Hexyz Force

Hexyz Force is a role-playing video game developed by Sting Entertainment and published by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan on November 12, 2009 and in North America on May 25, 2010.

Hexyz Force
North American cover art
Developer(s)Sting Entertainment
Publisher(s)Atlus
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Release
  • JP: November 12, 2009
  • NA: May 25, 2010[1]
Genre(s)Role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The player progresses by traveling through Fields, fighting enemies in random encounters along the way. For every battle won the player earns Force Points (FP), which can be used for various purposes including upgrading Ragnafacts (sacred weapons), creating Forcefacts (sacred armor) and restoring the party mid-dungeon. Items and equipment too require FP to create, and cannot be bought in a shop.

Some items can be created by fusing them with the right material items, which are harvested from Harvest Points found within a Field. The Harvest Points will regenerate after the player has fought roughly 3-5 battles, spawning items ranging from common to rare. Hidden treasures and secret events can be unveiled by interacting with non-playable characters, other items can be unlocked by progressing through the story.

Hexyz Force employs a dual protagonist system, which enables the game's world and story to be portrayed through both characters' perspectives.

Plot

Long ago, Norvia, the Goddess of Creation, descended from the heavens. Using the Holy Vessel, a divine chalice charged with all Force (the spiritual energy in the universe), she created life and the Divinities, shepherds of existence. After some time, Delgaia, the God of Destruction, brought about a great calamity known as the Gods' Remorse. He intended to return all Force to the Holy Vessel, returning Berge to the void. The Divinities sacrificed themselves to defeat Delgaia, delivering Berge from doom and sealing the God of Destruction away deep within the earth.

As Berge lay in ruin, a result of its bitter war, Norvia made a covenant. She would restore Berge to its former beauty on one condition. An Hour of Judgment would eventually come to pass, then the world would have to decide its ultimate path: creation or destruction.[1]

The game revolves around two main protagonists: Cecilia, a young cleric from the Holy Temple of Palfina, and Levant, a Member of the elite Cerulean Knight of Rosenbaum Kingdom. Cecilia's mission is to find all the Monoliths scattered all around Berge, while Levant's mission is to find the culprit behind the war between Halbmenschen (half-Humans) and Humans. Both travel their separate ways though they cross paths on their journeys.[2]

Characters
  • Levant von Schweitzer: age 19. A Cerulean Knight who is asked by his king to help bring an end to the warring of the different races (Humans and non-Humans). Sometime during the peace treaties, an assassination occurred that throws the Rosenbaum Kingdom in disarray. During the fire in the Spirit Forest, he helps some of the elves to escape. He ends up imprisoned and forced to rely on a group of human-hating rebels called Argent. From there, he tracks down the culprit on the assassination. He wields the Ragnafact of Argent (Holy Krauvando), the divine Pillar of the Crimson Lotus. Levant is voiced by Keith Silverstein in English.[3]
  • Cecillia Armaclite: age 17. A lazy cleric from the Holy Temple of Palfina. Though she serves the respected Great Temple of Palfina, she often puts off her duties. She's been known to lounge around eating and sleeping instead. Everything changes though, when she instinctively summons a legendary staff to defend herself from invading monsters. According to her superior, this deems her a Hexyz (known as the Maiden of the Staff) and as such she is charged with protecting the Monoliths. These Monoliths, if destroyed, will free the God of Destruction from his prison. She wields the Ragnafact of Palfina (Holy Riafalt), the divine Pillar of the Pearl Light.
  • Axel Faulken von Rosenbaum: age 28. The Emperor of Rosenbaum who became evil due to the assassination of his fiancée Natulle. He dreamt of uniting all the Halbs(non-Humans) and Humans by marrying Natulle of the elves. When the assassination occurred, he blames the Halbs and declares war against them. At some point in the game, Cecilia and Levant defeat him and he realizes his mistakes. He wields the Ragnafact of Illnada (Holy Bluebeide), the divine Pillar of the Cerulean Flame.
  • Irene von Rosenbaum: age 18. Princess of the Empire of Rosenbaum and Levant's childhood friend. Though she is the sister of Axel, she cannot ascend to the throne. This is because she is an illegitimate child; a daughter of the former Emperor and a commoner. Cecilia and Ralu love making comments about her, especially her funny hair. She wields the Ragnafact of Verse (Shinecrail), divinity of Pearl Light.
  • Griek: age 34. a Lygar warrior and Captain of the Argent Resistance. He's very strong and loves battle and a drink called Iygarwasser. Though very bashful, he has his soft side. He can also read ancient scripts. He wields the Ragnafact of Grepes (Runeslave), divinity of the Crimson Lotus.
  • Rafael Gemini: age 15. Luffina's twin brother whom he cares for deeply. He's known to be very passionate, and he sometimes acts as Cecilia's conscience during her travels. He seems to have an interest with Cecilia. He wields the Ragnafact of Dualis (Grantein), divinity of the Crimson Lotus.
  • Luffina Gemini: age 15. She is a seer and is able to see through the future. She gets kidnapped by Faust, who turns her into a zombie. Cecilia and Rafael, with the help of Gardner, release her from Faust's control by using Necrozauwar. She wields the Ragnafact of Aliete (Algenteria), divinity of the Pearl Light.
  • Ignus: a 1600-year-old Drake who travels the world. He becomes the leader of the tribe after defeating Virtus. His hobby is enjoying folktales, and he can listen for hours (a proof of this is listening to Philia for 10 years). At some point in the game, he becomes a dragon and defeats Virtus for good. He wields the Ragnafact of Skolg (Vandild), divinity of the Crimson Lotus.
  • Ciel: age 18. A shy elf who served as the guardian of the Altar of Argent. She joins Argent to avenge her sister Natulle. She wields the Ragnafact of Ellge (Luftshetelune), divinity of the Pearl Light.
  • Faust: A scientist and powerful Hexyz who seeks the Necrozauwar, a powerful magic book. Since Gardner hid the book from him, Faust constantly attacks Gardner and those he loves. He later reveals that obtaining the book is part of a plan to overthrow the gods. To Faust, the gods keep humans on a short leash, demanding that they never can rival them in power or knowledge. He believes that deep down, the other Hexyz sympathize with this ideology.
  • Azul the Off-Worlder: A being who resembles a child, but is said to be the sole reason humans overstepped their bounds. He is responsible for introducing teachings to the people that rival the gods. He is also the mastermind behind the actions of Virtus and Faust in their quest for god-like power and knowledge. Sadistic and sarcastic, he constantly belittles the heroes and confesses to enjoying causing their loved ones pain. He had a hand in Cecillia's mother's death. Living in Azul's dark magic is Galiza. Galiza is a being that Azul partnered with whiled sealed away by Delgaia. Galiza sympathizes with Azul's hatred towards the gods and also believes that the gods simply want mankind to stay under their thumb and never progress beyond them. Azul and Galiza only show compassion to Philia who kept them company while they were sealed away. Even though both are extremely intelligent (having out-smarted Norvia and Delgaia once) they act very childishly when under stress.
  • Virtus: A Drake who claims to want to free his kin from a life of hiding in the shadows of society, but actually is obsessed with gaining power. He wants power because he believes it will bring him closer to his god, the Black Dragon. He mainly has a rivalry with Ignus, dating back to their days to competing for the seat of tribal leader. But now he works with Faust and Azul to gain power over his people in order to use them as pawns.
  • Philia: Daughter of both the Goddess of Creation and God of Destruction, whom she refers to as "Mom" and "Dad". She manages to both help and tease the other Hexyz while remaining a mystery. When asked why she doesn't fully explain herself, a lot of times she replies "a woman is more interesting when she's mysterious". As an ally she provides them with knowledge no one else knows. She even seems to know the extent of Azul's power when Cecillia asks her about him. Her task though, is to simply continue the cycle of making sure reborn Hexyz gather together and reach the time of judgement, for better or worst. She even says that regardless of which they choose, Creation or Destruction, she'll be satisfied. She often refers to all the heroes by the name of the Force they inherited. She used to care for Azul and kept him company while he was sealed away for angering the gods. But now that he's resurfaced as a sadistic madman, she's broken ties with him.
  • Natulle: An Elven Hexyz like Cemnal and Ciel (her younger sister). She was to wed Axel, but was assassinated instead. Faust revives her with the Forbidden Arts and brainwashes her into a sadistic dominatrix. She assumes the name Velvet and works as Faust's minion. She also breaks the monoliths and controls some of the Rosenbaum army. The brainwashing is tied to a mask she wears. Though even when removed, the spell isn't completely broken. Cecillia becomes greatly annoyed with her due to her scantily clad dressing style and sociopathic nature.
  • Cemnal: The Elven leader living in Dark Berge. He leads the heroes to different sites where they learn more about Dark Berge and the villains manipulating the people. He even tells them how war broke out between the Humans and the other races (Elven, lygars, etc.). He attempts to oppose Azul after pretending to be on the Off-Worlder's side.
  • Elda: The mace wielding leader of the cleric in Lustrous Berge. She was good friends with Cecillia's mother and entrusted with Cecillia's life after her mother's death. Widely respected for her knowledge on history and the religious teaching of the Goddess, Elda is a trusted ally of the heroes.

Reception

Hexyz Force received average reviews. Michael David of GameZone praised the game's sound effects saying that "the thundering magic that looks so good, also sounds pretty good." Some reviewers, however, have criticized the game's lack of challenge saying that the game can be finished within a day or two.[7]

References
  1. Atlus (January 7, 2010). "Atlus Announces Hexyz Force For PSP". IGN. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  2. John Tanaka (July 22, 2009). "Atlus and Sting Team For New RPG". IGN. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  3. "The Official Site of Voice over Artist, Keith Silverstein - Resume".
  4. "Hexyz Force Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  5. "Hexyz Force (psp)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  6. Massimilla, Bethany (2010-06-08). "Hexyz Force Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  7. David, Michael (2010-05-19). "Hexyz Force review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
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