With regards to the battles, Compile Heart have taken a huge step up to make MeiQ stand out from the rest of the Vita’s dungeon RPG library – the battles between the mechs and the enemy are full 3D models with animations to indicate attack and damage. There is also a fair amount of detail (however the Mages are portraits only, which is a little disappointing). The animations are smooth and appealing to the eyes, with an option to speed up the actions to help save time. The backgrounds also contain a good amount of detail and help show off what the Vita can do. The UI used is clean, and is overall a joy to play. The enemy encounters are randomly generated, and, therefore, the amount of experience you can get varies widely. If you encounter Mutant versions of enemies (indicated by a red aura), they are harder (sometimes too hard) but give a lot more experience.
Another way MeiQ stands out is that the MP system used in RPGs works a little differently in this game, where the Mages can only use spells a certain number of times before being unable to cast it without returning to the inn or using a Camping Set, therefore these act as the “MP.” This can be limiting as the healing spells are the only way to restore HP and GP (Guardian’s HP) in battle, which limits the flexibility of your arsenal, and some players may not like this. However, be assured that, as you level up the Mages, these limits increase. Likewise, each of the five playable Machina Mages have their own special abilities and you can switch the line-up of Mages you have to get a balanced arsenal. For example, Maki can learn healing spells that restore all your GP to a Guardian, while Setia can learn healing spells that can restore all your HP to the Mages. For seasoned veterans or newbies to the genre, the systems in MeiQ are impressive and there is a lot to offer for the players with a learning curve.
Assuming you can get your head around these systems (which isn’t too difficult, by the way), playing on the standard difficulty is a cakewalk aside from the Mutant enemies and some boss battles. If you are finding a boss hard, it is usually either because you are underleveled or are not attacking the enemy with the element it is weak to. MeiQ has an elemental weakness system like many other dungeon RPGs, though, in this case, it is unique as it uses the “Metal” and “Wood” elements, so there is essentially a whole new weakness pentagon that the player has to learn in order to defeat the various enemies and bosses. There is a total of four difficulties to select from when starting a new game in MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death, so I would assume higher difficulties would up the challenge for more seasoned players. This does help for accessibility, and allows for more casual play.
The music is another highlight of the game for me. All of the songs are great quality and are worth getting in physical form. The Blue Tower and the battle themes in particular were well composed and memorable, though, due to the awful audio looping system in the game (taken from Moe Chronicle, no less), you only really hear the first portion of the tower songs as the song restarts from the beginning every time you finish a battle or enter a new area. This is hugely disappointing and annoying, especially as the soundtrack for the towers is so good, and something I hope is either patched or rectified in future games, so the song merely pauses when you enter a battle akin to that found in Dungeon Travelers 2 or the Etrian Odyssey series. While we’re on the subject of audio, the English dub on offer is very good quality and doesn’t fall into the trap of being heavily accented, unfitting or annoying (apart from one area in the Black Tower near the start of the game, assuming you explore all of that floor. You’ll understand if you play the game). However, for the purists out there, the Japanese audio is available on cartridge and is also very good, though I found myself going back to the English dub.
MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is a fun game. While the dungeon crawling itself isn’t very original, the rest of the game is an interesting, unique blend of anime sci-fi fantasy with innovative RPG battle and customisation mechanics. The main story mode is of a good length, though it may be too easy for experienced players on the lower difficulties. It took me a little over 34 hours to clear the main story and with explicit indicators of a postgame in the ending, suggests that MeiQ hasn’t revealed all it has to offer. With the price tag being $39.99 for the standard edition, dungeon crawling fans may get their money’s worth especially if they explore this postgame. MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death shows that when Compile Heart really apply themselves, they are capable of making some great games, and in my opinion MeiQ is their best Vita offering to date. Considering the huge number of games that it is releasing alongside this month, MeiQ stands out rather well and comes highly recommended if you’re into Japanese role-playing games.
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Review copy provided by publisher
