The Awakened Fate Ultimatum

Editor's Notes

Digital PS3 version reviewed.

Introduction

Another month, another Nippon Ichi title graces are Western shores. This month brings players 'The Awakened Fate Ultimatum', a rouge-like that is a spiritual successor of sorts to the PlayStation 3 title 'The Guided Fate Paradox.' Sticking with genre conventions of ever-shifting dungeons and harsh punishments for failure while injecting a healthy dose of storyline in an otherwise mechanic-heavy genre, 'The Awakened Fate Ultimatum' attempts to appeal to a wider (but still niche) audience.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

In 'The Awakened Fate Ultimatum,' you are thrust into the shows of Shin Kamikaze, who has unwittingly been made a God in a brutal war between angels and demons. He is assisted by Jupiel and Ariael, who are tasked with preparing their newly created God for the battles to come. This plot may seem a bit on the simplistic and dull side, but what really makes it stand out are the choices the player, as Shin, has to make. 'The Awakened Fate Ultimatum' isn't one to shy away from tough decisions and really manages to encompass the brutality and moral gray areas associated with war by showing the consequences of the player's decision.

In between these rather lengthy story bits are the Missions. Each Mission is essentially a chapter, and each one contains a dungeon that Shin must work through. These parts play out much like a rouge-like, with randomized floors and items to work through and find. Everything will be different every time Shin enters a dungeon, with the only constant being whether or not a boss is waiting on the final floor.

What sets 'The Awakened Fate Ultamatum' a bit apart from the average rouge-like, though, is Shin's ability to Deitize. Technically, Shin as a human is very weak; he'll take a lot of damage from most enemies and be able to do little himself. However, he can change to Angel and Devil forms, which give him the implied element of said forms and provides extra damage and defense.

This is where a bit of strategy comes in. Every monster (barring bosses, presumably) is either Light or Dark. Therefore enemies will take extra damage from the opposite type of attack. That same rule does not apply to Shin, however; if he is attacked by a monster of the opposite element, he'll take half damage, but getting hit by an element of the same type will have him take double damage. Since remaining in a form takes SP every turn, and since monsters of both types will constantly litter the dungeons, knowing when to Deitize and when to use skills (which require a lot of SP) is important to Shin's survival.

That said, the dungeons aren't actually all that difficult. Provided that the player isn't blowing through each floor as soon as a staircase is found, a typical romp through the dungeon will typically get Shin up to a decent level for the resulting boss or next dungeon. It's also important to note that actual level ups don't provide much: A level up will raise stats slightly and provide one point of CP to level up Angel and Devil forms, but it is the smart use of consumable items and somewhat up-to-date equipment that will make or break a dungeon run.

So, while the dungeon crawling isn't actually dull, the overall lack of challenge does make the gameplay seem secondary to the more interesting plot. There are other little mechanics to help round out the dungeon crawling experience, such as the ability to upgrade equipment and infuse Gems into them, but I was able to go through most of the game without even using these. To the game's credit, the difficulty does ramp up a little during some of the later portions, but by that point the player should be able to keep themselves well-stocked on useful items to mitigate any potential rough points.

As such, this PS3 title's strongest point really is its story. While this does mean that the actual gameplay elements of 'The Awakened Fate Ultimatum' don't particularly stand-out, but they are also decent enough to not detract from the plot itself while providing something substantial for players to diligently work through.