Gamertell Review: Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled for DS

Title: Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled
Price: $29.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: June 9, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Graffiti Entertainment (Studio Archcraft)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes.
Pros: Lots of characters to choose from, NPCs react to different characters in different ways, lots of equipment, detailed character sprites and environments, a huge world to explore, multiple endings, secret characters and a unique storyline.
Cons: The random battle encounter rate is quite high. Some people have reported glitches.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 98/100, A, * * * * 1/2 out of 5

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled is the best DS surprise of 2009. I’d originally heard of the game back when it was called Project Exile. As the first, incredibly expansive RPG of new developer Studio Archcraft, I thought it had a lot of promise. It originally was designed for the GBA, but then altered to run on the the DS instead.

And then, the 2008 release date came and went, with no game. I was a bit disappointed, figuring Black Sigil had joined many other DS games which had been announced, shown some progress and then abruptly been canceled.

Until June 8, 2009, when I realized that Graffiti Entertainment had shown off the game at E3 2009 and it was scheduled for a June 9, 2009 release date. Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled has defied the odds and survived, fantastic news for any DS RPG fan.

If you aren’t a magic user, prepare to be exiled.

In Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled‘s world of Bel Lenora, everyone is able to use magic. However, occasionally a rare individual will appear who is unable to use any kind of magic. When this happens, it means trouble. The last time someone couldn’t use magic, he brought monsters and tragedy into Bel Lenora. He was quickly and forcefully exiled.

Now, another young man named Kairu has appeared who doesn’t have the ability to use magic, an orphan of the same war where the man who couldn’t use magic sought to wreak havoc on Bel Lenora. Adopted by Duke Averay, he’s been raised as his son and trained to become a knight. Though the duke is trying to help arrange situations where Kairu’s magic could awaken, he could end up exiled as well.

A massive world with only one downside, frequent battles.

When I think of Black Sigil, one word comes to mind – massive. It’s a huge game with an enormous world, tons of NPCs, many towns and dungeons, all sorts of equipment and a unique adventure. It’s exquisite. There is so much to do and see that, while Graffiti and Archcraft promise 30 hours of gameplay, I could easily see people investing 40 hours or more into the game, especially if they recruit the two secret characters, constantly change party members to see how NPCs react to different people and replay the game to see the multiple endings.

Then, there’s the detailed sprites. It’s incredible how gorgeous the characters and environments all look. Characters have detailed expressions for various emotional reactions. If you equip new weapons, the characters’ weapon sprites in battle change to depict the new item. I was in awe of how pretty Black Sigil is.

There’s only one downside, and it has to do with the random battles. The encounter rate is very high in Black Sigil. Every three or four steps you’ll likely encounter another battle. In addition, each area seems to have three or four preset battle arrangements, so you’ll likely be running into the same situations multiple times. You can escape from battles by holding down the B button once they occur, but they’re still going to pop up.

Thankfully, battle is almost fun, and becomes quite simple once you have two or three party members. The system is similar to Chrono Trigger, where you move around a battle field to get into the best position, then attack. Touch screen and face button controls both work flawlessly as well, making the ordeals seem like less of a chore.

Fans of Chrono Trigger and the SNES Final Fantasy games need to play Black Sigil.

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled is the best DS surprise of 2009. It’s a fantastic RPG of a caliber that isn’t often seen, and the kind of game that will undoubtedly become a cult classic. The story is fresh, the sprite-based graphics are detailed and gorgeous and there’s plenty to do and see, giving players an excuse to play it over and over again. While the frequent random battles can become a trifle annoying, it’s such a small qualm that it doesn’t impair the experience. If anything, it helps solidify Black Sigil‘s status as an homage to the classic JRPGs that appeared on the SNES.

As for the bugs and glitches…

Personally, I have experienced no bugs or glitches in Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled. I’ve been playing for over 35 hours now, so if there was some sort of problem with the game I’m playing, I think I would have experienced it by now. Some players have been reporting glitches, both in official and unofficial copies. If you do have a problem, I’d suggest getting a replacement copy from the store you purchased it from, as it could just be a bum cartridge.

The only time I did experience anything out of the ordinary with Black Sigil was when I used an Action Replay code I discovered online that eliminated random battles unless I made the character walk while pressing two face buttons. And, even then, the game never froze on me. The white text on the touch screen wouldn’t appear and there were some graphical issues when the code was activated. That’s it.

Site [Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled]