Whether the change has been caused by the massive growth of the videogame industry, huge sales of Japanese role-playing games in the U.S., like Final Fantasy VII, or a combination of those two factors, the bottom line is that things have indeed changed.
Nowadays, it's cool and hip for company's to go after these eccentric Japanese games and role-playing games. SCEA has seen fit to bring out titles like Parappa and Um Jammer Lammy, and just about every single U.S. publisher has made serious attempts at licensing Japanese role-playing games.
One of the companies that has been going after these Japanese titles and delivering them to the U.S. gaming public has been Atlus. With titles like Thousand Arms, Revelations: Persona, Tactics Ogre and Ogre battle already under its belt, Atlus has done a superb job as establishing itself one of the premier publisher of Japanese-developed role-playing games in the U.S.
The latest title that Atlus has grabbed up for release stateside is the peculiar musical adventure that was developed by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan, titled Puppet Princess. Renamed for its North American release to Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, the game is a musical adventure that features characters that sing and dance at key points in the storyline.
Rhapsody follows the exploits of Cornet, a girl that is gifted with the special ability to talk with puppets (in our world, this wouldn't be considered a special ability.) She adventures through Marl's Kingdom in search for her one true love and meets up with numerous characters and enlists the help of many magical creatures along the way.
The game's graphics feature hand-drawn anime characters and deliciously colorful hand-drawn 2D backgrounds. The battle's take place from an isometric perspective and each character in the party is able to move and attack during battle. Attacks include hand-to-hand combat, missile weapons, and numerous humorous special attacks, such as the pancake attack.
While the game does feature a lot of childish elements and might be aimed towards a younger audience, it does feature quite a few elements that should please any hardcore RPG fan.
Character Introduction
Cornet Espoir The 16 year old heroine of the game. She enjoys singing and playing the cornet. She is always cheerful, which makes her very popular. She is a good cook and has a strong aversion to frogs. Kururu Kururu is a fairy puppet. Cornet's best friend who goes everywhere Cornet goes. She likes cherries, and doesn't like anything sour. Unlike normal puppets, she can talk and move around like a human, and there's a secret to this... |
Etoile Rosenqueen A 16 year old girl from a wealthy family. She has been Cornet's rival since childhood. She likes to dress up and always has to be the center of attention. |
Prince Ferdinand The 17 years old Prince of the Kingdom of Marl. He spends his time hunting and practicing his swordsmanship. |
Cherie Espoir Cherie is Cornet's mother. She likes cherries, and doesn't like anything sour. |
Villains
Marjoly
She is the leader of the Marjoly Family. She claims to be only twenty years old, but it's rumored that she's at least 100. She loves handsome boys and falls in love with the Prince and wants to keep him for herself. Unfortunately, she accidentally turns him into stone.
Myao
This witch's age is unknown. Myao is one of Marjoly's three sidekicks. Myao's gang includes Burg, Nyanko, Nyanki, and Nyanchi. She likes to keep pets, one of which is a dragon.
Gao
Another of Marjoly's henchmen, this witch is a very passionate fighter.
Crowdia
The last of Marjoly's henchmen, Crowdia is strikingly beautiful, but a vain narcissist. She can fly using her beautiful black wings. Her pet crow often perches itself on her shoulder.
Puppets
Sharte The first puppet to join Cornet's party. One of a few characters that can use healing magic. Sharte is on a quest to find her twin sister, Terra. | |
Terra Sharte's twin sister. Her forte is attacking with magic. | |
Billy The eldest of the three Eggmen brothers. He is very good with magic. | |
Tell The middle of the three Eggmen brothers. He is an excellent archer. | |
Kid The youngest of the three Eggmen brothers. He is a very adept fighter.
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L-kun Cornet finds this Teddy Bear-like character while looking for a costume for the beauty contest. Later he joins her party. L-kun wields thunder magic. | |
Koro This dog died saving his owner, Alfredo, who was drowning in a river. He was turned into a puppet and joined Cornet in hopes that one day he could return to Alfredo. | |
Ledgem Ledgem is the messenger of the monster god, Fate, comes to Marl to see how the monsters are behaving, but gets lost in the process. It joins Cornet's party in hopes of finding its way back to the monster kingdom. | |
KnightSpawn KnightSpawn is a devil puppet, the most powerful of all the puppets. It's still unknown why he was found inside Cornet's mailbox. He is exceptional at wielding meteor magic. | |
Flare The baby dragon orphaned when Cornet slew the dragons guarding the Salsa volcano. In reparation for her killing its parents, Cornet takes the dragon in and turns it into a puppet. Flare wields the power of wind magic. | |
Duke One of the three Fighter Puppets. This knight puppet's strength is the greatest of all puppets. | |
Chiba Another of the three Fighter Puppets. This samurai puppet's sword has devastating power. | |
Albatross Albatross is the last of the three Fighter Puppets. He is a knight puppet, like Duke, but his weapon of choice is a bazooka. |