This game delves into the origins of the characters from Aldorlea Games’ other title Laxius Force – Random the Hero, Sarah the Elf and Luciana the Wizardress. Following the stylings of the classic RPG like Final Fantasy, this game has a turn-based fight system with a maximum of four characters in the active party while they explore different locations and complete quests.
Orcs, Talking Chameleons and Tempestuous Characters
The story opens with Ozur, an evil Orc who wants to absorb the life force of three “stars” in order to replenish his own fading vitality. He is thwarted, however, by the fact that these stars come from a different world. He needs them to enter the portal to his world of their own volition, thus only can he can kill them and assimilate their energy.
Players are then introduced to Random, the game’s headstrong if somewhat arrogant protagonist. Accompanying him on his journey is his talking pet chameleon Guanidia, who is often cowardly in the face of danger but a steadfast companion nonetheless. Together with Sarah the Elf, Random wins a duel and is admitted into the prestigious school at Rillia, where he intends to train to become the greatest hero of all time.
At school, they meet Luciana, a shy but determined wizardress. They form a hesitant friendship when they are the only ones left without partners for a mushroom-collecting assignment. Along the way, they also meet Baretta the artefact collector, Lisa the guardian, Batabog the Minotaur, Coryool the rogue and Luciana’s cat Herasia. All these characters join the party and have unique skill sets, so it is advisable to use each of them and level them up equally before the ultimate showdown with Ozur.
As with most casual RPGs, the story, rather than the gameplay, is what keeps players hooked. Three Stars of Destiny is no exception to this rule. Random and Sarah’s love-hate relationship yields many lively exchanges, and the other characters also add depth and humour to the tale.
Anime Graphics and MIDI Sound
Despite being two-dimensional, the artwork of the game is beautiful, especially the anime-style graphics in the battle scenes. The characters are represented by small cute avatars like that of Aveyond. The locations have detailed drawings and consistent weather effects of rain or snow, such as in Sankt Leona and the Xen Marshlands. In addition, the smooth scrolling of the game is also commendable.
While it helps to create the atmosphere for each scene, the MIDI-format music for Three Stars of Destiny is not particularly memorable. Some scores are even repeated for different venues.
Secret Rooms, Random Encounters, Weapons and Armours
One of the best, but also most frustrating, aspects of the game is the Secret Rooms side quest. There are 51 of them in total, and it can be extremely rewarding stumbling into one, as each room provides tons of goodies including potions and weapons. However, their locations are arbitrary, and sometimes with no hint whatsoever, so be sure to explore every single corner or even innocuous-looking objects.
Another main strength of the game is that the characters are very customisable. Numerous weapons and armours can be collected or purchased at shops, each with different status attacks and defences which can significantly alter the outcome of battles.
This reviewer’s main gripe with the game, however, is that there should be an option to avoid all monster encounters. When revisiting old locations, the frequency of battles can become tedious, especially since the amount of XP gained is negligible.
Otherwise, Three Stars of Destiny is a fine game which will keep players glued to their PCs for hours.
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