A look back at: Treasure of the Rudras

Well I uh...

You know, it's either this title or Rudra no Hihou, which is where I looked at the guides from. Regardless, if it wasn't for the Mantra system in this game, this would've been another boring and generic turn-based RPG. This magic enscribing system, honestly, you don't see it anywhere else as far as I can tell, and it's the kind of system that actually manages to work very well. Yes, you can enscribe endgame magic in the very beginning, but unless you have a hell of an MP pool, and especially if you're playing as Sion, you ain't gonna be able to cast these spells in combat for a while unless you level up. Then again, there are still some powerful mantras if you cheat and look at a guide, meaning that the strong spells only cost a measly 1 MP and can still cause enough pain.

And then I give credit where credit is due. It's often boring always being in control of one protagonist on the field, as I have clearly stated in my last blog post. And Treasure of the Rudras offers three protagonists to follow, allowing to switch at any time. And then it comes together at the final scenario where Dune is the apparent party leader, but by then I'm not complaining since the final scenario is your average boss rush before the final boss. Making matters much better asides from switching at any time is that the scenarios intertwine at least twice before they all come together, and there's no rivalries between any of the characters aside from what Dune and Cid sometimes do to Sion and Surlent. Well what I mean is that there's no infighting between the character parties.

Looking back at the main plots of this game, well there's only one that is actually interesting to some degree. Sion fighting in a tournament? Yep seen that one before, but it does have a nice plot twist. Not to mention the floating continent business afterwards. Captain Taurus, a noble knight and semi-father figure being an evil cultist all along? Sure, okay. Riza's whole deal with being Chosen? Purifying the lands, skies, and oceans? That's something I'm pretty sure people have seen before, although because other characters are doing other things while Riza's doing hers, it's a strong example of this Chosen business, since these other characters are of course wondering who is healing their planet. That and the start of the game and the fact that everything's bathed in warm colors as if there hadn't been a single iota of blue skies for days adds to the bleak atmosphere being cured.

Surlent's scenario seems boring at onset, since he's doing research with an old guy. Who plays a JRPG to do research? And then he actually dies. Surlent is an unfortunate hero in this game as his research not only leads to his death, but even worse problems when he's tricked by actual bad guys into getting sealed so they can zombify the aboveworld (although they only reach one town). Like any other hero who screws up, he at least sets things right eventually. Though the branching point on trading with Sion for treasures can result in an almost even worse fate for Surlent as well. Very nice touches there.

This game definitely has loads of characters, though not everyone is explored. I would like to see some potential romance blossoming, obviously between Garlyle and Riza, or perhaps Sion and Foxy to an extent as well. We also don't see much about Pipin and Lolo's travels before they join their respective parties. And Sork? He had just one cutscene owing to his past with Captain Taurus. So we really could've used more out of him. The jadebearers naturally get the most out of all of this. I personally wish the epilogue could've been done better in that regard, considering how the four all should've went home to their friends they left behind. I guess they do that? It's not really seen. Still though, at least Riza convinces Dune not to repeat bad history.