[PSX 2015] “Ray Gigant” Hands-On

Bandai Namco announced last month that the dungeon crawler RPG would be released stateside on the Vita next year, and we were lucky enough to get a playable local build at the PlayStation Experience. Ray Gigant takes place in a…

Bandai Namco announced last month that the dungeon crawler RPG would be released stateside on the Vita next year, and we were lucky enough to get a playable local build at the PlayStation Experience.

Ray Gigant takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that was ravaged by giant monsters known as gigants.  The game follows a boy who was known to take out a gigant using his powers, and now you’re using him and a few others to save the world.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the idea is reminiscent of Attack on Titan.

I knew nothing about the story before I was thrown in, but at its core, it’s a dungeon-crawling RPG.  While much of the gameplay is based on exploring these dungeons, all the action outside of battle takes place in first-person on a plain that only allows you to move forward one unit at a time, kind of like a board game.

You have a map that’ll help you navigate the dungeon similarly to the way you explore dungeons in the Persona games or Legend of Legacy, as more of the map becomes plotted the further through the dungeon you go.  Spaces marked in different colors normally hide loot, an action you make on that map such as pulling a lever to unlock a door, or simply an enemy encounter.

The act of exploring the dungeon is tiresome, since there’s really no action in doing so, and the environments are really standard and boring.  While most dungeon crawler RPG’s really emphasize sort of avoiding enemies, it’s the battle system that takes front and center in Ray Gigant.

The overall look and feel of the exploration falls flat, but the battle system is where it’s at in this game.

The battle system is turn-based, but you actually dictate the pace of battle.  Each character you take control of can act up to five times, so your character actually has the opportunity to attack five times in one turn.  At the same time, you have to keep in mind the number on your action meter on the upper left corner of the screen, as it dictates what actions you can do.  So if you have one character attack five times, you can’t have your other characters attack as much if at all, so it’s really up to you as to how to distribute responsibilities amongst your party members.

As I navigated the dungeon’s labyrinth and reached the end, I unlocked a special ability that allows my main character to transform into a giant beast and play a rhythm-based minigame to inflict more damage on the enemy.  I didn’t actually survive the battle, but it really showed off the features of the battle system.

Ray Gigant is scheduled for release on the Vita through the PlayStation Network early next year.