It’s not being easy being a stranger in a strange land, especially if the land is filled with dangerous demons, ancient monsters and human inhabitants that come from an era long gone. This is the dilemma an American student living in Japan experiences as she finds herself in a strange alternate universe where her classmate is the reincarnation of a powerful sorceress and the hero is a half-demon who travels with a monk, a lovely exorcist and a tiny fox-demon companion named Shippo. Rumiko Takahashi’s anime (made popular here in North America thanks to the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming) and comic book series finds itself on the Nintendo DS as Inuyasha: Secret of The Divine Jewel. Trust me when I say that fans of the show will be pleased.

While the show follows the exploits of the main character Kagome (a 15-year old junior high student from the real world who finds herself on a journey in search of the fragments of an important jewel shard), Secret of The Divine Jewel tells an original tale with a new main character. The game’s main protagonist is Janis, an American girl whose family moved to Japan against her wishes. As a junior high student, she befriends Kagome who suddenly disappears one afternoon. Worried for her only friend, Janis heads for Kagome’s house where she encounters a demon that attacks her near the well that transports Kagome to the other world. Saved by an exorcist, she learns that Kagome is in another world on a journey with her friends and so Janis enters the well and is transported to another world where she will join Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku Sango and Shippo.

And this is what loyal fans of the Japanese anime - like myself - will enjoy most about this RPG. Yes we follow the exploits of a new, original character but we also get to be involved with the show’s main characters. If anything, the game perfectly captures the feel of the show as well as the personalities of each familiar character. You’ll be on the receiving end of Miroku flirtatious nature and then witness the aftermath as Sango gives him a dirty look. You’ll watch as the full moon turns Inuyasha back into full human form (black hair included) and then listen to Shippo bicker with Inuyasha. In short, everything you expect from the show, including the dialogue, feels straight out of the show and this is a great thing.

As far as the RPG elements are concerned, the game does a great job of not being too complex for those younger gamers and not too simple for those who are dedicated fans of the role-playing game genre. Exploration plays a big role in this game and you’ll be moving across the map and entering forests and villages. You’ll even continue traveling through eras (the modern era, the Heian era and the Sengoku era) as you continue your search for the powerful Shikon Jewel shard. You’ll embark on a series of adventures while attempting to complete the main quest. Meanwhile, you’ll be leveling up and making good use of items you might find in order to make them into useful amulets or orbs by way of Hosenki (a powerful good demon). Janis also learns how to defend herself in order to aide her friends and fellow party members.

Combat, incidentally, is where the game does fall apart. You can’t step five paces without being thrown into a lengthy battle. Even once you learn a few skills or know what to do with your items and weapons, combat is still fairly boring and tedious. Just about the best part about combat is the fact that you can group up, switching between characters for more intelligent attacks against more powerful enemies. There are times when you’ll definitely need Shippo’s Fox Magic just as much as you’ll need Sango’s powerful attacks. Seasoned RPG fans will be wishing combat was more creative than this seeing as Final Fantasy III mixes things up nicely on the same handheld. 

Graphically speaking, Secret of The Divine Jewel looks like a really awesome Game Boy Advance game. I’m not kidding, if this was on the GBA I would be excited the wonderful graphics and praising the fact that the small characters representing each main character looks exactly like the main characters. The fact is that this is a Nintendo DS game and the graphics could look better than this but what is here isn’t bad by any means at all. It could have used some flashier effects but each character emotion is well represented throughout the game and the environments are recognizable if you’re a fan of the show.

The sound is actually quite impressive whether it’s the game’s soundtrack that doesn’t loop the same tune over and over again nor repeat the same sound effects (well, unless you’re in  battle). I would have loved to have heard the show’s beautifully composed score in this game but pleasantly enough there’s a nice variety of tunes here that play throughout different segments of the game. Even the sound effects offer a nice variety so you’ll want to play this game with the volume up.

Inuyasha: Secret of The Divine Jewel is a solid role-playing game fans of the show will truly enjoy and it is, by far, one of the best Inuyasha games you’ll definitely won’t want to miss. Yet as enjoyable as the story and characters are and how deep and lengthy the game is there are some flaws that keep this from being an amazing RPG. For one thing, the combat is boring and frequent but when it comes to weaving an intricate story with a lot of emotion and adventure, the game manages to capture everything we love about the Japanese anime. If you count yourself among the loyal Inuyasha fan base, do pick this game up.

Gameplay: 7.2
Without being overly complex, this RPG is easy to jump into if you’re a young gamer and it won’t hold your hand for those seasoned RPG veterans either. There’s a lot to see and joining the show and comic’s characters in the familiar universe is a real blast. Too bad the battles are frequent and somewhat boring.

Graphics: 7.2
The tiny GBA graphics would have looked great on the GBA but this is the Nintendo DS we’re talking about here. Still, there are some wonderfully colorful backdrops and the characters (especially if you’re a fan of the show) are instantly recognizable. The visual effects could have been a lot better, though.

Sound: 7.5
Impressively keeping the soundtrack and sound effects fresh throughout the game, Secret of The Divine Jewel attempts to make use of the Nintendo DS sound capabilities and does an amazing job in the process. While it would have been great to hear the familiar music from the show, this isn’t bad at all.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is perfectly paced with all the show’s usual staple of demons, monsters and really bad guys Inuyasha usually faces with his companions. Like most role-playing games, you’ll run into your share of powerful monsters and face top foes like Inuyasha’s dangerous brother, Sesshomaru.

Concept: 8.0
As a fan of the show, I don’t know what’s cooler - the fact that I’m mingling with the show’s cast of characters in an Inuyasha RPG or the fact that the original story was crafted just for the game? Either way, it’s great to be exploring Takahashi-san’s fantasy version of feudal Japan with all the show’s characters including a number of new ones.

Overall: 7.5
As it stands, Secret of The Divine Jewel is, by far, one of the best Inuyasha games you’ll play and one deeply engrossing role-playing game for your Nintendo DS. It does have its share of problems here and there, mainly the plentiful and occasionally boring battles, but with a great original story and a cast of great characters new and old, this is one game fans of the show or comic books shouldn’t miss.