Guardian Codex Multiplayer Tips!

Despite the glitches that is happening all around this game, Guardian Codex is an enjoyable game that tries to be great. No sarcasm intended. It's just that playable.

As what I've mentioned in my previous Reader's Review, multiplayer is the greatest draw of this game, which is the reason I come back for more of this, regardless of the story completion for the time being. 

That being said, in order for you to fully enjoy multiplayer, here are some of the tips that I consider when playing Guardian Codex Multiplayer!

Here we go!

1. Check the requirements - every site has a necessary level requirement needed to enter the dungeon. While having a low level doesn't restrict you from entering the multiplayer room, it does lower the overall team's damage output where you need it the most (especially during boss battles). Always make sure that you are at least 5 levels greater than the level required for that specific dungeon.

2. Team composition is key - before you head out and find a room, always check the element of your team so that you can properly be able to adjust should you find your team leader (since this is mostly you will be using when multiple players are involved) to be either adequate or inadequate against the enemies that you will come across. It is best that you go with a Guardian that either resist the boss' element or a high-leveled one.

3. Attacking is not always the "best" option - many people appreciates Quick Clears (meaning quickly clearing a site under a set number of turns) since that the team will be able to get more prizes upon doing so. However, if you think that your team is in danger of being disintegrated before getting to the actual boss fight itself, it is best that you slow down and ensure that your team is as healthy as possible. There are so many things that you can do rather than attacking; heal allies, bolster their offensive powers, cast regen to them. In short, KEEP THE TEAM ALIVE! It is better to fight a strong foe with a full party than a skewered one.

4. Invest Player Skills carefully - while it may not be that relevant at first, Player Skills can play a vital role not just in single player battles, but especially in multiplayer fights. Study each Player Skill and their effects to fully maximize your potential. Keep in mind that once you spent a Player Skill, you can no longer invest it back, so do not be trigger-happy in applying them.

5. Expect unsuspecting errors - self-explanatory.

6. Stay alive and kicking - this is where the Healer and Survivalist Player Skills come in handy. This is to ensure that your Guardian is healthy (or at least alive) all throughout the fight. Also, should your Guardian gets knocked out during a certain wave, the Survivalist skill will keep them going. The heal value isn't too much and there is only a low chance for the skill to activate, so don't rely on it too much. Besides, you don't want your Guardian to stay dead for the rest of the fight as this can destroy party morale.

7. Don't be a burden - should you encounter that you get inside a room filled with players whose Guardians are at least 20 levels higher than yours (or just relatively stronger than you in general), the least you can do is to leave the room right away or to provide support to other party members by increasing their stats. Having a low-leveled Guardian is already a burden itself.

8. Never bite off more than you can chew - this is similar to Tip No. 7, but this time when you are starting to lead the pack. Remember that a certain level quota is needed for you to have a fighting chance against the stronger foes. If you think that your level is low enough, just forget about that dungeon for now and level up some more.

9. The chat system is both a blessing... and a curse - the chat system is not a great way to communicate with your allies. In fact, it is cumbersome and just downright confusing. First off, you aren't allowed to type anything. This can make communications pretty awkward as people might misinterpret of what you are trying to say. Secondly, most of the set phrases that you can use are just worthless such as "Pleasure!" and "Wahoo!" but nevertheless, there are some good ones like "Heal please!" and "Go for a QC". Overall, just make a way to use the chat system effectively... and accurately.

10. Conserve MP when necessary - while you get 2 MP every turn, it is pretty important to know on when to consume MP (such as attacking multiple enemies and healing allies) and when not to (such as last hitting enemies with a Normal Attack). You don't want to fight a boss without enough MP. Otherwise, prepare for a difficult fight.

11. Choose the best trait for each situation - each trait can be unlocked through "Rebirth". To rebirth a unit, just simply fuse 2 or more of the same Guardians at once. Each trait has a specific effect such as starting the fight with full MP or increasing the chance of your Guardian landing a critical hit. Take advantage of whatever traits your Guardian has and hope for the best.

12. Unlock your Guardian's fullest potential - Level them up. Evolve them. Let them equip items. Apply stat-enhancing stones. Do whatever it takes to make them as strong as they can be for resources of strengthening them are EVERYWHERE!

13. Never be afraid to get units via Guardian Grab - Codex Credits can be used to a variety of reasons; increasing your inventory slots, restoring your stamina, among others. But the most important use of it is to get high-quality Guardians. Most top-tier Guardians can only be obtained via Guardian Grab. I suggest that you use it sparingly though as, just like other gacha-type games, getting the Guardians you want is solely based on luck. Nevertheless, it is somehow satisfying to get what you want.

And if all else fails...

14. Don't hesitate to ask for help - while the game is relatively new, there are some people who spent more time in this game than other games in general, so there is a very high chance that some people have already made enough progress throughout the game. So if you think that you are truly lost on what to do in multiplayer, just do one simple word; ASK.

Well anyways that's all that I can think of. If you have any more tips that you can share to fellow Guardian Codex players, then feel free to leave a comment or something.

Enjoy your stay in the Codex and have fun!

DISCLAIMER: Images used in this blog do not belong to me. They belong to their respectful owners.

A mobile RPG with a twist - Guardian Codex Reader's Review

Role-playing games being made for the mobile have a ton of variety incorporated to it; which is both have its pluses and minuses.

The good thing about these is that this can allow old players of the genre to find something new. However, the bad side here is that it figuratively destroys our perception on what RPG is about; especially with many innovations associated to it. Also, there is a chance that new players will be entirely confused to the concepts those games.

Thankfully, people at Square Enix hasn't totally forgotten about it, and they made a game that caters to those people who miss playing old-school RPGs that is very fun to play... if only if it properly works.

This is my Reader's Review of the unspectacular yet enjoyable game; Guardian Codex!

Title: Guardian Codex
Date Released: November 4, 2016
Company: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
Platform: Mobile
ESRB Rating: None (My guess it would be E10+ or Teen)



Brief Background: Guardian Codex is a spiritual successor of two previously released games; Deadman's Cross (part zombie shooter, part collectible card game) and Guardian Cross (an RPG/card battler hybrid) both of which were designed by Hiroyuki Ito, the progenitor of Final Fantasy's Active Time Battle system.

What do you do here?
It was the year 2030, and the world was divided between the malevolent Empire and the Resistance. Outmatched and outgunned by the Empire's forces, the Resistance have no other choice but to send their agents to a mystical realm known as the "Codex", which was essentially a virtual representation of the real world during the ancient times. From there, they must retrieve Guardians, legendary beings of strength and beauty, and transport it to the real world so that the Resistance can have equal ground against the Empire. You are an agent assigned to retrieve Titan, a legendary Guardian that possesses the strength of a thousand men. However, it is not going to be a cakewalk as you must thwart the hazards of the Codex, and help its denizens, as you walk along the path towards your ultimate mission; to retrieve the Guardians and oppose the Empire's tyranny.

What makes the game interesting?
Guardian Codex is typically an online RPG where you travel around the world and fight some Guardians, get their fragments, and create said Guardians. It is a pretty long game, especially if you want to complete your Guardian Guide or you just want to explore and play around.

The presentation and premise of the game is very reminiscent to the Shin Megami Tensei games, however, unlike SMT, this game has a rather light-hearted story and quite easy to pick up and play in contrast to the very mature story and unforgiving gameplay of the MegaTen games.

There are two kinds of quests: main quests (represented by red marks) and sub-quests (represented by blue marks); both of which are very engaging and their a ton of them so be sure to be on the look out for these quests and take them as soon as the opportunity arises. The game has been recently released so the content isn't that much to boast, but there will be updates.

There are many Guardians to choose from; each possessing one of six elements; Fire, Nature, Water, Light, Dark, and Machine. What is interesting here is that these elements have a separate elemental triangle that goes like Fire>Nature>Water>Fire and Light>Machine>Dark>Light; meaning that an element from a certain triangle can never be weak or strong against an element from a different element triangle. This adds some strategy and depth which is highly beneficial for your party, as certain event Guardians can be effectively dealt against when using a certain element.

Speaking of events, there are certain Guardians that only appear throughout a certain day which adds diversity to the already interesting concept. What's good here is that you can see a rotation schedule meaning that you can properly prepare your team depending on the Guardians that will appear during that particular date.

The main draw of Guardian Codex is the multiplayer. You can team up up to 4 people from all over the world to beat bosses using your lead Guardians. This is the most fun part of the game as you can show off your Guardians to other players and use it to help them in missions that they otherwise cannot finish alone. Take note that you can only be able to use this feature in final areas of dungeons and in event quests.

What are the flaws you find in this game?
Despite the many things that this game offers, the game itself is entirely unstable to the point of frustration. There a ton of these problems; game freeze, prizes in quests being less than intended, among others.

The most notable instability that this game suffers from is the multiplayer itself (such as lag, sudden halts, and getting kicked for no reason) which is extremely annoying for a lot of players.

The story mode itself is quite short and the battles can be very repetitive. People who got used to old-school RPGs will like this, otherwise it is just downright boring. I, for one hand, managed to appreciate the game due to its presentation. While the combat can be tedious, it is nevertheless interesting.

Can you consider this game a rip-off of Shin Megami Tensei? Or Pokemon?
Neither. Both games mentioned are two different games with defining mechanics that made them unique. Guardian Codex, while its game-play and theme can be relatively compared to the two games, also has unique features going for. The only notable differences here is that the two games work properly like ALL the time, while Guardian Codex don't... and it sucks.

Can you recommend this game?
If you can bear the unnecessary glitches and constant crashing that this game offers, then give it a go. Otherwise, wait for the servers to stabilize and play other games instead. The game offers a nice experience... if you can get it to work.

Overall Rating: 6.7/10
Guardian Codex is a a decent mobile game that offers too little yet makes up for being interesting. Unfortunately, it's greatness and potential is greatly hindered by technical problems that can never be avoided. While the people at SE are doing their best to normalize the servers while providing more content for players to enjoy, Guardian Codex remains to be as mediocre for as long as these hindrances are not fully addressed. Don't get me wrong, I really like the game, but it could have been a whole lot better. Oh well, let's wait for things to unfold. Who knows? It may even change my perception for this game.

--END OF REVIEW--

Brave Frontier 2.0 - Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Reader's Review

In my previous review of Final Fantasy Explorers, I mentioned that Final Fantasy has explored a lot of genres and experimented with different methods of game play. While people is familiar with the Final Fantasy franchise as a traditional JRPG, the developers decided to branch out from their roots by providing a diverse amount of player experience; from MMORPGs  to the recent one, the mobile space.

While there are many good Final Fantasy games on the mobile, some of them are mediocre and just downright shameless at best. Fortunately, this game is one of the few better mobile games that Square Enix has provided. Also, the gaming masters at Gumi have collaborated with this awesome company to provide a new gaming experience on your mobile.

Think Brave Frontier meets Final Fantasy! This is the Reader's Review of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius!

This game is great, just in case you are wondering,

Title: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Date Released: October 22, 2015 (initial release), June 29, 2016 (international release)
Company: Square Enix, Gumi, A-Lim
Genre: Role playing
Platform: Mobile
ESRB Rating: None (but I guess it will be E10+)



Brief Background: The development of this game is actually the first collaborative effort between Square Enix and A-Lim, the latter being responsible for Brave Frontier which was also the main inspiration for the game's framework, It was first revealed at the same time as the Final Fantasy Portal App, among other similar titles. As usual, Yoshitaka Amano is in charge of the promotional art. The latter is known for making timeless artworks of most Final Fantasy-related media.

What do you do here?
The world of Lapis is in grave danger. The Crystals are being threatened to be destroyed one by one by a sinister group. Rain and Lasswell, royal knights of the Grandshelt Empire, encounters a young girl in a crystal and warns them about the impending doom that will happen to the world should all of the Crystals are destroyed. After a series of unfortunate events, Rain and Lasswell receive the ability to manifest the power of Visions, essences of heroes of old, to combat the forces of darkness that envelopes the land and to prevent the Crystals' destruction.

What makes the game interesting?
First of all, a good game is comprised with a very nice premise and Brave Exvius delivers it with much gusto; it offers a very deep story line about Rain and Lasswell travelling the world to stop a menacing evil from destroying the Crystals. Just like every other Final Fantasy game, the Crystals is the focal point on the story where Rain and the gang must stop the Sworn Six of Paladia from these artifacts being destroyed, not to mention the meticulous attention to detail as well as the use of nostalgic events from other Final Fantasy titles to integrate them to the main story. All in all, the plot itself offers a ton of fan-service to old-school FF fans while offering new fans something to be engaged on.

Second, the combat system. Since the creators of Brave Frontier are the same ones who created the game, there are some certain mechanics that you will be familiar of (especially if you have played the latter) but with certain tweaks and changes. Unlike in Brave Frontier, you can flick the character bar to perform certain actions, such as using special skills, consuming items, and defending from attacks. This is highly reminiscent to the command-based nature of previous Final Fantasy games which is very fascinating, especially if you are a fan of the old games or if you are not used to Brave Frontier's lack of command inputs during battles.

Additionally, the game has an extensive roster of characters; all of which have unique abilities that either make them stand out or just do badly overall. The roster itself is comprised of different characters from previous and current Final Fantasy games, with original characters added for good measure. Since the game is free-to-play, expect certain characters to be added frequently to the roster, which is another way for the game to attract both fans of the series and new players.

Lapis is the premium currency in this game which you can use to recruit units, replenish energy, increase item capacity, among other uses... and there a ton of ways for you to get them without even spending money! As of the time of this writing, Square Enix recently released the missions system for the Global version of the game (the Japanese version has previously received this system) where you gain Lapis if you met a certain condition during quests. Also, with the constant events being distributed, there will be chances that Lapis will be given out to players; giving you more opportunities to effectively use them without the need of hurting your wallets and credit card bills.

Speaking of unit recruitment, this game uses a Gashapon-like system. Which means that you spend Lapis to it and hoping that you get the unit you want. The units you'll get is entirely random, so don't expect too much on it. Also, there are certain summon banners that will be distributed based on the given event that is currently on-going. For example, back when the Final Fantasy IV event was up, there was a increased chance for Final Fantasy IV characters (like Cecil, Rydia, and Kain, along with new units like Edge and Rosa) to be recruited via Lapis summoning. This is actually very encouraging as you will have better chances on getting the units you really want while still making the odds a bit balanced to get other units not included in the banner. Such a nature of these games.

Espers return in this game and you can only receive them by defeating them in battle for the first time. To unlock their stage, you have first to meet certain prerequisites such as fulfilling a certain quest or talking to certain people in towns. From there,you will beat several other quests on that specific stage before fighting the Espers themselves. Upon their defeat, you can finally use them to summon in battle.

The Esper system was not just limited to summoning them and aid you in battle, but they can also help you by providing status increase to your units. Each Esper are specialized to increase specific parameters of your units such as HP and Attack. You can also feed them Magicites (which you frequently get in dungeons) to further increase those bonuses and to unlock the hidden potentials of your Espers even further.

In terms of exploration, unlike Brave Frontier, you can be able to traverse through several towns and cities which allows you to talk to people, buy items, or just simply gathering information. This is a nice reference to previous Final Fantasy titles where you can walk around towns and do the same things mentioned. This rule also applies to certain dungeons where you can roam around and battle foes while getting some sweet treasure. Watch out for secret passages along the way and who knows what you might end up with...?

Promotional events are being held every week or two; introducing new units and bonus dungeons where you can get rare items and other goodies throughout. These events are only up for a limited time so take advantage of those events if the need arises.

There is a certain system called the Trust Master Rewards. Certain characters have these bonuses which can allow you to gain rare equipment and spells once their Trust Rating reaches 100%. Like in most Final Fantasy titles, grinding takes a matter of patience which gives out a certain degree of satisfaction upon completing them. You can also increase the trust rating of that unit by fusing a certain unit as well as multiple copies of the same character. Keep in mind that story characters don't have TMRs.

What are the flaws that I found in this game?
Regarding the flaws I consider, I could say that grinding the Trust Master Reward is a very tedious one. Basically the most efficient way for you to get it is to raise 5 units of the same character and go to the very first dungeon, finish the dungeon, rinse and repeat until they reach a certain percentage. There are some players that use a certain software in order to get these faster, but I won't recommend it as it actually defeats the purpose of properly grinding through the game.

Second, the rates of getting the units you want is sometimes unforgiving to the point of frustration. There will be a high chance that you will receive units that you don't even want in the long run, which is also evident to its sister game, Brave Frontier. The latter do have some decent units, however,

As an online-only game, the game will sometimes undergo maintenance, which can either take about an average of 4-10 hours depending on the update (take note that it may take more than 10 hours due to unforeseen consequences). This is rather annoying since that you have to wait for the game to go back up again. However, these do have their advantages. Sometimes, Square provides compensation to players in the form of Energy, Lapis, among others.

If you were given a chance to make a cross-over with another media, what media do you like Brave Exvius to cross-over with and why?
I would say Phantom of the Kill because of the character designs and story that the latter provides. It also has a decent roster of characters such as Zero (not the Reploid) and Tyrfing whom they can become potentially powerful units if they are to be included in the game.

Do you recommend this game?
Yes! Definitely. If you are a fan of Brave Frontier but you find the game to be lacking of anything Final Fantasy, then you may enjoy this one!

Overall Rating: 7/10
Just like Brave Frontier, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is only as good as the latter. While it is far more polished and balanced, Brave Exvius also suffers to the stigma that free-to-play games are having; they can be quite unfair and unstable at times. However, once you managed to get a hang of those issues, Brave Exvius can potentially provide you a nice experience. Square Enix knows how to make their fans satisfied with their games, and they will keep on improving. That's an assurance!

--END OF REVIEW--