I had the chance recently to spend some time with Yggdra Union, a colorful fantasy strategy-RPG from Atlus and Sting Entertainment. The game, a quirky, card-based, semi-real-time tactical JRPG, is actually a PSP remake of a GBA title which was released in 2006. I never had the opportunity to try the original, but according to Atlus, this new version is a broad enhancement in several ways, including new missions, new characters, improved widescreen visuals, and added unlockable content. I was able to get some hands-on time with the first few hours of Yggdra Union, and the enhancement I was immediately grateful for was the remastered audio with added voice acting — so I could hear exactly how to pronounce “Yggdra” (it’s “ig-druh”).
I’m no stranger to SRPGs, having spent my fair share of time with titles like Dynasty Tactics and La Pucelle Tactics. While Yggdra Union may not explicitly have “tactics” in its title like the others, its gameplay takes a very familiar tone: Players will spend a great deal of time prior to battles optimizing their team for ideal combat through gear and unit selection, and will then execute their battle plans on a top-down battlefield with a grid layout. Battles will have a specific set of victory/defeat conditions, explicitly laid out at the start of the scenario, typically along the lines of “Defeat all the enemy units; don’t let this story-critical unit get killed.” Completing these battles will then advance the game’s storyline, involving the trials of the titular Princess Yggdra as she fights to defend her homeland from invading forces.
Yggdra Union promises a large amount of story content, boasting three different endings and an additional hidden ending, plus plenty of unlockable bonuses for completionist players. It’s a simple and predictable enough plot to start with — timid-but-determined princess meets up with cocky leader of ragtag thieves, unlikely alliance forms to thwart inexplicably cruel invading dictator. The story is told through colorful and detailed still artwork, accompanied by very competent voice acting, with each battle being further prefaced by a Risk-like battle diagram showing the movements of the various armies. Curiously enough, though, the lush character art works to undercut the epic nature of the story. The enemy characters are simply too cute to convey too much of a threat, grinning mischievously at you from their big, adorable eyes. The units on the battlefield are simple and pleasing to the eye, undertaking their grand confrontations as a collection of colorful sprites. The game has a look that suggests simplicity and accessibility… which allows players to get completely blindsided by the fact that it demands some fairly complex tactical play.
From here, Yggdra Union starts to show off the unique game mechanics which separate it from the standard grid battler. Everything in the game is driven by a mysterious set of cards, which determine everything from your army’s movement and strength to the special skills it can carry into battle. Players must select a deck of cards at the start of each battle, and then choose which card to play on each turn as circumstances dictate. Proper card selection is critical to success, as the card chosen will affect every one of the player’s units on the grid; units must share a common pool of available movement spaces, and likewise all rely on the same card-based attack rating for any skirmishes they may get into. It seems simple at first — play a card; get into fights. However, the card-granted abilities are supplemented by a long list of other vital statistics, including terrain bonuses, special skills and feats, and a rock-paper-scissors advantage system that encompasses eight different types of weaponry. At first glance, it’s an incredibly daunting level of strategy that is belied by the game’s friendly and charming aesthetic.
Thankfully, for players who have a difficult time keeping track of the many statistics that make up the flow of battle, Yggdra Union summarizes each upcoming skirmish with a single symbol representing your chances. While success will obviously come much easier through careful planning and understanding of battle advantages, it’s possible to get used to the battle system just by watching the “Prediction Mark” to forecast victory. Furthermore, the game takes the time to ease you into each individual battle element in an extremely extended tutorial sequence, ensuring you’ve fought at least one battle with each new mechanic before allowing you to access the next. Soon, players will be making use of new skills and commanding their forces effectively through clever troop formations — the “Unions” alluded to in the title. The trick to Yggdra Union is that only one skirmish is allowed per turn of battle, but if units are placed in proper position relative to one another, they will follow each other into fights, allowing for much larger sequences involving multiple units on each side.
The skirmishes themselves allow the player to select real-time tactical choices, but otherwise play out automatically as the teams of sprites flail away at each other, steadily chipping away at each other’s numbers until only one side is left standing. It’s a system that’s been seen as far back as the original Defender of the Crown, though now it goes farther than simply putting units into offensive or defensive stances. Units’ individual feats will allow for various battle-shifting maneuvers, including critical hits, in-battle healing, equipment destruction, and other unique events which play out with a touch of extra spectacle and fanfare. Still, the majority of the fighting is done on auto-pilot, so Yggdra Union has politely included a fast-forward option to let you shorten any battles which are fairly straightforward.
Once a few battles are successfully behind you, Yggdra Union starts to ramp up the level of involvement and complexity. Early battles will see players going to war with a fixed hand of cards, units, and gear, but over time, the typical JRPG advancements start to appear — both your cards and your army units can be leveled up, weapons and gear can be altered prior to battle, and careful selection of skills is required to ensure your army’s prolonged survival against increasingly overwhelming odds. Statistical obsessives and bonus collectors ought to have plenty to look forward to in order to complete Yggdra’s long journey.
Our time with Yggdra Union has barely scratched the surface — the strategic elements look to be deep and complicated enough to warrant several hours of play in order to master them all. Still, if the game continues to progress as it has, Atlus could once again have a very solid title on its hands, making Yggdra Union a game to keep an eye on — especially for those of us who missed it the first time around.
Yggdra Union is scheduled to launch for PSP on September 16th, 2008, and is rated T for Teen.
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