A Prequel Worth Playing
As a gamer who has adored Yggdra Union since it was first localized for the GBA and a longtime fan of the Imperial Army, I've been following Blaze Union since it was first announced--and now that I've gotten to play it, I'm happy to see that it's delivered.
Much like Yggdra Union, Blaze Union has a lot of gameplay depth and is beautifully rendered. At first it was a bit disconcerting to go from Kiyudzuki Satoko's cute and imaginative designs to Kousaki Rui's more classical yet beautifully shaded artwork, but I got used to the change quickly. There are a few minor glitches in gameplay and a slight sound lag, but neither are problematic in the long run, and Yggdra Union's systems have been streamlined for greater ease of play.
The feature I was most looking forward to--the story branches--was a wonderful addition. The Dept. Heaven series tends to have multiple endings, but these are usually based on a choice you make towards the end of the game and do not have much effect on the story other than the ending itself, but Blaze Union has multiple paths almost as if it's a visual novel. It was very interesting to see what exactly led up to Yggdra Union, and also to get the chance to try to reach a better future.
All three of the paths (Garlot's, Aegina's, and Thortie's) are well-written and diverge widely. I do kind of wish that more characters were given the chance to take the spotlight (where's my Nessiah good ending, Sting?!), but that's probably just me being greedy. There's a lot of replay value here between the mission choices and the different endings. Thus far, I think that Aegina's path is my favorite.
Hayashi Shigeki's score is beautiful as ever, and I definitely plan to spring for the OST and the artbook in the future!
Prospective buyers should remember that Blaze Union is a highly cerebral game and thus not for everyone, and as compared to the other Dept. Heaven games, there is more mature subject matter (human trafficking, attempted sexual assault, etc.) that some players may have trouble handling. Still, I think these things are beneficial to the story and help to illustrate the troubled times the heroes live in.
The only two things I'm actually dissatisfied with are the recasting of most characters (their old voice actors were replaced with more mainstream people) because I liked some of the old cast better, and the way Nessiah is written in Thortie's path (he felt a bit out-of-character to me compared to the other games).
Still, the sheer amount of awesome in this game is more than enough to outweigh those flaws. Definitely a must-buy for anybody who likes well-written and emotional strategy RPGs and fans of the Dept. Heaven series!
