Exstetra review

There was an all too brief moment in the early 2010s when Japanese role-playing games thrived on consoles. Both the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita served as a home to dozens of mid-budget adventures. Sure, they might have lacked the spectacle or budgets of their console brethren. But they compensated with everything from earnest storytelling, quirky mechanics, and plenty of charm.

Furyu was one of the studios who lead that charge, publishing efforts like The Legend of Legacy, Lost Dimension, and eventually The Caligula Effect. Nestled in that pack was 2013’s Exstetra, a RPG that debuted on Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Now, it’s come to PC in a package that offers few improvements to fidelity or performance. But at least it finally made it across the Pacific!

Unlike many of its peers, Exstetra never officially left Japan. But thirteen years on, shifting sensibilities has meant that Western players finally get to enjoy one of Studio Saizensen’s more curious efforts. Obviously, revising a game from that era has a certain nostalgic appeal. Yes, the graphics are a bit dated, the production values are modests, and some design decisions can feel a bit rusty. But if you’re someone who appreciates this period of gaming, there’s a comfort in the familiarity. I expect a lot of my peers to nick-pick Exstetra. But I’d point out there’s something rewarding about a RPG that favors momentum over bloat.

When Heroes Fall Right Out of the Sky

The plot starts with about as much subtlety as a meteor strike, because that’s what’s happens. Protagonist Ryoma tumbles out of the sky into the woods of Amazia, a mirror-world that’s somehow been fused with modern Tokyo. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. A spear-wielding priestess informs him that he’s the Prisma, the chosen conduin who’s capable to siphoning mystic energy from enemies and pumping it into his allies.

Conveniently, his companion have all been pulled one-by-one from a deteriating Tokyo, with their own motivations for assisting the Prisma. The method of awaking their inner power is a kiss, which becomes Exstetra’s core theme. Yes, saving the world means smoothing girls and guys, with puckering up nearly as important as leveling up.

And yes, Studio Saizensen doesn’t do much to redeem the “amsensiac savior who falls from the sky” trope. There’s not much payoff learning about Ryoma’s past and the game signals it’s answer to a cataclymic sitation within the first half hour. But that’s not the point here. The premise is more scaffolding then pulpy storyline that allows Exstetra to move along with longwinded exposition. Dialogue exchanges are short, cutscenes are infrequent but important, and the game is smart enough to not squander its momentum between dungeons. Best of all, there’s a sense of humor that’s applied to the plot, with a boss fight interrupted by a bit of awkward banter leading up to the lip locking. Not everything has to be so serious in the 2010s.

Of Rows and Romance

Given the game’s age, its not surprising that combat is rooted in a fairly conventional turn-based structure. The one twists is that positioning has a bit more importance, stifling the attacks of melee users. Characters are positioned into rows, and where they stand determines who’s eating hits and who’s safely lobbing spells from the back. Naturally, there are advantages to be found. Knock a front-liner back and they’ll squander a turn shuffling back into place. Meanwhile, spells can affect multiple units on the same row. It’s not revolutionary, but it does keep you from mashing the strongest attack you can access every round. And hey, if you have no interest in stratifying, you can let the CPU do the min-maxing for you.

Of course, there’s also the kissing, which is execution is more goofy than romantic. Luckily, there’s a toggle if you want to skip it immediately or are in public with a separate toggle for snogging the dudes. That said, the moments of hesitation leading up to the guy-on-guy pucker are some of the funnier moments in the whole game. Others react with embarrassment, confusion, or outright disbelief, making the build-up better than the actual mini-game.

Sure, the mechanics of coming closer, planting one, and holding it to build up a moment (just not too long, or else its awkward) embody the uncertainly a first kiss. But these sequence lose their appeal quickly. Once the novelty wears off, they’re little more than a repetitive interruption between dungeon crawls, especially since the outcome is rarely ever in doubt.

Dungeon Crawling x Lip Locking

Fortunately, Exstetra has the good sense not to overuse the sequences. Largely battles are still decided by party composition, exploiting weaknesses, and the summon spells and special rather than how good your simulated kissing is. Sure, the gimmick may have helped the game gain some attention in 2013 (alongside Monster Monpiece’s suggestive rubbing) but it’s the dependable combat underneath that mini-game that keeps the adventure engaging for its twenty-plus hour runtime.

What’s more interesting is that the game is quietly keeping score behind the smooching. How often and who Ryoma makes out with gets tracked throughout with the secrecy of your favorite social media platform. You might witness a few, short branching conversations, but the different influence is how you behaviors will steer you toward a specific ending. Sure, it’s a barely-there relationship system wrapped up in a silly mini-game, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun with it.

Where Exstetra runs out of ideas is in its level design. Every major dungeon follows the same basic shapes of circular tunnels, alcoves with treasure chests, and bosses; they’re just stretched a bit longer as you progress. Enemies don’t change much either. Some of same monsters from the first area keep reappearing dungeon after dungeon with a stat bump instead of any kind of redesign. Honestly, that’s just how a lot of Vita-era JRPGs were back then.

Still Worth a Peck

Exstetra is a cool curiosity worth revisiting. Sure, it’s built around an curious hook. But the game often frames is kissing as awkward rather then sexy, providing a bit more humor that the game’s premise might suggest. If you appreciate a bit of silliness, the rest of rest of Exstetra is ranges from competent to commendable, with everything from basic dungeons to an interesting battle system. For anyone chasing that 2013 handheld-JRPG feeling, Exstetra is definitely worth picking up. It might not be love at first kiss, but its hard to deny the attraction.

Exstetra was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.