Kartia: The Word of Fate
Encyclopedia
Kartia: The Word of Fate, known as Legend of Kartia in Europe
and in Japan
, is a tactical role-playing game
developed and published by Atlus
for Sony
's PlayStation video game console
in 1998. It is best known for the work of its art designer, Yoshitaka Amano
, who had previously worked on the Final Fantasy
series.
Each "chapter" of both volumes revolves around phantoms, beings which can be summoned by certain humans using "Kartia", magical cards which create whatever is written on them, such as Fire or Water. The player must summon and control phantoms to fight for him/her, as well as managing Kartia supplies, casting magic with Kartia and creating weapons for the human combatants. Kartia cards can be combined to create more powerful spells or phantoms. While phantoms may die during battle, if a human party member dies, the game ends and the chapter must be restarted.
for its presentation, music, and the number of options available during gameplay, but found it to be too linear and the battles slightly monotonous. The website scored it a 7.7 out of 10.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, is a tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
developed and published by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
for Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
's PlayStation video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
in 1998. It is best known for the work of its art designer, Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
, who had previously worked on the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series.
Gameplay
The game is divided into two "volumes," each centering around a different main character and their friends. The first volume tells the story of Toxa Classico and the second volume is about Lacryma Christi. While each volume tells a complete story, the storylines intertwine in one major plot.Each "chapter" of both volumes revolves around phantoms, beings which can be summoned by certain humans using "Kartia", magical cards which create whatever is written on them, such as Fire or Water. The player must summon and control phantoms to fight for him/her, as well as managing Kartia supplies, casting magic with Kartia and creating weapons for the human combatants. Kartia cards can be combined to create more powerful spells or phantoms. While phantoms may die during battle, if a human party member dies, the game ends and the chapter must be restarted.
Development
Atlus USA originally released Kartia and Eggs of Steel as Blockbuster Video rental exclusives. They were both later released for retail sale. There is a slight variant in the packaging - the BBV rental version does not have foil lettering for the title "Kartia" on the front cover - it is a blue that nearly blends in with the background. The BBV rental version has a different disc number as well - it is PSRM-010600.Reception
Kartia: The Word of Fate was praised by GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
for its presentation, music, and the number of options available during gameplay, but found it to be too linear and the battles slightly monotonous. The website scored it a 7.7 out of 10.