The title “Unchained Blades” doesn’t sound like it belongs to a first-person dungeon crawler, though this misleading title may be intentional; XSEED’s upcoming PSP/3DS eShop RPG offers much more attitude than the likes of similar games such as Etrian Odyssey. Where Atlus’ own take on the genre has your party of wide-eyed warriors creeping through somber (and deadly) labyrinths, Unchained Blades adds significantly more personality by focusing on a protagonist who seeks nothing more than revenge via ass-kicking. The game throws you into the role of a former Dragon Emperor cursed to walk the Earth in human form after riling up a wish-granting goddess atop a lofty tower. And what plan could be smarter than immediately setting out to repeat your past mistakes? Essentially, the story follows a video game character retracing his steps from an unseen previous adventure, which I find deeply hilarious for some reason.
The game’s unruly anime teen vibe may feel a bit immature, but UB’s over-the-top antics don’t amount to simple set dressing; they extend to the mechanics themselves for an RPG experience that adds some spice to the typically methodical process of mapping out each and every square of a dungeon — and don’t act like you’re not compelled to do the same. A few of these ideas may seem ridiculous in the context of a Wizardry clone, but developer FuRyu (made up of Lunar and Grandia vets) has thrown together a memorable assortment of RPG systems that should impress dungeon crawlers who think they’ve seen it all.
