Stories: The Path of Destinies

It's difficult to wholeheartedly recommend this adventure even to fans of the genre, because it's the sort of game that crumbles under its own steady hands and aversion to doing much new. If you've never played an action RPG like this before, there's a lot that's new to discover. There are a lot of fights, boxes and barrels to smash for items to level up your weapons, skills to unlock, and platforming to maneuver. On the other hand, if you have played games like this before, you know exactly what to expect and won't be in for any surprises. Complicating matters, the 24 endings are achievable by you playing all the way through and playing slightly differently -- usually making different choices between levels -- at pivotal junctions. And you won't know until the very end if you've actually steered toward something new.

The lack of things that are truly new and unique along the way also make it a hard sell to play this title all the way through multiple times. Some players will get bored with one playthrough, as the combat gets repetitive with very few enemy types and strategies to fell them. Stories is a workmanlike pastiche and homage to other games in the same genre, which makes it difficult to get excited about when there are other, simply superior outings that outshine this game.