I think I’ve mentioned this before, but in the last few years Nippon Ichi Software and Nippon Ichi Software America (NIS and NISA) has been developing, publishing and localizing some really weird and strange games. Yes some of the games that get brought over from Japan to the West are already weird and strange in of themselves. By weird and strange, I mean that they are bringing out games that you wouldn’t think of them bringing out. Such as Neo Atlas 1469 and the focus of today’s review Destiny Connect -Tick-Tock Travelers- for the Nintendo Switch.
Tine is on our side
Change of pace with art style- With most of the NIS/NISA games that I’ve played over the years, the art style leaned heavily on the anime-ish side. Personally I love this type of art style, though after a while you can tell if the game is from NIS/NISA since they use the same art style more or less across the games that they have developed. With Destiny Connect -Tick-Tock Travelers- that isn’t the case. Destiny Connect uses a more Western cartoony style that’s actually a nice change of pace visually. The town/village that the game takes place in has a English countryside feel to it as well as the character designs. Again a nice change of pace from NIS’s usual anime style.
Baby’s first JRPG- Every genre in gaming has its “Baby’s First…”. For those who don’t know the meaning of the phrase “Baby’s First…”, it means that the game is simple enough that those who are super new to that game are able to play it without too much difficulty. Destiny Connect -Tick-Tock Travelers- is that game for JRPGs. The story is pretty simple: the town of is about to celebrate the new year. Sherry, the main hero of the game, is disappointed that her father is busy with work and can’t come home to see the fireworks. Irratated she drags her friend Pegreo out to see the fireworks when they notice something is off, Everyone in the town is frozen in time and strange robotic creatures are running around the town. It’s up to them and a robot left behind by Sherry’s father to go travel back in time to discover what’s causing time to stop in the present and save the world from danger. The combat system is also pretty simple, as its the basic turn based system that most JRPGs use. Leveling is also pretty basic and easy too, as well as upgrading skills and weapons.
Waste of time
Camera is not the best- The camera controls for Destiny Connect aren’t very good. Turning the camera, trying to get the best viewing angle of the world feel clunky, especally when trying to zoom out for a better view.
Sherry not really nice/Pegreo too wimpy- The two main characters, Sherry and Pegreo, aren’t too likeable. In fact both can be down right annoying sometimes. Take Sherry for example. She may look and act cute and sweet, but when something confuses her or she doesn’t get her way, she starts to become agitated and mean to those around her, especially to Pegreo. She can be talking nice and aggreeing with him in one scene and in the next berating him for being a wimp and for being the rational one of the two. Speaking of Pegreo, he’s too much of a wimp that it’s annoying and I can see why Sherry “picks” on him at times. I get that he’s suppose to be the awkward nerdy side kick, but when he starts to make sense or is just being rational, Sherry talks down to him.
A bit short for a JRPG- JRPGs are known for being time sinks, ie spending on the low end 50 hours to 100 plus hours to finish everything the game has to offer. So a good sweet spot would be about 25 hours, in my opinion at least. Destiny Connect however is short, like really short. In my time playing and finishing the game, doing all the quests and side quests and leveling up, came to about a little under 15 hours, not including times where I would let the game idle while I stopped for quick breaks, so about 10 hours of actual playtime. This is probably due to Destiny Connect being designed for those who are new to JRPGs. This isn’t a bad thing, however developers should always try to strive for a balance of things that both newbies and veteran gamers can do.
Could have used some voice acting- Ealier I mentioned that Destiny Connect’s setting kind of looks a bit like a English town/village. So I though that maybe the audio/voice acting would sort of match the setting ie characters having an English accent. Turns out there’s no voice acting in the game at all. It’s a bit strange as most of the JRPGs that I’ve played do have some audio, or at least when important scene are being shown. Destiny Connect doesn’t even have voice acting for important scenes either, with is a missed opportunity as I do enjoy hearing American voice actors trying to do an English accent.
Destiny Connect -Tick-Tock Travelers- is a good starting point for those who are new to JRPGs/RPGs. The art style is quite different from what NIS is usually known for which is a nice chance of pace. That being said, the camera is pretty bad, the main characters annoying no voice acting and is short compared to other JRPGs. It feels too easy and while that’s not a bad thing for beginners, it would still be nice to have some challenge in it. If you’re looking into getting someone you know who has never played a JRPG and want to slowly introduce them into the genre, then Destiny Connect -Tick-Tock Travelers- is good for them. As for everyone else, maybe wait for a sale to pick it up.
