It seems to be a commonly-held opinion that the golden age of the traditional Japanese RPG has gone by. While the genre can still draw acclaim from time to time, for many fans no new JRPG will ever best or even equal the greats of the 16 and 32-bit eras – Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV-VII, the early Breath of Fire titles, and so on. Well, it seems that developers Matrix Software are among those who wistfully recall the way RPGs once were. After working for the last several years with Square-Enix to create the 3D DS remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV, they’ve now teamed up with Red Entertainment and Tecmo to bring us Nostalgia, an appropriately-named RPG crafted as a love letter to those epic adventures of years past.

The game’s title refers not just to its retro-RPG style, but also to its plot. Nostalgia takes place in a world much like ours was in the late part of the nineteenth century – fedoras, tailcoats, and parasols are the height of fashion, automobiles are just starting to become common in the larger cities, and guns are quickly taking the place of swords as the weapon of choice. The biggest difference between their world and ours is the existence of magic and monsters, which has caused ‘freelance adventurer’ to become a valid career choice.

 
One of Nostalgia’s best elements is the game world itself – cities like Rio de Jeneiro, Tokyo,
and New York capture the tone of their real-world counterparts but with a magical twist.

One of London’s most successful and famous adventurers is Gilbert Brown, whom you’ll control in the game’s opening moments. But when Gilbert disappears while attempting to rescue a young woman from cultists, his teen-age son Eddie realizes it’s time to follow in the old man’s footsteps – he joins the local Adventurer’s Association, jumps in his inherited airship, the Maverick, and sets off to find out just what happened to dear old dad. Sure, it’s a set-up we’ve all seen before, but that’s the point – the game glories in following the tropes and traditions of the genre. That’s not to say that the story is predictable from beginning to end, though, as following Gilbert’s trail will take players through some unexpected events. The writing is solid, not spectacular, but there’s always a new plot point dangled just out of the player’s reach, so the story does a good job of driving the action.

 
Eddie joins the Adventurer’s Association to search for his father,
but that doesn’t mean he can’t take a side-job from time to time.

As an homage to the RPG classics, Nostalgia sticks pretty close to the formula the genre’s followed for decades – you’ll explore a town to advance the plot and upgrade your equipment, then explore a dungeon, after which you’ll have what you need to make your way to your next destination. Being a throwback to classic design style, though, doesn’t mean Nostalgia ignores all the advances the genre has made since the mid-90s. Little modern touches, like the ability to see how new equipment affects your stats before buying it, streamline the gameplay and keep the hassle to a minimum.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a retro-style RPG without plenty of random enemy encounters, and here Nostalgia delivers in spades. While the encounter rate isn’t as ridiculously high as it was in some classic RPGs, dungeon exploration is still broken up quite often by combat. Battles are highly reminiscent of Final Fantasy, with your standard Attack/Skill/Defend/Item/Run command choices, though that series’ traditional ATB meter is nowhere to be seen. Instead, turn order is handled like Final Fantasy X, with a diagram that indicates when allies and enemies will be able to act. This system lets you plan your battles much more strategically (like ganging up on one baddie to kill them before their turn comes around), which you’ll need to do if you want your characters to progress as quickly as possible. Winning fights quickly and skillfully nets you more experience, money, and skill points, so you’ll want to be as efficient in combat as possible.

 
The combat screen is laid out intelligently, so all the information
you need to fight effectively is easy to read at a glance.

When you’re out exploring the world in your airship you’ll be attacked by enemies like giant vicious birds and air pirates, so your characters must man the Maverick’s weaponry in the game’s other battle mode, ship combat. These battles play out similarly to regular combat, with a few important differences. Enemies can attack from three sides here, and ship weapons are more effective in certain directions than others – that huge sword coming off the airship’s bow, for example, is a lot more useful head-on than to the sides. Weather also comes into play during airship battles – sandstorms reduce accuracy, and so on. These air battles make for a nice change of pace from regular fighting, and give overworld exploration its own feel separate from dungeon crawling.

If there’s one thing Matrix Software proved with the DS Final Fantasy titles, it’s that they know how to wring some pretty impressive 3D visuals from the DS, and Nostalgia shows this as well. While it’s obvious the game doesn’t have the budget behind it that Square-Enix brought to those titles, each area you encounter is expansive and detailed. The overworld map is especially impressive to fly over, and there’s not as much draw-in on the horizon as you might expect. Fights look great too, thanks to detailed enemies and a cinematic camera that swoops over the battlefield with each attack.

Nostalgia isn’t the most original RPG the DS has ever seen, but if someone complains about that then they’re missing the point. This is a tribute to the way things were once done in RPGs, and it’s obvious it was created with love and reverence for the games it takes inspiration from. Befitting its name, Nostalgia is a pleasant romp down memory lane, and retro fans will have a hard time this winter finding another RPG this fun and satisfying.

Gameplay: 8.7
The game has all the city-hopping, dungeon-crawling, turn-based fighting action you’d expect from a tribute to the RPG classics of years gone by. The main quest will keep you plenty busy for quite a while, and there are tons of side missions for those who want to keep the game going (or just get some great new gear as a reward).

Graphics: 8.4
Matrix proves once again that they’re masters of the DS’s 3D capabilities. Each city you visit has its own unique look and feel, and even most random townspeople are visually distinct. My only problem with the visuals is the lack of any camera control – usually the given camera angle works fine, but sometimes dungeons can be more difficult than they should be because part of the environment obscures a path, switch, or treasure.

Sound: 8.3
Nostalgia has a beautiful orchestral soundtrack that changes based on your location. Themes are epic and majestic, especially while in flight, and each city has music befitting the location and time period, like the jazz tunes that play in the streets of New York City.

Difficulty: Medium
The game’s certainly not as tough as a lot of the classic RPGs it takes inspiration from. That said, certain sequences and boss fights will require some level grinding. As long as you fight smart and earn bonus combat rewards, you’ll be fine.

Concept: 9.0
The plot may follow some genre conventions, but overall the story and setting are pitch-perfect for this kind of retro throwback. Jumping in an airship and cruising over real-world cities really does make you feel like an adventurer exploring an exciting and dangerous world.

Overall: 8.8
Playing Nostalgia is a joy, plain and simple, in a way that too few RPGs are anymore. It’s a game that can make you feel like a fresh-faced kid, stepping out into a world of excitement and adventure for the first time – and let me tell you, it’s a good feeling.