Review: Ray Gigant – PS Vita (8.9/10)

Dungeon crawler RPGs have been coming frequently to the PS Vita, thanks to Experience, with making classic DRPGs with more of the hardcore gamers in mind. But that may change with Ray Gigant which is also by Experience and yes this is after the just launched Stranger Of Sword City.

This time, Acttil is handling the publishing and there is a reason that Bandai Namco is still labeled though. They helped fund the title which shows because the battle cut scenes look drop dead amazing and reminds me of Time And Eternity on PS3 but without the ending of the company.

Ray Gigant is more a visual novel and something that Experience has not done, at least here in the west, but the story is strong as you start with Ichiya Amakaze and later with two other characters where you end up fighting creatures known as Gigants. DRPG plays an aspect but does feel more of a backseat this time but it still is huge and comparable to Demon Gaze and others.

Your characters will face enemies and you also need to be careful because there is a meter that when filled to 100% can activate parasitism which means actions will use health instead of the normal AP. Traps are also there and will take away AP but could have a item nearby so be careful when seeing traps and plan ahead.

Another mechanic is the SBM or Slash Beat Mode which is used in boss fights and also resets the parasitism gauge. SMB a rhythm type mode that can create a huge attack chain if it’s done right and it will take some time getting used to it but the cut scene never gets old to see and lasts only a few seconds.

The game does feel easier than the previously released titles but it picks up in the 2nd half of the game. You also don’t level up normally like in the other titles which is great because you have to plan ahead and you have a few stats to build up quite a bit.

You have your basic health, magic and defense stats that require yellow crystals. You have weapon upgrades and defense upgrades and what items you can eat that require red crystals. And lastly blue crystals with skills and magic and each character is different.

After completing a dungeon, you can’t go back whenever you want unless you can enter the training mode during intermissions (if you can that is), but grinding isn’t really needed in the first half as it’s more setting up everything. But Ichiya won’t be winning awards on most likable character anytime soon. Also know when fighting enemies, your weights can go up or down by how many moves you do or what items you eat during battle which also has stats in how hard you hit and dodge.

In the kitchen you can also get meals once a day that go into weight with gaining or losing it, but the hit/miss ratio is no where near as bad as it was in Stranger Of Sword City as I stated my party members couldn’t hit a dead orc if it was laying in their path but in Ray Gigant I felt hitting was a lot more easier.

You will have access to different skills as you evolve your tree and some are already there like added magic boost/defense but some like an undead attack have to be switched with one of the three attack options but later on you can access three more options but will be more risky to use.

Last part of the battle is the huge bosses you face that will have your team split with one at the top, middle and bottom and these are fun and challenging parts of Ray Gigant. But wait until you see them in the game and they still work like when fighting other enemies just with more health.

Conclusion

Overall, Ray Gigant is huge on story and when you look at all that you can do in the dungeons. The game is also big on combat but it does feel like story is what makes Ray Gigant as it is: huge and gripping and it doesn’t steer off and makes you hold on for the ride. If you liked the harder Experience games then Ray Gigant won’t be for you, but if you have nothing else to play in the DRPG genre you should get this as it is quite deep in mechanics and gameplay.

The review was written and provided by Chris. All screenshots were taken from the PS Vita version and only from the beginning of the game to avoid spoilers.