Alphadia Genesis
Overview -
Kemco has been a video game developer for many years, but recently they are most well-known for their mobile RPG output. Having released over forty RPGs for iOS and Android phones in under five years, the company's output is impressive, though the rapid fire nature of these releases can sometimes lead to many of the experiences feeling the same.
Regardless, some of Kemco's RPG are beginning to move beyond the mobile realm and onto various consoles, typically with some enhancements. The latest of these RPGs to make the jump is 'Alphadia Genesis', which recently released on Steam and the Wii U.
Video Review
While 'Alphadia Genesis' is important to the Kemco catalog by being their first RPG to feature used (some) 3D art, that doesn't mean that the game itself looks particularly impressive. These 3D visuals are restricted to battles only, and while the PS1-era graphics certainly invoke a sense of nostalgia, those that don't have fond memories of the time period will likely just find the graphics blocky and a bit garish.
Outside of battles, the title uses sprites and the typical 2D RPG trappings. The character sprites look pretty good, though the NPCs and map designs leave much to be desired. Still, I wouldn’t say 'Alphadia Genesis' is a particularly bad game to look it; it's merely underwhelming.
Audio Review
Surprisingly, on the audio front there is an enjoyable soundtrack. Most of the battle and dungeon tracks are nice and catchy, providing nice background music for tasks that inevitability become tedious. Some were even catchy enough to pop into my head after I finished playing the game, which is somewhat impressive.
Additionally, 'Alphadia Genesis' does have some voice acting, albeit in Japanese only. Certain important scenes give voices to the characters, and overall the voice acting sounds pretty good, with voices that seem to fit each of the characters' personalities.
Final Thoughts
There's little reason to recommend 'Alphadia Genesis' to anyone. While both the Wii U and Steam are a bit lacking in JRPG content at the moment, 'Alphadia Genesis skews to close towards mediocre and frustrating to safely scratch the JRPG itch. More and more JRPGS are being released on the Steam platform every week, while the Wii U is getting a nice backlog of classic games with the Virtual Console. With so many other, better options available, 'Alphadia Genesis isn't worth your time or your money.