Game:

The Granstream Saga (1997)

Duration: 15:51

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Brightis is an odd ARPG co-created by Shade Inc. (known for games like The Granstream Saga, Mystic Heroes, etc.), Arc Entertainment (a production division of SCE/Sony Computer Entertainment...worked on Arc the Lad, etc.), and Quintet (most known for the Actraiser games, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, and Robotrek)...sounds like a winning combo, right? Well, some things work and some things don't. I loved Illusion of Gaia, and I really liked the Granstream Saga...I also liked Arc The Lad 2. This game doesn't quite live up to any of those and for 1999, it could have been better, but it's playable.

First, I'll give a VERY basic overview of what the game is about. Brightis is a world of fantasy and intrigue. You control a man whose short name is "Al"...one who is referred to by an old legend (that's printed on the manual and inside the case)..."Thou, the one chosen by the Elements. We pray you use your empowering strength with your righteous heart, to bring peace and shine eternally." . The story starts with an ancient ruin being discovered and a magical stone is recovered. However, the recovery of said stone unseals a gate of evil which unleashes calamity in the form of demons. The demons want to resurrect the king of evil. Basically, Al must find 4 mysterious stones (called Elements) that can re-seal the gate. To do this, he will need assistance from the residents of Elthard and travel into labyrinths filled with darkness and other types of Elements (Key Elements, for example, act as keys that activate different things in the labyrinth).

Now, a little bit about the game...the visuals are pretty bad...for the most part, character details are non-existant (much like King's Field), though SOME people seem to have VERY small eyes and tiny noses...if you are looking hard enough. The Granstream Saga had a smooth framerate (60FPS) and characters also didn't have much details, but the game had pretty decent visuals in other areas (and was older too). The music of Brightis? It's pretty decent actually. The tunes are soothing and atmospheric and they also stray from being TOO comfy (so they don't become boring). Sound effects are average.

One interesting aspect of the game is that you are a man of light (as if the title didn't give that away). The game is basically about light and darkness; but you can control the levels of light and darkness in the dungeons. I won't mention everything since it won't fit in the description, but here goes...Dungeons are pitch black, but you can throw a wave of light to see down corridors to spot traps and enemies. Also, so long as you are holding one key element (a key that opens doors, etc.), you have a gauge beside your MP (Blue sphere) and below your HP...the fuller it is, the more light you have around you. That being said, since light is the focus of the game, the game has very good light effects (for a PS1 game). When you step into shade, you don't immediately get fully covered; it's gradual (though the levels of shade are small). There's more than yellow/white light too...it comes in all sorts of colors and they shade you appropriately; it's kinda cool.

You get level ups with EXP points (though enemies with lower levels than you seem to stop giving you EXP when your level is too high), gold to buy weapons and armor, a few spells (you set them to each of the four elements you must find) and you can learn sword and combat skills with SKILL points. The controls are okay, but one gripe I have is that striking enemies sometimes can be pretty annoying, especially flying enemies. Also, a lot of skills are pretty stupid/not worth the cost. The game also has a "Pocketstation" game titled "Pocket Brightis"...I don't own a Pocketstation, but it's some sort of card game. If graphics don't bother you and somewhat wonky hit detection, Brightis is alright...I just feel like the producers behind the game, with all of of the good ideas and such that existed, produced a game that was mostly plain (lighting aside) and lacking in imagination. The story isn't deep, nor are the characters, and I only see it being okay to play maybe one time through.