14 DAY TRIAL // 
PSP didn't seem cut for RPG-s because of its graphical limitation and button arrangement. Climax dared to argue with that by making Key of Heaven, also known as Kingdom of Paradise for the USA version and Tenchi no Mon for the Japanese one. 3D and stylish graphics, good story and martial arts, the eastern show is on again! This might just be the first real role playing game for the PSP that's worth mentioning.
Story My name is Shinbu and I have decided to go for a walk through the huge universe of Ohka, just like that. I was kicked out of the Seiryu clan for trying to learn some forbidden skills and now I roam the place trying to use my fighting skills in good purposes. I met a girl, Sui Lin and saved her from a couple of thugs. She brought bad news: the clan Seiryu had been wiped out by the Kirin Clan members. She and I were the only ones left. We have set on a journey to avenge the deaths of the Seiryu members and find the divine sword of the clan.
The story sounds quite like an eastern clich?, but when looking at it closely, names, locations and others you'll recognize elements from the Chinese and Japanese mythologies combined. Practice martial arts, use magic and try to reach the evil Geikyo to end his plans and take revenge for what he and his clan had done. Wondered what Seiryu stands for? It's a blue dragon and you'll find that out by emerging in this world of warriors and clan battles.
Concept You'll witness great swordplay in this Asian quest for revenge. But it will come with the cost of having at least one numb finger, considering that almost all of the moves are made by pressing the circle button. Who'll crack first with all this button mashing? Me or the PSP? Not me!!I thought that this RPG will be short, a ball and a walk in the park. It's not like taking candy from a baby because it will take you at least 20 hours to finish it and explore the huge world map that has 9 continents and 5 different warrior clans. Also there is no limit to where you can go in the environments you explore.
Feeling alone and lost in this universe? You have a very helpful menu and map allowing you to get some hints or help in case you were wondering what things like kenpu or bungei are. This game seems to be made to be played at any time, at least so it seems, as you can save anywhere and anytime. Wrapped in nice graphics, the game doesn't pay the price of huge loading times for it. Except for the beginning, you won't feel the lag that the PSP usually has in its games.
Let me remind you that the game is not easy at all, but you are a worthy opponent for any foe with your 150 kenpu abilities. The producers did a good job by implementing mostly human enemies, because just another kill-zombie-and-dragon adventure would have bored us to death. You'll witness lots of dialogs and do a couple of quests while talking to the numerous NPC-s and going through the villages of different clans.
Gameplay Let's call this a martial arts RPG, one with excellent atmosphere and feeling. It's all there : rice plantations, pagodas, tatami, legends, clothing. What's all this talk about bugei and kenpu? You'll hear about this two throughout the game. Bugei are the scrolls that teach the player the abilities he can use and kenpu are the tiles you can fit in the scrolls. Shinbu will be equipped not only with his sword, but also many bugei scrolls that unlock pretty nice sword skills.
Kenpu can be dropped by the enemies and you'll find yourself caught in a race for those tiles that bring unique fighting styles and a-la-Dragon Ball Z moves. Battles won't be like taking kenpu from a baby, especially when the bosses smash you repeatedly. You know what to do in a situation like this, don't you? Like in the era of good old RPG-s you'll go back and fight the lower level enemies to build up health, levels and abilities and after that you'll be able to prove who the real boss is. Shinbu can also use some sort of magic, called chi arts, that damage all of the enemies in the surrounding area. Those are elemental strikes and he is invulnerable while casting them. These attacks resemble the magic spells that you know from classical games and they are not as varied as the sword fighting techniques. I prefer them to the simple kicks and sword fights, but they make the game much easier and you'll have to run away from the enemy to load them waisting quite some time.
The fighting system looks more like the one of a fighting game than the one of an RPG. You'll see lots of kicks, slashes and exotic moves done by the young hero. Imagine throwing you sword towards those vicious warriors and receiving it back as it returns like a boomerang. Now, how cool is that? Almost as cool as kicking an enemy in mid-air or doing a couple of let's say finishing moves. All of this with the circle button (including parry) and with a change of the style thanks to the R button.
However this is not Rambo, we won't fight all day long and you'll be able to flee from any battle by running past the enemies. There are some side quests available, there are lots of NPC-s to talk to, objects to be found etc. Find out what Shinbu's objectives are from the menu by pressing the Start button. The battle system is also based on reactions of the elements, for example the chi of the Seiryu clan is wood, Genbu's is water, Kirin's earth, Byakko's metal, Suzaku's fire. Wood is weak against metal but strong against earth.
Video The characters from Key of Heaven are designed to look similar to those in the manga or anime cartoons, which is not bad at all, considering their popularity. You have to love those funny looking rectangular speech bubbles and the expressive faces of the characters. The grass is greener all over the game, because you'll wander through lots of forest environments and rice plantations or fields. The scenery is pretty and water looks realistic, but sometimes you'll get bored of the same environments over and over again. I can say that finally there is a game without many problems with the camera angle as it is set automatically according to the course of the action. During fights the graphics flow neatly and the excellent special effects will puzzle even the most critic gamer.
Sound Some of you can keep the original feeling and try the Japanese subtitles and voices. For the Japanese-speakers the dialogs will be a pain as they are poorly done. Thank God for the oriental music, and the very active battle music. Shinbu yells while fighting and yielding his abilities, while the foes scream as they perish or get hit. All in all it's worth playing Kingdom of Heaven with your volume up.
Multiplayer Some of us may want to brag about the abilities we acquired and we'll do that in multiplayer. Players can trade kenpu with whomever they want and download all sorts of items by punching in certain codes. You may want to fight your classmate in the arena getting that anime cartoon feeling we missed from childhood. Unlike the single player game, the skills are balanced in fights between real opponents and it's all about dodging hits,parring them and hitting back (from behind preferably).That involves a lot of running around. There is some downloadable content (skills, maps) from the official site, but only if you know Japanese.
Conclusion This game is good in small amounts and - with a proper dosage - you'll enjoy a good experience. Climax did a good job by stuffing a great story and martial arts in one single RPG that will have a sequel for the same PSP console. It's the kind of game you play once or twice a day for fun, saving when you get bored and trying again the next day. We'll just have to wait and see if any other PSP role playing game comes around claiming titles and awards.
