or two were significantly stronger than all previous bosses. The customization was good, since you could level up any of the main weapons, and several characters could use multiple weapons. The music may have been the best part of the game, especially the battle/boss themes, and the later dungeon themes. My main problem with this game is the way the items are obtained. You have to make them yourself, which wouldn't have been a problem, but the ingredients required are often rare or are only dropped by a specific enemy, and the game does not tell where to get specific ingredients. This is especially annoying at the end of the game, when you don't have the materials to make decent armor, and all your characters have to fight the last boss with armor obtained halfway through the game. Also, items other than armor or accessories break after a few uses. Another issue was the difficulty. Until the end of the game, battles aren't very hard and only take a few seconds. Many of the main enemies were defeated in less than a minute. A third issue of mine was the length. I was able to finish both stories in about 21 hours. The box says that they both take 20-25 each. After completing both stories, hard mode is unlocked. There was voice acting in this game, but only during battles and animated scenes. The lack of it made the game feel somewhat empty. Overall, it was a decent game, and is one of the best RPGs on the PSP.
0 of 2 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
5/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
BlackRos3
Good... For a bit
PostedJuly 19, 2010
This game was extremely fun to play, giving 2 rpg's meant more length so that's a plus. But what I can't get over is how hard the game gets and how fast it does so. Anyone could play this and get the hang of it in no time, but you must be an extremely devoted gamer who can give a large amount of time and strategy into it to beat certain parts of it. Asking someone to do that for a hand held is slightly absurd. The save points were wide and far apart considering it's a hand held game it should be for sitting in a waiting room for 10 minutes or something like it but unless you're willing to put your hopes on the psp's battery life by putting it on hold you're not going to get a quick chance to save. Needless to say this could have been better on a home console considering the time and effort put into it. In the end the game is good but you have to put a lot into it.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
5/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
Silverlance2011
A Great, Solid RPG
PostedJune 23, 2010
Hexyz Force has everything a typical RPG should have. There are character customizations the consist of equipment similar to the Final Fantasy series. There are a multitude of equipment a character can have which makes many opportunities to make your character extremely powerful. The gameplay is turn-based in which your opponent or your character can attack first depending which has the higher speed. Along with that, when you attack there are many options such as a regular attack, burst attack, force attack, etc. This system uses points called RP which allow for stronger and appealing attacks. The more points an attack requires, the stronger it is. And the more attacks you succeed in executing, your force gauge fills and allows you to execute a very powerful force attack that can hit multiple enemies and do a considerable amount of damage. Also, weapons and armor have elements (white, blue, red) and each element has a weakness and strength so this adds a little more strategy to your gameplay. It is a pretty in-depth fighting system with quite a few interesting attacks that make the game very fun. Also, the controls are very easy to grasp and since it is turn based you have plenty of time to learn them. The graphics are quite beautiful as well. Not only are the graphics in-game nice to look at and vibrant, the animated cutscenes are also nicely done. The voice acting is not amazing for some of the characters but overall it is pleasant to hear conversations. The background music is actually well done and pleasant to hear as well. You will hardly find a time in the game where there isn't music playing, and that is a good thing since this game is fairly long. Since the game has two different characters, they each have their own story and you can choose which character's story you want to play. If you desire, you can play both stories at once and just create separate save files. This is a very interesting and brilliant way to make an RPG game. Not only are the stories for both characters great and significantly different, they each take about 15 hours (roughly 30 hours total if not more) to complete so you get a lot of play time from this game. And the stories are told from two different perspectives and two different people so this adds more detail to the world and its people. The story-line isn't extraordinary but it will keep your attention and keep you wanting to find out more. Overall, this is a very well thought out game for Atlus and worth buying. For the price, you get a lot of game for your money. I recommend this game highly if you enjoy casual RPGs that require no level grinding and have a fairly detailed and interesting storyline.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
4/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
I AM ERROR
Hexyz Force Review
PostedJune 20, 2010
Hexyz Force is an RPG developed by Sting and published by Atlus. It contains two stories, each following a different character through the same events, with both groups meeting each other throughout the story, and uniting forces in the end. However, the game's storyline isn't exactly original, so playing through both story lines isn't as exciting as it might seem. The world is ending, and only a select few can save it. The game did well with graphics and music, and the voice acting was above average. The back of the game's packaging is slightly misleading; I was able to reach the end of Cecilia's story in 14-15 hours, and at the time of writing this review, I am halfway through Levant's with only 5 hours of playtime. The box says about 20-25 hours per story. The game was also relatively easy to complete, with the exception of later bosses, which could, on a rare occasion, be tough. However, after beating both stories, you unlock Hard Mode ( you must beat the game once, then beat it again with Clear Data). Another issue I had with the game was the lack of shops and weapons. You had to create everything you wanted, which isn't bad, but you often won't have the materials, and the game does not give you a way to check where to find them. Any weapons you make will break VERY quickly, and every character gets a special weapon, as well as more special weapons that aren't for a specific character, so forging the normal weapons is a waste of materials. You can upgrade your special weapons, so there isn't much point to making the breakable ones. The interface wasn't so good, as you had to switch between Ragnafact, Inventory, Equip, and Fusion just to get your weapons and items all set. You had to do this very often. The controls were good, and you could rotate the camera on most maps using L and R. Characters were upgradeable with their weapons, and you could swap some weapons between most characters. The game can occasionally freeze, which happens often with a certain side-quest, but it isn't much of a problem. Another major problem, involving items, is that you have to make them, equip them as a weapon, and then use them in battle. They can be used only a handful of times, before they break and all your materials are wasted. Though the game did have decent voice acting, there wasn't much of it to appreciate. It only appeared during the rare animated cut scene, and during battles, so you spend much of the games trying to imagine voices in your head. Overall, it's a decent game, with some game play and technical flaws, but it is one of the few decent RPGs on the PSP in America, so overlooking those flaws is something that can easily be done.
