Just managing to weave two distinct plots together, to play them against one another, and to keep them focused despite the ever-shifting flow of time is a real triumph. That isn’t to say the story doesn't use time in an important way, and in fact it is sublime. Success in battle can only be achieved by altering the flow of turns to maximize the effect of attacks and to provide the necessary opportunities for defense. Combatants move beyond the combat grid, as an element of strategy they literally move through time. A fine example of this theme is the combat system where much of the strategy requires using time as a weapon. It's more than a game of time travel, time is a core construct of gameplay. Comparisons to Chrono Trigger are common, but they sell the Radiant Histora short: time is more than a story it’s the singular attribute that links every element. Stocke, Raynie, and Marco in and out of battleĪtlus made a brave decision in creating a game full of time travel and alternate histories. To me, what is important in this space is that I explain the thing that make Radiant Historia special, the thing that made this game magic. I’ve already spent thousands of words, both spoken and written, doing just that.

What I’m not going to use this space to do is provide a eulogy for the DS, or retread all the reasons I love this game. It turns out Radiant Historia was quite a bit more it wound up being one of the best RPGs the DS has ever seen – and, unlike many on the system, an original one to boot.

A new DS RPG literally weeks before the launch of the 3DS seemed the perfect bridge from old hardware to new.

When I reviewed Radiant Historia, about nine months ago, it became the singular focus of my existence.

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