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Last year I finally dug into a game I'd bought for my Saturn in 2002 (this is how long it can take me to play things, people). That game is named Princess Crown, and I'm simply going to talk about it in hopes of persuading a few people to investigate a fairly hidden gem from Japan. Or if nothing else, giving attention to yet another instance of the PSP being shafted in the English RPG department (though not as egregiously here as in many other instances).
Princess Crown really demonstrated how beautiful 2D can be in the right hands. The game uses sprites, but these are the biggest sprites I've ever seen. They're the size of sprites from a fighting game, and the constant 2D view makes it look a little like a fighting game. Artwork is top-notch, with everything moving smoothly and cleanly, even in battle. The Saturn was designed to have exceptional 2D prowess, and this game most assuredly displays it.
But of course graphics do not make the game, no matter how pretty they are to see in motion. Taking the role of Gradriel, the 13-year old princess who will be Queen thanks to her mother being dead, the story isn't terribly original, but is quite cute and manages to be interesting throughout. And this is what I gleaned from the Japanese, so anyone actually fluent in the language would probably have a ball. Certainly having a 13-year old girl as the protagonist is unusual even ten years later. And the additional materials unlocked after finishing Gradriel's quest are interesting too, as they tell the stories of other characters within the game.
And then there is battle. I suppose Princess Crown must be classified as an action RPG, since quick reactions are vital. It is here that the pseudo-fighting game spritework is most apparent thanks to the fighting usually being one-on-one. Gradriel's actions (attacking, blocking, jumping) are based upon a gauge that is drained by doing anything, but charges automatically otherwise. Item usage does freeze the screen, but if an enemy is about to attack at the time of usage, Gradriel will have it knocked away instead of being used. Enemies drop items in battle too, and these can be picked up and used provided there is a spare space (only 8 items can be held for battle, though bags to hold more outside of battle can be bought). Magic takes the form of item usage also, with the same rules applying to the enemy. The battle system is unfriendly to those without good reflexes, since timing is often everything. But it is unique and does not get old even by the end, packing a fair challenge throughout.
Princess Crown came out in 1997 for the Saturn, courtesy of Atlus. And it stayed on the Saturn for 8 years until the PSP received a port in 2005. As I have not seen the PSP port in action, I can only take second-hand knowledge into account--but apparently the screen was artificially stretched to accommodate the PSP's screen, which distorts the visuals a bit. And because the game was entirely emulated for PSP, the original source code that would be necessary to place it into an official English version is lost. Which is a shame, considering this is a game that would be highly prized if only more English speakers had played it. Odin Sphere for PS2 does bear a striking resemblance to Princess Crown based upon screens, but cannot supplant the lack of this game entirely.
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