By Jim Drewes - November 23, 2005

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Bad dialog - Good game play.

Magna Carta's game play, particularly the battle system, is really a love-it or hate-it element.  Unfortunately, because some gamers have such a problem with it, the battle system may keep Tears of Blood from gaining the recognition it deserves.  As with other RPGs, battle outcomes depend a lot upon balancing the skills, attributes, weapons, etc. of the members of the battle party.  In addition to this, there is Chi to worry about.  There are eight types of Chi (for example, water or wind) and each has compatible and incompatible counterparts.  Your skills are associated with a Chi type, so the goal is to execute moves against the enemy using skills with the appropriate Chi.  Furthermore, there are Chi lanterns throughout the levels that effect the Chi levels during battle.  If it sounds a little confusing, its because it is a little confusing.  During the game we frequently didn't worry too much about the Chi unless there was a difficult opponent we were fighting.

Battles themselves occur a little differently than traditional turn-based RPGs.  Instead of spending as much time as you would like selecting your move or spell, and then letting the random variables of the game determine your effectiveness at casting the spell or executing the maneuver, Magna Carta implements a button pressing scheme.  When you are going to execute a move, three buttons appear in a circle which you have to hit in succession.  Timing and accuracy are important here, as perfect presses will inflict more damage, while hitting the wrong button or pressing too late will cause you to miss your opponent.  There are a couple of benefits to this system however.  First, it keeps gamers a little more on the edge of their seats and a little more involved with the results of the battles.  Success doesn't just come from picking the right move, you have to have the hand-eye coordination to back it up.  Second, it sometimes allows you to gain an edge in battle.  At times, if you are quick enough you can start your move before the enemy starts theirs, thus giving you an extra move or first blood.

These days 50+ hours is pretty standard for role playing games, and Magna Carta: Tears of Blood doesn't fail to deliver in this area as well.  The game doesn't have the depth that would enable it to have a high replay value, but you should at least get your money out of the game the first time around.  This isn't exactly the next Final Fantasy, but there are enough positive things about MC: ToB to make it well worth a purchase or a rental.

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