Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata is a PlayStation 2 RPG released in 2004 in Korea by Softmax, and in Japan by Banpresto. It is the sequel to the 2001 CRPG, Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche, and the second installment in the Magna Carta series.
| Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata (aka Magna Carta: Tears of Blood) | |
|---|---|
| File:MagnacartaTOB.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Softmax |
| Publisher(s) | Banpresto Atlus |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 2.0 |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | November 2004 (SK), (JP) November 15, 2005 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
The game was released on November 15, 2005, in North America by Atlus, under the name Magna Carta: Tears of Blood.
Storyline
A war has raged for the longest time between the Humans and Yason. The "hero" of the game, Calintz, is a high-ranking leader of the Tears of Blood, a mercenary squad hired out by the Alliance (for the humans), to take care of problems they otherwise won't, or can't touch. The core group also consists of Azel, a youthful sword wielder who looks up to Calintz for saving him years back, Eonis, a powerful mage, and Haren, martial artist and all around angry type. Save for Azel, they all have a heavy grudge against the Yason for the deaths of friends and family. On the other side, is the Blast Worms, the Yason response to the Tears of Blood. They have 4 warriors of extreme power and magic.
During a flawed battle plan, where the Alliance's use of the forbidden magic failed, Calintz stopped an assault of one of the 4 warriors' summoned familiars, Roxy's 'Steelheart'. After destroying a bridge to prevent advancement, he found himself in a cavern being healed by some unfamiliar woman. Having amnesia, all she remembers is her name, Reith, and that she can use very powerful healing magics. Eventually, they find their way out of the cave, and as a show of thanks for saving him, Calintz offers to take her to Amabat, a city of high-ranking and powerful priestesses. Since Amabat had sent out many priestesses to aid in battle, perhaps she was one of them.
As things progress, Reith, as well as the Tears of Blood and Blast Worms, come to grasp that she is a much more important piece of the puzzle than anyone realized.
Battle System
The game uses a real time battle system that takes elements from Shadow Hearts and the Star Ocean series. Battle consists of up to 3 characters who may move around the battlefield in real-time fashion. The player can only control one character at a time and can only attack when the "leadership meter" fills up to an appropriate amount. When that happens, a character initiates an attack by performing a series of 3 timed button presses (known as the Trinity Ring). If successful, the attack initiates, if not the leadership meter empties and you must wait for it to refill. Characters may attack with various combat "styles" learned in the game, which use different chi types to increase their utility.
Criticism
- The voice acting is by far the lowest point of the game. A heavy lack of inflection and improbable pauses between sentences have most of the characters come off as robotic, or just plain awkward.
- Many parts of the game's translation are inaccurate. Some lines that were displayed in subtitles were not even spoken on screen by the characters.
- The characters' appearances easily alienate the society and world around them, a phenomena not necessarily the fault of the artist, but due to the type of setting the game takes place in.
See also
External links
- Official Site - English
- NittyGritty² Hyung-Tae Kim's official Korean and English fansite
- Oritsuru - Magna Carta: Tears of Blood Section