Product Description

Enter the world of Rhapsody, where music and action combine to create a charming adventure! A beautiful remake of the PlayStation original, Rhapsody for Nintendo DS delivers stunning high¿resolution 2D sprites, novel music¿based RPG gameplay, and more features than ever before. It has never been easier to pick up and play, so dont miss out on this wonderful RPG symphony of fun!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3894 in Video Games
• Brand: NIS America
• Model: RH-00145-1
• Released on: 2008-09-23
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Nintendo DS
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Features

• Accessible battle system for first time RPG players
• Dual screen NAV system for easy exploration through the world of Rhapsody
• New hidden characters exclusive to the DS version
• Musical mode allows gamers to replay all of the featured cinematics
• Anime influenced graphics challenge the DS 2D capability to the max

Customer Reviews

Cute RPG for the DS, but some issues
*This review is subject to updates as information in it changes*

Rhapsody was originally released for the PSX back in 2000, where slow sales made it a bit of a cult hit. I have no experience with that original version, but its fans indirectly helped me to make a decision to purchase the game, which first drew my attention when I saw it included in a column on Anime News Network.

Rhapsody tells the story of Cornet, a girl who has the ability to talk with puppets. She's rendered smitten when the prince of her kingdom saves her from imminent doom. The antagonists, a witch and her cronies, come and kidnap said prince, and so Cornet and her troupe of puppets (some of whom you'll recruit on the way) set out to save him.

First things first: This game is short: It took me fifteen hours on my first playthrough, and that's with me getting confused on where to go next (the game isn't always clear on this). Battles themselves are a turn-based affair, and not too terribly difficult. But you can send pancakes, candy, and flan of doom raining down on your foes, and what other RPG lets you do that?

Rhapsody does have a charming, endearing story (which strays away somewhat from "Save the prince" as the backstory of Cornet and her main puppet companion Kururu is explored in detail). There's tons of funny moments as well as heartwarming ones, and is overall, a nice, lighthearted alternative to other RPG's which take themselves too seriously.

The "Musical" aspect of the game has nothing to do with rhythm-based musical gameplay, but rather it refers to how the characters will occasionally break out into singing musical numbers throughout the game. In the PSX version, these songs were translated to English, but in the DS version, there are only Japanese vocals with English subtitles. That alone didn't affect my enjoyment of the game, but it might affect others considering a purchase, so I'm just letting everyone know.

The graphics are cute and colorful, though hardly cutting edge. It was an enjoyable, if short, experience, and overall I was pleased. So, why not a higher score?

Technical issues. After one boss battle, then again before the final boss battle, the screens on my DS suddenly went black and the music stopped. Fortunately in my case, I could shut off the DS, restart from my save point, and continue as normally. But others have reported that their games won't let them proceed past a certain point early in the game. Furthermore, the extra story scenarios don't seem to be accessible through normal gameplay at the moment, and the developers haven't offered a solution yet, though it has been confirmed by a member of the development team that the extra content was included in the game's code. I will continue to monitor Nippon Ichi's web site and forums and update this section of the review if necessary. If these technical flaws are addressed by the company, I will increase my rating of the game.

UPDATE: Apparently, the extra content was only intended to be in the Japanese release of the game, despite the fact that it was advertised on the US promotional site for Rhapsody prior to release (the mention of the extra scenarios was since removed from the US site). Thus my rating of three stars will remain in place unless Nippon Ichi decides to localize the added content (and compensate those who have already purchased the game). The fact that they promoted extra content (and this prompted numerous sales) and did not deliver them is false advertising, though it may not have been intentional false advertising.

Should've Stayed in the Past
Pros:

+Not a bad looking game
+Songs aren't so bad
+Music is pretty good

Cons:

-An easy game was made easier
-Forgettable story and characters
-Way too short
-No worthwhile extras

On the original Playstation, Rhapsody turned out to be a small cult classic, mostly because it was quite different from what we've seen. Nippon Ichi, the famed developers responsible for Disgaea, decided to release the game again the DS. On the original Playstation it wasn't so bad, but it's a good example of a game that can't survive the test of time quite as well as other games.

Even in the past Rhapsody was not much for a story. It was a simplistic story that didn't really have much character development. However, what made Rhapsody really stand out was the games musical numbers. They're not kidding when they say it is a musical adventure. For the most part most of the songs are good but the entire story itself isn't going to make an imprint in your mind.

Not much has been changed from its Playstation release, actually. Except for perhaps the game's battle system. Where as the original had a sort of tactical RPG feel, this one goes for straight forward combat. The biggest complaint about the original game was that it was just too easy. For whatever reason, however, Nippon Ichi made what was already an easy game even easier. There's also not much that's really complex about it. Simplicity is rarely a bad thing, but for Rhapsody it is. It would be easy to forgie the difficulty if the story made you want to see what would happen next, but it doesn't. Even worse is that Rhapsody was not much of a long game to begin with and there's not a whole lot of new content to make it worthwhile even if you played the original game. In terms of gameplay, Rhapsody strikes out.

On the other hand, while it doesn't do a whole lot in terms of gameplay, it does quite a bit in terms of visual presentation. Rhapsody opts for style over substance. Not much of the game is in 3D but many of the backgrounds are beautiful looking and colorful. The game also sounds magnificant. Most of the background music scores are really good and the songs don't sound so bad either.

Even if you've never played the original, it's hard to say Rhapsody is worth its current price tag. The game may have been a cult classic when it was released on the original Playstation, but it is also a game that hasn't aged very well. It's short, the story is forgettable, and the gameplay has been even more simplified than it already was. It's not a bad looking or bad sounding game, however sounding good and being colorful can't make up for its gameplay issues.

Shock and Amazement: An RPG for Girls
I have been a fan of NIS titles since I first played Rhapsody back on its original PS release. I find the character designs charming, the music fun and memorable, and the story hilarious. Perhaps the best thing about this for a girl who loves happy endings and fairy tales? Rhapsody is an RPG with an easy learning curve so as not to frighten away new players, as well as, get this: a female protagonist who has to collect friends to rescue her prince charming, who is accidentally turned to stone by the not so very villainous Evil Queen Marjoly.

Like all NIS games this game boasts a funny story, charming, lovable, and believable characters, and a story that many girls can easily relate to: learning to relate to both their mother and their own girl friends as they struggle (rather hilariously) through adolescence. Many of the scenes in this game are quite moving, as they're meant to be. Rhapsody is a game that tugs on your heartstrings at times.

Cornet is a great role model for girls. She's plucky and determined, kind, considerate, and with just enough sass to get her by with her eternal sidekick Kururu.

This game does boast some additional content, on top of what was available in the PSX release, including an additional prequel sidequest centering around Cornet's mother. If you're interested in learning what additional content is available in this release, I suggest you take a look at the NIS website.

For new players, you can't go wrong with a game with pancakes, puppets, and a goofy looking dog costume. For parents? Buy this game for your daughters. It's what a game for girls should be like. For returning players? You know you want the chance to show Legem to everybody you know.