PLATFORM PS3 BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Moderate COMPLETION TIME 20-40 Hours OVERALL + A few hours of mindless fun - Weak story - Unlikable protagonist - Bare-bones combat Click here for scoring definitions

   The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is the sort of game the gentleman's C was made for. It doesn't do anything innovative or especially fun, but neither is it outright offensive. The game has a solid menu system, its fonts are readable, and numbers go up when upon gaining experience. It's good to watch numbers go up. The story has a lot of words presenting a morally ambiguous war between angels and demons. They're not especially compelling words, but their abundance suggests effort was put into crafting them. Unfortunately, despite this effort, Shin Kamikaze's tale of self-discovery, sacrifice, and friendship rarely connects. Nevertheless, it is.

   At risk of sounding like a snob, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is similar to the mainstream fantasy fiction that gained popularity following the rise of J.R.R. Tolkien: safe, easily consumed imitations that echoed the dress of their progenitors with none of the heart. Fans of specific sub-genres of RPG (e.g. generational witch-farming simulations) can often accept the flaws in the genre's newest entry. "It's slightly different," they may say, or "It's a subtle variation on a theme that allows a fresh look at a moribund set of tropes." Even if the mainstream public can't see the unpolished charm of Crones & Carrots 6, true believers will be able to say, "At least the crafting system was fun!" or "Interesting, how it challenged the usual witches-as-vegetables motif." The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is not like that. Fans of visual novels have better visual novels to read. Fans of mystery dungeons and roguelikes have better games to play than another Bildungsroman about a high school student transported to a magical world. This is a completely inessential title. In a previous era it would be damned with a faint "worth playing in the lull between major releases," but the robust gaming backlogs of today care little for the tender lilies of mediocrity.

Fights are easier in the hallway.

   The Awakened Fate Ultimatum's mechanical gimmicks revolve around an angel-devil binary. Story choices present two options at regular intervals: the angelic choice (favoring idealism, healing, and demon-killing) or the demonic choice (favoring pragmatism, hurting, and angel-killing.) These choices advance the story in slightly different ways and provide an Angel Change Point or a Demon Change Point to be spent on the advancement grid. Conversational partners also generate points. Talking to cute-but-stern Jupiel in times of crises earns an Angel Point; sultry, scientific, slothful Ariael provides a Demon Point. The pair of supernatural ladies are the literal angel and devil on Shin's shoulder, as well as his love interests. Neither are especially lovable, nor is sullen, conflicted Shin. Except for the ending, the player's choices cause minor variations in the story, but most of the game remains mechanically the same.

   In dungeons, the angel-devil binary controls all of Shin's cool powers. Transforming into angel form allows access to the benefits accrued on the angel side of the advancement grid; the devil form works likewise. Every enemy is either angelic or devilish: facing them in the opposing form increases Shin's attack and defense. Picking the wrong form (or being mobbed by a coalition of angels and demons) decreases his effectiveness. In theory, this is a solid base for an Ikaruga-style rhythm of back-and-forth transitions. In practice, it boils down to 1) looking at the color of the closest enemy, 2) turning into the proper form to kill it, 3) repeating steps 1 and 2 until there are no more enemies. Individual battles are not challenging; managing resources to survive longer dungeons has some meat, but never enough to excuse the rest of the game. Staying transformed draws from the same pool of points used to power special attacks, so transformations tend to stay short and focused. Thankfully, these points regenerate quickly.

Each Change Point unlocks one sphere.

   A daring coat can save an uninspired collection of mechanics, but here it doesn't. The story's shades-of-gray morality are presented as if they're a shocking twist, but contemporary audiences have seen variations on this canard time and again (spoiler: not all of the angels have pure intentions). Voice-acting, which is available in English and Japanese, is generally flat. The music is similarly unexceptional. Dungeons are procedurally generated and lacking in interesting dressing. Traps, which are frequent, scale with the level of the dungeon, but don't do enough to differentiate one environment from another. Character and background designs feel like they're cribbed from larger, better games. Anyone who has played an anime-inspired RPG has already experienced this angel's plumage, brighter and more robust.

   The Awakened Fate Ultimatum draws heavily on tired anime humor and noodling about transcending one's fate. Perhaps a smack with a cake pan or a high-intensity training montage would have fuelled its own will to power. A circuit around this track should take a little over 20 hours to complete. Each of Shin's spiritual guides has an unique ending, and there's an additional one for completionists. Other post-game content contains crossovers with characters from anime and other games. None of the post-game content is essential to the overall experience, but a welcome nod to fans of the featured characters. Unless the game was a gift or a dare, it's time better spent on other endeavors.