Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
High-quality action RPG with some mild fantasy combat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
The world is under attack by a being bent on world destruction in LUFIA: CURSE OF THE SINISTRALS, a retelling of the second chapter in the long-running Lufia series of role-playing games. The story begins with a single adventurer named Maxim but soon expands to include five more characters; three men and two women. Each has his or her own special attacks and abilities, and players can choose their equipment. Outside of combat, players will explore towns, chat with non-player characters, and figure out environmental puzzles that will require them to make use of their characters’ special abilities to progress, like latching a hookshot onto a post to cross a gap.
Is It Any Good?
This may be a remake of a sequel that came out 15 years ago but that’s no reason for younger players to avoid it; there are no vital connections to other entries in the franchise. Plus, it’s a good game. Polished polygonal graphics give depth to the game’s world, characters engage in intelligent and emotional dialogue, and a neat level boosting feature ensures less experienced players won’t get stuck on harder battles.
The sole weak spot may be combat. Simply jamming on buttons to repeatedly attack foes can get a little repetitive. However, the game’s frequent environmental puzzles serve as a nice break between fights, forcing players to stop and think rather than just constantly attack. Much of what’s here will probably feel a bit derivative to genre veterans, but that doesn’t mean it’s not well executed. Action RPG lovers will be well served.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fantasy violence. Why is it generally less scary and disturbing to fight and dispatch amorphous blobs, floating insects, and horned beasts in a game like this than it is to fight human foes in other games? What does it mean to kill a monster in a game as opposed to a person?
Families can also discuss game difficulty. Do you feel more satisfied if you beat a really hard game? Or would you prefer to be able to ramp down the level of challenge if you get stuck? Do you feel like games should be about overcoming hunkering-down adversity or just kicking back and relaxing?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Natsume
- Release date : October 12, 2010
- Genre : Role-Playing
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 30, 2016
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