Tales of the Tempest

Tempest feels like a proper Tales game, not a spin-off or remake, which makes it a definite first -- an original, full-fledged handheld Tales.

The demo running on the TGS floor gives a clear picture of what the game is about, even if the combination of a story-heavy intro and a stiff language barrier made it somewhat unfriendly to foreign journalists. Fortunately, some of Tales' most appealing features transcend language: the excellent cel-shaded graphics are some of the best 3D visuals seen to date on the DS, and the combat system shucks off the disappointing 2.5D style of Tales of Legendia in favor of Symphonia's Grandia-esque full-3D engine.

As ever, combat is brisk, and main character Caius develops a repertoire of skills which can be assigned to different controller combinations for a simplified input-based fighting game-like feel. Random battles are the order of the day, and despite the 3D graphics battles load far more quickly than in Final Fantasy III DS.

Story-wise, it's difficult to judge Tempest from what was shown at TGS. The available demo was clearly built around the opening moments of the game (and booth attendants hurried players away from the kiosks after a mere ten minutes, making progress difficult). Even in Japanese, the story is obviously cut from the quintessential J-RPG mold: a hapless young man finds himself thrust into grand events after his bucolic village is visited by disaster.

In this case, the disaster involves Caius' father transforming into a werewolf and a mysterious masked woman (or maybe man) visiting the town's church and slaughtering some of the locals. An epic adventure indubitably begins there -- although it starts slowly, with a party alternative consisting of Caius alone or Caius and his female companion (who is A.I.-controlled during combat).

We'll have a full report on Tempest once the final version arrives in Japan. And given the growing popularity of the game here in the U.S., there's a good chance this impressive-looking RPG will show up on our shores as well.

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