Record of Agarest War Zero
- April 17, 2014
- Idea Factory
- 27h median play time
Get on Steam"Record of Agarest War Zero" is a prequel to the original strategy RPG, Agarest War. This game follows a new protagonist, Weiss, as he fights to save the world from a terrible fate. The game features a unique generational battle system, where the decisions you make in battle can affect the appearance and abilities of your descendants. With stunning visuals and an engaging story, "Record of Agarest War Zero" is a must-play for fans of the series.
Reviews
- The game features a great strategy combat system that encourages tactical thinking and skill combinations.
- The character interactions and affection system add depth to the gameplay, making it engaging for players who enjoy relationship dynamics.
- The artwork and character designs are visually appealing, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- The game suffers from excessive grinding and repetitive battles, which can lead to player fatigue over time.
- The story is often criticized for being generic and lacking depth, making it hard for players to stay invested.
- Technical issues such as crashes and poor optimization can hinder the gameplay experience, especially on certain platforms.
- story136 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Agarest: Generations of War Zero" is often described as thin and repetitive, with many players finding it difficult to engage due to its pacing and the overwhelming amount of dialogue. While some appreciate the character relationships and the prequel context it provides, others criticize the blandness of the plot and the tediousness of the battles that interrupt the narrative flow. Overall, the game is seen as lacking the depth and intrigue found in its predecessor, making it less appealing for those seeking a compelling story.
“The story is perfect for a prequel.”
“The storyline and combat system is great in my opinion, took a while to get a proper understanding on how some things work, like capturing enemies, and some things I'm still a bit puzzled on, but it's great.”
“Excelent game, the story is simply amazing, it will surely make you love the characters and make you feel sad should you lose one.”
“The storyline is bland and generic and offers nothing intriguing or exciting to the player.”
“The parts that talk about the storyline are tedious and bland at best and ultimately unfulfilling for the player.”
“After half an hour of mind-numbing matches, you will get a few lines of dialogue about the main story, which is really hard to get invested in with all the usual cliches of JRPGs and paper-thin characters around it.”
- gameplay48 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitiveness and grindy nature, especially compared to the original game, which featured a more engaging generational mechanic. While some appreciate the familiar combat mechanics and the depth of the battle system, others criticize the lack of strategic elements and the overwhelming amount of dialogue that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game offers a lengthy playtime but may frustrate players with its tedious aspects and reliance on gear.
“I do recommend it, but understand my recommendation is based on my love of the gameplay itself and the battle system.”
“The gameplay, while at first glance appears simple, is, in a word, 'multi-layered'.”
“Amaizing game, really has that authentic JRPG feel, enjoyable gameplay, great art and music - what more could you want?”
“The plot is stretched very thin, the gameplay is extremely repetitive, and towards the end, it becomes obnoxiously grindy - gotta sell those DLC boost packs after all!”
“The main problem with this game is that the heart of the gameplay, the tactical fighting, is incredibly boring.”
“Its tedious, grindy, and has some really awkward gameplay.”
- grinding37 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, often leading to player boredom despite some initial enjoyment. Many reviewers note that the combat becomes monotonous over time, with significant grinding required to progress, especially in later stages. While some players appreciate the challenge and complexity, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is not suitable for those who dislike grinding, as it heavily relies on it for advancement.
“The plot is stretched very thin, the gameplay extremely repetitive, and towards the end obnoxiously grindy - gotta sell those DLC boost packs after all!”
“It's boring, it's tedious, it feels like a waste of time no matter how calculated your moves are or how creative you are.”
“With more boss fights and less tedious grind, this game would've been a good or at least decent experience, but since it isn't, it's hard to recommend this game to anyone without a word of warning about the significant boredom factor that this game has.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant artwork and character designs, while others criticize the overall quality, especially in comparison to similar titles. Some players appreciate the nostalgic pixel art style, but note that animations and combat graphics feel outdated. Overall, the visuals are seen as a blend of charming and disappointing, depending on individual expectations.
“The graphics are just beautiful and vibrant on PC; it has full controller support but I do not recommend using it.”
“I enjoyed the graphics and the monsters.”
“A very nice JRPG, it proves its worth from its storyline, voice acting, and artwork.”
“Graphics are pretty poor considering similar styled games (think, Trails in the Sky by Falcom) are older and still look as good, or better in places.”
“Graphics and animations are trash, although character portraits are decent.”
“The graphic's not good too.”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and fitting the overall tone, while others criticize it as generic and repetitive. Many note that the soundtrack includes remixes from previous titles but lacks quality, leading to a sense of boredom during extended gameplay. Overall, while some appreciate the battle themes and character themes, others feel the music detracts from the experience due to its lack of variety and engagement.
“I loved the theme, I loved the writing, the characters, the overall tone of the game and the music.”
“It has good Japanese voice over, very good OST, good characters, good story (if you didn't play other Agarest games).”
“Amazing game, really has that authentic JRPG feel, enjoyable gameplay, great art and music - what more could you want?”
“Music, by the way, is mostly remixes of themes from Agarest 1, but with less quality instruments for some reason.”
“Very generic bad rock music one moment, bloopy horns with a vaguely villainous vibe the next, then an annoying synth track for no reason.”
“And don't even mention the horrible battle music which repeats itself without a single twitch throughout my entire 30-hour gameplay.”
- humor6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The humor in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it extremely unfunny and poorly written, while others appreciate the cheesy dialogue and character interactions that elicit genuine laughs. Although it doesn't reach the comedic heights of titles like Disgaea, certain characters and moments provide a level of charm that can be amusing despite their flaws. Overall, the humor is hit-or-miss, with some finding it entertainingly bad.
“It looks hilarious.”
“The storyline to this game is funny.”
“Grinding, flashy move sets, very interesting stat building, with some cheesy dialogue for those chuckles that make you go, wow that was terrible, but still funny.”
“Extremely unfunny attempts at humor.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting that while the character designs and voice acting are visually appealing, the characters themselves lack depth and personality due to a bland script. Despite the initial allure of the flashy style, players feel that there is little to no meaningful character growth throughout the game.
“The character designs are great.”
“Straight out of the heart of Japan with its flashy style and exaggerated character designs, this game drew me in right away with its setting and characters.”
“The voice acting and somewhat pretty character designs aren't enough to carry the personalityless characters through with the bland script.”
“As of my progress in the game, there is no character development.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while improvements have been noted in combat pacing and reduced lag compared to its predecessor, Agarest 1, some users still find issues with the user interface. Overall, players who enjoy NIS/Compile Heart titles may still appreciate the experience despite these optimization concerns.
“This is due to poor optimization in the UI and the pacing of the combat.”
“If you played Agarest 1, they fixed the lag in Zero; no more stuttering at the start of battles when everything pops. It's pretty fluid, other than that it's pretty good if you like NIS/Compile Heart games.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users generally find the replayability of the game to be high, noting that it significantly enhances their enjoyment and overall experience.
“The replay value is pretty high too.”
“However, the replay value is what made it more fun for me.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players often find themselves forming deep emotional attachments to the characters, enhancing their overall gaming experience and investment in the story.
“You may become emotionally attached to the characters.”
“The game evokes a deep sense of empathy and connection with the story.”
“I found myself feeling a range of emotions throughout the gameplay.”
