Okay so I just got home from a horrible work shift. So instead of picking a game that I absolutely despised and pouring my hatred into it I’m picking a game that I just beat last week and had a blast playing. The game is entitled Threads of Fate.
Threads of Fate is a PlayStation game that was recently ported to the PSP for my downloading pleasure. It was originally released way back in 2000 and its one of my childhood faves. Threads of Fate is an action platformer (think Mario games) where the player takes control one of two characters and play through each others unique storyline. Apparently it wasn't very well received in the US because it was released within the same time as the (in)famous Chrono Cross and was completely forgotten/passed over. I'm about to tell you the fun everyone has been missing out on.
Story:
Alright because we have 2 playable characters I'll go through both of them. The boy main in called Rue and his story is a serious one with tiny comedy poked in here an there. A dear person to Rue was killed and he's now seeking an artifact that is said to grant any wish, a Relic. He wants to find it and get his friend back and then go back to peaceful living. Now the girl main is called Mint and her story is comedic with serious points here and there. Mint is a spunky spoiled brat princess that gets kicked out of her castle by her younger sister who takes away her right to the throne. Mint is TICKED OFF and she wants to find the Relic to 1. Get revenge on her sister and 2. get WORLD DOMINATION. Because both characters are after the same thing their paths cross quite often. For example they both go into to dungeons together or team up together to go to different places to obtain items for each other. Don't deceived by the cutesy graphics of this game, both stories are surprising complex (Rue's more so) and are a treat to play.
Points: 10 Awww yeah dishing out the good stuff
Characters:
Rue is always in agony because he's blaming himself for his friend's death but not so much that he's emo. Rue still remembers how to smile and has a surprisingly high tolerance for stupidity(idiots seem to gravitate to him). When he finally does snap though your more cheering him on then face palming him for falling for a stupid trick(I go no further than this, I don't want to spoil). Now Mint on the other hand is a self absorbed jerk who at first comes off as she doesn't give a crap about anybody but herself. However she surprises you with her loyalty to her friends no matter how much they annoy her. She's kinda one of those “no one gets left behind” people with a more cold demeanour. Now the minor characters were all absolutely amazing. I really mean it. Every single one of them had relevance to the story and were all completely charming in their own ways. You just can't hate anyone in this game, you just can't.
Points: 10 Yeah I love them that much
Graphics:
This is really the only downside to the game. Though they were impressive for their time they haven't help up well these long 11 years. A lot of the pixels will overlap each other and look very awkward(Ex: Mint's hair poking through her headband during storyline cut scenes. Also everyone has polygon hands which is a little funny looking(no fingers).
Points: 7 hey at least their colourful
Sound:
I love the music in this game. Its very retro and nostalgic so much I almost paid 100$ for the Japanese sound track. The sound effects are fitting too, nothing makes an annoying sound.
Points: 10 Good freaking job
Mechanics:
Like I said earlier it plays like a Mario game- think Mario 64 to be specific. This works great, a combo to platforming and free roam. Now it plays a little tiny bit differently deepening on which character your playing as. Both have side menus that are brought up via pressing the square button. Mint's is Magic where you get to decide what colour of magic and what style you want to shoot it, simple. Rue though has the ability to change into any monster he defeats (minus bosses) so if he turns into a monkey monster he can climb trees, or if he turns into a small monster he can fit into small crevices that Mint can't access in her part of the story. Its a good combination.
Points: 9 minus one point because its annoying when you find the secret places in Mint's story but you can't access them because she can't shrink into a small monster
Lasting appeal:
A nice little thing about this game is that when you beat one characters story it prompts you to save your game and start with the second. Doing this will get you a secret ending when you finish both files. Also once your finished both of them New Game + lets you keep your Mint of Rue with all of the power ups you bought for them so when you play again your pretty almighty. Simply, yes I will play this game again, in fact I’m looking forward to it.
Points: 9 if only the game were a little longer storyline wise
Overall:
Though this game really only boasts 20 hours of game play (10 for each storyline) don't pass on it. Its incredibly fun and will leave you with good memories, except maybe the Mini games you have to play with a bunch of dwarfs, those were not fun. If you have a PSP pick it up from the PSN, its pretty cheap and doesn't take up much memory.
Points: 9 -Sniff- my childhood <3
TOTAL: 64/70
Funny thing, they took out all the swear words in this game and replaced them with the word “expletive”. It makes me laugh every time.
-Anna
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