A concept that was conceived 15 years ago. Nine years of development time. And in the year 2022 an actual launch. RPG Time: The Legend of Wright, which I had the pleasure of reviewing, has been a long time coming, but it’s finally releasing on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation on August 18, following its initial launch earlier this year on Xbox. A unique RPG, The Legend of Wright uses both cardboard cutouts and a comic book style to convey the story and gameplay. It might make you laugh with its creativity.
Adventure through the eyes of a child
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright takes place in a classroom after the school day. Young aspiring game designer Kenta has a title he wants you to play. This is the title Legend of Wright. Using drawings, cardboard and stationery, Kenta weaves a story about Wright overcoming the forces of darkness to save the lovely Princess Lay. He’s really into it too. Throughout the journey you will see Kenta’s face in the corners, putting on masks of the different characters you meet, with text boxes changing color to reflect their different personalities. He will always move cutouts of key players, to show how much effort he has put into his game. It’s quite charming.
More than just an RPG
Sometimes, The Legend of Wright adheres to RPG conventions. You traverse comic book style areas, visit cities and complete sidequests. A magnifying glass can be used to highlight objects on a page to learn more about them or find hidden little ninjas. You will participate in a number of battles where you will earn experience points and level up. You can eat different foods to heal yourself. And you will meet a merry band of heroes who will help you in your quest. But more often than not, the game will rock the genre.
You might enter a game within a game, using a tank to break blocks and find keys in a dungeon. Or you can compete with Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Maybe you need to learn a skill, but you need a game Tic-tac-toe or Minesweeper before anyone is willing to teach you. There are math problems, logic puzzles, board games with a dice made from a pencil, fighting game commands with quarter circle moves and bullet hellshoot ’em ups to conquer. Variety is the spice of life in The Legend of Wright.
Even the traditional RPG battles are different than you might be used to. Enemies can be knocked down with your sword, but they often have shields and a particular weakness that you must exploit. You have to be hit by balls that you hit back with a timed bat swing. Others need to be hit on their bodies at some point. A gun has to be shot in an FPS like segment to hit obstacles in the background to damage the boss in the foreground. Trust me, you will always be surprised and impressed by what is around every corner.
Restraint from Greatness
While creativity abounds The Legend of Wright, there are some drawbacks to the gameplay. For starters, Wright moves at a snail’s pace. What’s worse is that you have to use the directional buttons on the Switch to maneuver it. It’s fine for a Pro Controller, but using the Joy-Con can make the hands cramp, especially in some sections that require precise movement (the maze part is particularly bothersome). The group of people you befriend won’t be at your party for any length of time either, which is a huge bummer.
There are also times when a friend will tell you the solution to a battle, but the method of achieving it is unclear. Luckily you can use a hint when you die to figure out the answer, but there were a few that I wish weren’t so stupid. And while genre flips are almost always welcome, there’s one at the end that isn’t. I won’t tell you what it is, but it’s so frustrating it almost ruined the endgame for me.
The review verdict on RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
Regardless of my criticism, RPG Time: The Legend of Wright shines quite bright. The little details are what it really does for me. It’s the way little doodles you draw yourself appear as part of the story later on. Or when you use a slot machine to perform a random super special attack to destroy an enemy. If you tell Kenta which insects and monsters you are really afraid of and he uses that information in a brilliant way to scare you later. Games like this don’t come out often and should be applauded when they do. So, if you’re a fan of RPGs or literally any type of game in general, don’t hesitate to pick this up. It will brighten your day.
Release date: March 9, 2022 (Xbox); August 18, 2022 (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation); September 13, 2022 (PC)
Publisher: Aniplex
Developer: DeskWorks
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Xbox Series X and Series S
A Nintendo Switch review code for RPG Time: The Legend of Wright was provided by the publisher.
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