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| One world, two adventures. |
Threads of Fate is a forgotten RPG made by Squaresoft back in 1999 for the PS1. It was released between big hits like Final Fantasy VIII and Chrono Cross, making it often overlooked by genre fans. Following the stories of two characters out to hunt for a wish-granting ancient relic, it's a game that caught my attention a while back until I finally had the chance to finally play it. It received a PSN release many years ago and I've been playing it on my PS Vita. So, Does Threads of Fate manages to deliver a great experience compared to Square's other big hits?
The story centers around the "Dewprism", an ancient relic capable of granting its wielder any wish they want. We follow two protagonists who are both vying for it due to their own reasons. Rue, is a mysterious boy who aims to revive his dead friend while Mint, is a spoiled princess who plans on conquering the world. Both stories vary in tone since Rue's is more serious and somber while Mint's a humorous, light-hearted one. The characters were an outstanding bunch as I enjoyed Rue and Mint, with slowly getting to see them grow in their own stories. Even the side cast will charm you with them being an odd-but-lovable bunch who aid our heroes in their quests. You get to choose which character you'd like to play as first as well and beating both will unlock an exciting ending scene.
Threads of Fate is an action-RPG where you control your character as you navigate through levels, beating enemies and collecting neat treasures along the way. The game also features platforming segments that can be annoying due to how accurate you must time and land your jumps, which can cause many falls later in the game due to the camera angles. As for the characters, each play differently given their unique abilities. Rue can transform into monsters he defeat and use their abilities while Mint can use magic attacks to pulverize her enemies. Rue can transform up to five monsters at a time and Mint can switch among a wide variety of magic spells, so no character feels lesser than the other.
It's an unconventional RPG when it comes to levelling your characters up, oddly. Basically, there are no levels and instead you level up your MP by using abilities/magic and HP by... getting hit. Stats such as strength and defense can be increased by buying gear or by paying a hefty sum to directly increase them from shops in town. Moreover, there are no restorative items, meaning you'll need to attack enemies to refill the MP gauge and wait for them to drop HP and MP pickups.
The game will take you through a varied selection of levels ranging from a lush forest, deadly mountain, and puzzling underground ruins to name a few. Also, each character has an exclusive level like Rue's Ghost Temple, which you'll need to use his ability to navigate it. Naturally, you'll be fighting bosses in them and they weren't all that challenging. If you do lose, you can restart the boss instantly with little or full MP by collecting different-colored coins scattered throughout the game. I did find the combat clunky as characters often lock-on to objects instead of enemies that are attacking you like in the jungle level where Mint locks onto the windmill instead of the enemies attacking you for some reason. In total, the game took 18 hours to beat as I went for both character stories, so it's a decently-paced ride.
For a 25-year-old game, I'd say that Threads of Fate has held up well. That's due to its colorful character models and neat level design, though the latter can be confusing at times. The dialogue was humorous, packing in lots of witty jokes that made the experience all the more light-hearted. It ran well, however, I did notice some slow-downs during cut-scenes when things got hectic-- thankfully the gameplay was fine. The soundtrack was fantastic, cramming in cheery, tense, and somber that complimented the story's tone. A few of my favorites were the forest, Fancy Mel's, and Carona town themes.
Threads of Fate was an awesome adventure that's jam-packed with heart and humor you rarely see these days. An intriguing premise, lovable characters, and fun gameplay (albeit a little clunky), the game was a blast to play and did a fine job of standing-out among Square's plentiful offerings. While it may not have been on the caliber of a Final Fantasy game, Threads of Fate remains an experience that I'll be remembering for years to come and one that action-RPG fans should seek out.
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