Two compelling stories put this game in my RPG list for the Sony Playstation.

U.S. Game Front

The World Of Rebus Has
Used Kartia Since Times
Long Forgotten.

Toxa Classico (Left)
Lacryma Christi (Right)

This Card Can Make You
A Cup Of Hot Chocolate.
Yummeh!

Kartia is one of those under-the-radar games that got overlooked due to the popularity of other strategy games (and strategy RPGs) that exist on the Playstation. Being an Atlus published game, the game didn't exactly have the greatest advertising either and like a fair deal of Atlus games, Kartia is moderately uncommon to boot. Actually, I'm almost certain that if Yoshitaka Amano (who helped work on Final Fantasy games) didn't do the character design for Kartia, the game would be significantly more obscure than it is now. So what is the game about? Kartia has a complex storyline that cannot easily be described in a few simple sentences, but I'll try to be brief.

The people of Rebus (The title of the game in Japan which is also the world you play in) use Kartia for everyday life. Kartia acts as fire to light the dark. Kartia creates wind that flows through the sea. Kartia can create earth soil to help crops grow. Kartia can create water in which to drink and nurture the plants. Kartia can create nearly anything that humans desire, but Kartia was also limited. In the past, people had to rely on the rare but powerful Kartia from the World Tree. However, as time passed, humans used Silk and Mithril which were cheaper and much more available sources to produce Kartia rather than using the World Tree. As such, humans eventually became greedy and though people only knew of peace for a long time, Kartia is eventually used for war. The characters are complex and full of emotion, but the two main characters are Toxa Classico (A Free Knight looking for a purpose) and Lacryma Christi (A Shrine Knight that puts duty above all else). They cross paths, but ultimately, they have two very different tales to tell. The story is the greatest aspect and the drama and dialogue make me feel like I'm reading a novel. It's very well done.

The graphics are very average and somewhat bland. The game is fuzzy and the environments are mostly unoriginal. The special effects are also somewhat lacking, though I will say that the game is not without some good special effects. However, it takes a while before you get any of the truly flashy attacks and this is not the game to play if you are looking for a strategy RPG with a whole lot of bells and whistles. The sound also doesn't help much to keep your eyes glued to the tube staring at the somewhat mediocre presentation before you. It works for the kind of game this is, but there isn't much variation to the music presented. The sound effects aren't even that great. As you can probably tell, the game isn't much to look at and the sound is only bearable.

Thankfully, the gameplay is very interesting. Kartia not only makes you coffee and drinking water, it can create a whole freaking army for you! Not just any army though...an army of phantoms. Aside from phantoms, Kartia also creates weapons and armor as well as magic and you need to find different "text" to make up new spells and abilities. You also have different materials you can use to make more powerful spells and such: Silk, Mithril, and World Tree. World Tree is rare, but can create the most powerful things. Kartia plays a heavy strategic role in this game and you must use it if you want to achieve victory. Magic can destroy obstacles like barrels and such to reveal hidden goodies and you can create numerous terrain effects such as freezing water and altering the landscape.

Altering the landscape is important because the game uses three primary types of weapons: Spears, Axes, and Swords. Spears are most effective when you attack while below the enemy. Axes are most effective when you attack while above the enemy. Swords are the most effective on even terrain. Knowing this won't exactly bring you victory. You create three types of phantoms too: Shadow, Doll, and Common. Basically, it's like rock-paper-scissors. Shadow hurts Common. Common hurts Doll. Doll hurts Shadow. By "mixing" when casting magic, you can give spells additional effects to add extra damage to Shadow, Doll, or Common phantoms. You can also erase your own phantoms (to get items when a certain requirement is met) and as you can see, the strategy elements are strong and there are many variables to consider. You have two stories for replayability, the game has a versus mode to play with a friend, and there is an arena you can fight in to gather items.

Kartia seems to be too boring and too mundane to warrant a playthrough on the surface, but the dialogue, characters, and gameplay is enough to put it on the "to do" list. I've beaten this game several times and the game will always be a classic that I can't help but go back to every once in a while. If you can spot it for relatively cheap, give it a try. It's a cult classic to many.

- Written by Vyse the determined -