Anime-based video games are a dime-a-dozen nowadays. Considering the accelerated popularity growth of Japanese animation being localized and ported to our shores it is no wonder that such video game spinoffs, a traditional supplement to the Japanese videogame market, have begun to trickle here as well. This should really be no surprise; after all, even our own animated feature films have their videogame counterparts. Ice Age, Chicken Little, The Little Mermaid, Ducktails, and so forth all the way back to the early days of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System have all had their videogame spinoffs. Japanimation has such a large following in America now, though, it only makes sense - at least economically - to start bringing such games into the North American mainstream.

Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword. Such titles - and this is true of games based on North American animated films as well - run the gamut of awful to awesome. You have some very high quality titles such as Super Dragon Ball Z, perhaps one of the best fighters for the PlayStation 2, and some rather piss-poor titles such as One Piece: Grand Adventure.

Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel leans more toward the latter category. It is, overall, a sub-average game that does more to frustrate than engage players, particularly those that are not intimately familiar with the popular anime series of the same name. For starters, players are given an entirely new, original character to play around with - instead of requiring that the player use one of the protagonists from the series, the series characters instead become a supporting cast for Janis, the new female protagonist created for the purpose of this game. Though others tend to frown upon this design decision, I rather appreciated it. The world of Inuyasha is robust enough to support characters other than the ones featured in the anime, and I find it troublesome to play as an already-established character in an RPG. RPGs are about building and evolving one's character throughout the course of a game, and usually an "unknown" is better suited to such development.

That said, other than the Inuyasha setting, this is an RPG like so many others before it. Both the plot and the combat systems are relatively uninspired. Players can use the stylus or the directional pad and buttons to select offensive and defensive actions during battle, allowing the main character to aid other party members. Still, battles are rather easy and far too numerous. Combat becomes rote and repetitive almost as soon as the battles begin, and with a severely-high combat rate, this is nearly unforgivable.

Graphically, at least, the game is pleasant and hearken back to some of the better Gameboy Advance RPG's graphic style. While it won't impress gamers expecting something like Final Fantasy III or Tales of the Tempest (currently only available in Japan, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a stateside release), the graphics fit in with the rest of the game.

Ultimately, the flaws in Secret of the Divine Jewel outweigh its boons, and the game begins to feel more like work than play. With a high encounter rate, long-winded battle resolutions, and a subpar plot only the staunchest Inuyasha enthusiasts should bother with this title. With Contact and Final Fantasy III now in the Nintendo DS library as well as a robust, high-quality, and fully-compatible Gameboy Advance RPG library for the system, a title such as Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel is not really worth one's time. Which is sad, because the anime is rather interesting on its own.

Feb 23, 2007 | 0 comments
Roger Helgeson