Black/Matrix AD (ブラックマトリクス AD), launched 9/30/1999, developed by Flight Plan, printed by NEC Interchannel
I’ve identified about Flight Plan for a very long time due to their Summon Evening collection, which I actually like. I had heard of Black/Matrix however by no means really performed any of the video games till now. The collection has basically 4 video games — Black/Matrix (with two ports), Black/Matrix 2 (for PS2), Black/Matrix Zero (for GBA) and the semi-remake Black/Matrix 00 (for PS1).
The unique sport first got here out for Saturn in 1998, then had two ports: AD for the Dreamcast in 1999, and Cross for the Ps in 2000. From what I learn, it looks like AD is considered the most effective model apart from some criticism of the graphical adjustments, so I made a decision to play that one. I’m utilizing the Flycast emulator which is working effectively (it runs extra effectively than the Saturn emulator).
The setting is predicated on a mixture of Christian and Jewish components (together with extra-Biblical issues like Lilith as the primary spouse of Adam), though it takes place in basically a fantasy world. The opening narration tells you that previously, the world was dominated by the Evil God referred to as “God”, however Mephistopheles defeated God within the identify of the Good God “Devil”. The followers of God, who’ve white wings, had been made everlasting slaves of the followers of Devil, who’ve black wings. The world is run by the church dedicated to Devil, who stamps out the Seven Lethal Sins: Love, Freedom, Justice, Righteousness, Weak spot, and Equality.
The very first thing you do is select your primary character’s “grasp”. There are 5 selections, though it’s form of odd as a result of the grasp solely reveals up within the first chapter after which on the finish of the sport. Within the authentic Saturn model the opposite 4 didn’t seem in any respect, however within the Dreamcast model they added the power to get the others in your occasion. I selected Domina (which the cursor begins out on).
Chapter 1 is completely different from the remainder of the sport. Domina has apparently nursed the principle character Abel again to well being, however within the meantime has fallen in love with him. The enslaved white winged persons are typically not allowed to put on garments or stroll round with no neck collar/chain.
What you do to start with is stroll round Domina’s home and do numerous duties that improve Abel’s stats. You can also make this go on for fairly some time if you would like. You might have a sure variety of AP every day and may do issues like cook dinner, learn books, plow the sphere, and such. I’m not totally positive what the aim of that is, or how lengthy it might go on, however you’ll be able to finish this half by going to city. There, folks react badly to Abel having garments and being with out his grasp, and later, inquisitors come to take Domina away for being in love with Abel, and Abel will get taken to jail as effectively. The SRPG correct begins with chapter 2.
Within the cell, you get to check out the battle system in opposition to Lebrobes. There are two options that I acknowledge from Summon Evening — you’ll be able to set every individual’s response model (evade, counter, block) everytime you need in your flip. Additionally the levelling is all finished after the battle; you get XP as a lump sum that you simply spend to stage up characters. I vastly choose this to the system the place it’s a must to unfold your kills round to ensure everyone seems to be levelling evenly.
Every flip you’ve two “motion factors”. Most actions take 1 AP and you may’t repeat the identical motion twice. Utilizing an merchandise takes 0 however can solely be finished as soon as. The “blood refill” command takes 2 AP. You may take the actions any order you need, and you may transfer one character, then forged a spell with one other, then do an assault with the primary character, and so forth.
The magic system works off the “biorhythm” graph on the prime proper. Every motion advances the counter one bar. A inexperienced bar is elevated effectiveness and a blue bar is lowered. While you use a spell of a selected sort it adjustments the gauge to that sort; every sort has its personal development. So if you use spells you need to wait till the biorhythm is favorable.
When an enemy is lowered to 0 hp, they’re useless, however any heal spell or merchandise will carry them again. An extra hit on a useless character will scale back them to bones, stopping this (if this occurs to your guys, they’re completely useless until they’re a core story character).
The truth that the useless character comes again nonetheless capable of transfer and act creates an annoying stability situation with enemy healers, particularly later within the sport. The primary therapeutic spell within the sport has a really extensive space. It may be fairly simple for the enemies to revive a number of items and get all of them again to full HP on their flip, so usually it’s essential be sure to are eradicating the enemies and never simply killing them.
While you defeat enemies you get “blood factors”, and typically you get extra blood factors for eradicating them (however not all the time). These blood factors are utilized in two methods. First, you can provide them to characters earlier than the battle begins, and they’re used to forged spells and use particular skills of weapons. Any remaining blood factors are carried over so there’s usually no motive to not simply max everybody’s BP out. Throughout battle you should use “blood refill” as a 2 AP motion to make use of blood factors you’ve earned up to now in that battle to complement what you’ve.
The opposite use for blood factors is to make use of “ritual” to awaken skills of weapons. It is a cryptic a part of the system (apparently the collection as a complete is thought for this type of factor). You spend blood factors to awaken three skills on every merchandise. However what the talents really do is obscure, and a few of them are adverse. However apparently if you happen to do issues proper (in the proper order?) you’ll be able to unlock hidden skills and such. I by no means found out how to do that; there’s no rationalization within the sport or the instruction guide. From what I noticed in movies you may get game-breakingly highly effective weapons by means of this, however by the tip of the sport I hadn’t even discovered half of the out there skills.
There may be additionally peak and dealing with within the system. The clock under the biorhythm chart is a bit unclear to me as effectively; some objects work higher at sure instances however I don’t know if there may be extra to the clock system than that.
Lastly, as your characters get these “armor” objects, you can begin utilizing the armor energy — I by no means actually found out use this effectively. The talents have odd areas of impact and require a considerable amount of energy (they take the turns of a number of characters plus an enormous quantity of BP). I feel that if you happen to actually have a superb deal with on the world of impact you would use them to do large quantities of harm however I hardly used them in any respect as a result of it wasn’t price spending a lot BP and AP simply to hit just a few folks.
General the gameflow is straight by means of the 12 chapters. There are just a few locations the place there are alternate battles inside a chapter, and you may skip one or two battles, however there aren’t any large story branches. The unique Saturn model had just one ending, however the Dreamcast provided a number of endings (I’m unsure what number of — there are two potential last battles in addition to a nasty “sport over” ending however there are a number of methods to succeed in every of the ultimate battles and I don’t know if that ends in greater than two endings.)
One change within the graphics is that the unique Saturn model had the story scenes happen on the 3D maps, whereas the Dreamcast remake has the model you see within the screenshot above. The character designs had been additionally utterly redone by a unique artist, which resulted in some disappointment. There are additionally numerous transient video clips.
The sport begins out fairly arduous, as you’ve few characters, and no alternative to buy or do any aspect levelling. Ultimately I discovered which you could all the time use a store earlier than a battle to no less than purchase fundamental therapeutic objects, even when it is senseless within the story. So far as the aspect levelling, in cities you could find a hooded man that provides you with a free battle, nevertheless it’s not likely price it. You barely even get half the XP essential to stage one character, so you would need to spend plenty of time grinding to have even a minor impact.
The sport turns into simpler if you get extra folks and get into the sport, nevertheless it will get a lot more durable once more close to the tip. The enemy forces have much more healers in them and are available in bigger bunches. Additionally in the previous couple of battles you lose your main healer and also you get caught with pre-set events. I used to be near quitting on the third to final battle, however I discovered that I might beat the sport by exploiting poor AI to select the enemies off one after the other.
The storyline tends to be fairly darkish. Abel units out to save lots of Domina, however first they’ve to seek out out the place she is. As he travels by means of the land, he goes to numerous cities that exemplify the “virtues” like gluttony and greed, whereas selecting up numerous companions. The objective turns into for the characters to seek out fits of armor which are linked to the seven “evil” angels (Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and so forth.) To place these armor fits on the folks have to tear their wings off after which the armor will fuse with them, however it will ultimately outcome of their deaths.
The storyline is a little bit of a large number; plenty of the knowledge is revealed in data dumps close to the tip and includes all types of Biblical and mythological characters: Lilith, Adam and Eve, Moses, Noah, Jepetah (Noah’s daughter), Metatron, and different folks.
Ultimately we discover Domina crucified, and it seems that one way or the other the principle character is each the reincarnated of Mephisto and Metatron, and the Pope (who is definitely Jepetah in addition to different stuff too) tells the principle character that the world will quickly be destroyed. He has just a few choices for coping with it — the principle ones are that he can sacrifice everybody else, save Domina, and he and Domina can delivery a brand new populace to folks the world. One other is that he can provide up Domina so as to save the world as it’s now, which incorporates the slavery of the white winged folks. I’m unsure which of those endings was the one one provided within the Saturn model, however I feel it was the second. (There’s additionally form of a nasty/joke ending that outcomes if you happen to say you need to quit Domina and go off by your self to discover a peaceable place to dwell).
I made a decision to go together with the primary possibility as a result of it appeared like the ultimate battle was simpler. You must combat your individual companions however they solely assault you one after the other so you’ll be able to simply decide them off.
The ending is actually abrupt; a flood destroys the world and then you definitely see this scene and it tells you that Domina grew to become the brand new Eve, however she doesn’t appear to be she’s utterly in her proper thoughts. Then the credit roll and that’s it.
One different facet of the sport are the battle ranks — in every stage you get a rank primarily based on numerous issues. The primary ones are the variety of turns and actions you took, however there are another issues like not utilizing magic in dangerous biorhythm phases, and some different issues of that nature. The rank impacts the merchandise rewards you get after the battle. This jogs my memory a little bit of the “courageous clear” system they put in later Summon Evening video games. One factor I do marvel about this sport is whether or not you would funnel all of the XP into the principle character and clear the sport simply.
General the sport is OK. I feel the story is a bit too bold; it seems like plenty of instances all of the biblical stuff is form of thrown in there with out plenty of coherency, and the ending is approach too abrupt. I checked out a video of the unique Saturn ending. Your complete closing sequence was rewritten for the Dreamcast model, however the Saturn ending has the world being totally destroyed apart from the principle character (who reverts to an adolescent) and the principle “grasp” you selected, and the suggestion is that they will be the brand new Adam and Eve to populate the world once more. In order that’s form of much like the Dreamcast ending I obtained.
The system will not be the worst I’ve seen, however the lack of transparency within the weapon system is annoying, and among the levels appear unfair. However the sport is playable and has some good concepts in it. I’ll have an interest to see the way it develops for Black Matrix 2 (for the PS2).
