'The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion': RPG a charming blast from the past

Charm and a dearth of choice can go a long way in carrying a game.

Bandai offers up a role-playing game for the PSP that harkens back to the classic turn-based experience.

"The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion" has the standard story elements: pretty young men in accessorized clothing head off on a quest to save the damsel in distress, who, of course, possesses some sort of mysterious power that ominous evildoers want to control.

Of course, it also has all the gameplay elements that feel outdated, like overhead perspectives, a linear storyline, sparse environments (except for the towns) and repetitious battles.

But visually, the colors pop on the PSP, and the artwork for the dialogue screens is crisp and detailed. Even the little sprites are cute, utilizing manga conventions like the teardrop to convey emotions.

Translation, on the other hand, is horrendous -- spelling and grammar mistakes abound.

"Legend" easily could be shrugged off as a so-so game, but with its charm and portable-friendly save-anywhere feature, it's a solid game for the PSP.

Additional Information:

Details

'The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion'

Developer: Falcom

Publisher: Bandai

Platform: PSP

Genre: Role-playing

ESRB: Teen

How good is it? B-