Developed By: LizSoft
Published By: Carpe Fulgur
Date of Release: January 30, 2012
Price: $19.99
Holy cowbells! Another quality Carpe Fulgur release!
KABOOM! Carpe Fulgur has seized the day again! The ace 3-man localization team behind the English versions of successful cult hits Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale and Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters have proven once again that lightning CAN strike more than once, three times in this case. The three prodigies have toiled restlessly to grace us english-speaking gamers yet another awesome title from Japan, and this time the genre is new ground for the team... Metroidvania!
Fortune Summoners: Secret of The Elemental Stone is a highly-polished sidescrolling action RPG that follows in the footsteps of such titles as Castlevania: Symphony of The Night and Ys III, though with an awesomely cute aesthetic. Players take the role of Arche, an adorable young sword-toting girl who sets out on an adventure as she moves to a new town with her family. Little does she know that the quiet town of Tonkiness will be the very place where she finds her true destiny. Arche ends up enrolled in the local magic academy, despite being clueless about the mystical arts. In typical jrpg fashion wacky hijinks ensue, friendships are forged, and soon the heroes are off to save the world!
Ehhh, well maybe things are not QUITE that cliche. Fortune Summoners is definitely on the retro side, however in a good way. The charming 16-bit era graphics fit together wonderfully with the whimsical soundtrack. Fortune Summoners would have felt right at home on the original Playstation. The gameplay feels like a tribute to some of the best action-rpgs of the era, seemingly drawing inspiration from Zelda II, Actraiser, and Ys III. In all you will be controlling three characters: Arche; our sword-toting heroine, Sana; a water mage, and Stella; a rather snooty fire mage. Only by mastering the strengths and weakness of these three characters and learning to combine their talents will players be able to succeed.
Although the general concept may appear to be standard fare for the genre by now, Fortune Summoners manages to avoid feeling cliched mainly because it is filled to the brim with the trademark Carpe Fulgur charm. It is simply a must buy for anyone who is a fan of their previous works, and for jrpg and metroidvania fans alike. The asking price may seem a bit steep, but you get a good 25+ hours of solid RPG goodness for your investment. Here's hoping that Carpe Fulgur keeps the awesome hits coming!
