First Impressions: Sands of Destruction, Sega’s New DS RPG

By Jeffrey L. Wilson On 20 Aug, 2009 At 01:10 AM | Categorized As RPG | With 0 Comments

sands of destruction ds First Impressions: Sands of Destruction, Segas New DS RPG

When you’re told that a game was crafted with the assistance of the scenario writer and composer of Chrono Trigger, your ears immediately perk up.

That’s what happened to me at a recent Sega event. As I dug through my man-purse in the hunt for a pen to jot notes, Aaron Webber, assistant community manager at Sega America, dropped that delicious morsel of information about Sands of Destruction, an upcoming DS RPG.

I’ll openly admit that I’m not much of a RPG guy; Chrono Trigger, Lunar, and the early Phantasy Star games are the only story-based role-playing games to ever capture my imagination. As such, when I learned that Sands of Destruction had a creative tie to one of the greatest RPGs ever, I instantly became enthralled.

Sands of Destruction is a turn-based RPG that follows the story of the World Annihilation Front. It’s a radical group of rebels that’s attempting to free the world from the tyrannical Ferals by destroying it using the powers of a confused kid named Kyrie Illunis who, of course, has no clue how he gained such abilities.

Visually, the game is just what you’d expect from a DS RPG; anime-inspired sprites set against colorful, well-detailed backgrounds. The graphics aren’t particularly breathtaking, but they won’t offend, either.

One of the more interesting aspects of the game that was demoed is the “Quip” system. Characters have a chance to randomly say certain phrases during battle (such as when they get hit, attack an enemy, etc.); phrases that can buff the team’s offensive and defensive capabilities, or even double the XP gained. Each character can carry four active Quips.

The game features 3 vs. 3 battles that span the height of the DS’ dual screens, and you can swap party members in and out as you gain more. Unlike many RPGs, your characters can jump to perform in-air aerial attacks. I really liked the timing and skill need to defeat foes. After initially landing a heavy hit, for example, you’ll want to follow up with shorter, faster attacks to really dish out the damage.

All in all Sands of Destruction has the makings of a very solid DS RPG. It will be available for purchase in March, 2010.