The news of a Radiant Historia remake with updated visuals and a new sub-history plot excited fans for a day, but the first batch of screenshots don’t exactly inspire much motivation to double-dip.
Those who have played the original will no doubt recognize the Super Nintendo-esque sprites and pretty much every other visual in the game. So much for the renewed graphics. The biggest change here is that protagonist Stocke has been changed from a badass dude with a masculinely chiseled face to a much cuter man in the style of modern anime.
Fans don’t seem happy about that creative choice at all.
The “remake” does have a few other benefits
As for the other changes, the sub-history plot still is the biggest lure to jump back into the title. The addition of voice acting doesn’t really add much for me since I turn off voices when I play most handheld JRPGs anyway. I can read the text faster than the voice actors can deliver it to me.
“Remake” sounds a little misleading here. “Advanced port with bonus content” fits the bill a little better. I can absolutely recommend it for those who might have missed the original since its one of the best JRPGs of the last ten years. However, I would recommend waiting for those looking to dive in again, just to make sure that they aren’t buying what they already own.
Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology will be released for the Nintendo 3DS on June 29. Check below for after and before images of Stocke. The English screenshot is his original face. The change would be funny if it hadn’t angered so many fans. Now, it’s hilarious!
