is a 2001 role-playing game developed by Cattle Call for the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 game console and released 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...

.

Story

The main character, Reise, is a Raven, a sort of mercenary

Mercenary

A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

 who takes dangerous jobs to earn a living. The game opens as Reise climbs an ancient tower to retrieve the Treasure Orb, a sacred artifact. In doing so, he angers the gods

Deity

A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....

, who retaliate by separating Reise's body

Body

With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...

 and soul

Soul

A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...

. In order to atone for his sins, Reise must demonstrate kindness and courage by assisting the denizens of a small fishing village. He accomplishes this by possessing the bodies of those he needs to help, in order to allow them to accomplish tasks that they will not or cannot accomplish by themselves. In time, he ends up saving the village from a great evil.

Characters

The principal characters that Reise possesses throughout the story are:

• Fisela: A tomboy
  Tomboy
  A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
  
  ish female fisherman
  Fisherman
  A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
  
   who hates her father. She believes that her father didn't care for her mother enough in her last days. Reise eventually falls in love with her at the end of the story.

• Ashgo: An apprentice monk. He is a complete klutz
  Klutz
  Klutz may refer to:*Most commonly, a clumsy person*Klutz Press is an imprint of Scholastic Press*Klütz is a surname and a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany...
  
   and gets in people's way, but the abbot
  Abbot
  The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
  
   sees his potential.

• Raffer: The former commander of the castle guard. He has become a fugitive
  Fugitive
  A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
  
  , but has amnesia
  Amnesia
  Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
  
   and can't remember what crime he committed.

• Ifem: A Raven who owes a large debt
  Debt
  A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
  
  . He takes jobs that he can't handle in order to pay it off.

Gameplay

The game is broken up into around 35 different "quests". Some of them involve the principal characters, while some are more peripheral and let you explore the lives of some of the other characters in the village. All combat

Combat

Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....

-oriented quests involve the principal characters. Once Reise meets the quest's objective, the quest is solved and the story advances, often changing the situation in the village and opening up new quests.

Even though the game involves many different characters, the mechanics treat the characters as equal, except in the case of the weapon

Weapon

A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

s they can equip. Magic, supplementary equipment, and items are carried over from quest to quest, regardless of whom Reise possesses.

Music

One thing that stands out in Tsugunai's credit is that the music was composed by famous videogame composer Yasunori Mitsuda

Yasunori Mitsuda

is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums...

. The official soundtrack, featuring enhanced instrument samples, was named an cinniùint.