Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth is a tactical role-playing game (RPG) developed by MaxFive and published by Atlus USA in North America in 2001, and by MaxFive in Japan in 2002. It was released exclusively for the Sony PlayStation and was never released in Europe or Australia. A remake titled Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 by Arc System Works.
Story
The game is set in the continent of Mardias, which is divided into three kingdoms: Nightweld, the Valaimian Empire, and Gerauld. The story follows Fazz, a naive young mercenary, and his companion Leimrey, who are hired to protect one of the Ruins of Xia from the Valaimian Empire. As the plot unfolds, a more sinister power threatens to engulf the world in eternal darkness. Key characters include Tinn (Fazz's childhood friend), Elena (a mysterious woman), Reuperl (leader of Nightweld's Royal Guards), and Silphatos (a priest who is later revealed as the main antagonist).
Gameplay
Players raise a small army of mercenaries through turn-based tactical battles on a square grid with varied terrain. The game flow involves selecting locations on a world map, watching story interactions, and engaging in battles. Key gameplay systems include:
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Coinfeigm: A magic system based on collecting "coins" (shards of Manatite ore) that store elemental power. Each coin has its own statistics and can be used in battle when it has sufficient energy (CP), which replenishes over the course of a battle.
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R.A.P. (Rapid Action Point) System: Each character has an RAP Gauge that fills with actions taken. A character's turn ends when the gauge reaches 100%. Players can manage the gauge to hasten or delay a character's next turn, with a queue at the top of the screen showing the flow of battle.
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Shoot System: Characters can push an ally or enemy two squares in any direction.
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Session System: Characters left in "Session Mode" can participate in chain attacks. When a controlled character shoots an enemy into an ally in Session mode, that ally damages the enemy and shoots them further, potentially involving all six party members.
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Spirit Worship: Characters worship one of six elemental gods, with statistics changing depending on which god is currently worshipped.
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Skills: Characters earn Devotion Points during battle and learn new skills for every 100 points. Skills differ based on the god being worshipped.
Reception
The game received "mixed" reviews according to Metacritic. Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40. Criticism focused on its steep learning curve, extremely difficult battles, and heavy emphasis on level-grinding. Character fatalities are permanent unless revived before battle's end, and replacement characters start at Level 1, requiring extensive training. The RAP, Session Attack, and Coinfeigm mechanics were praised as innovative but were not considered sufficient to overcome the game's faults.
Remake
Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, developed and published by Arc System Works. It features updated graphics, additional content, and gameplay refinements.
