Orphen: Scion of Sorcery

As Orphen--it's his name apparently, rather than Frank or even Martin--it's your job to explore the intricate in-game world, ably assisted by a couple of companions and a handful of other characters which can be picked up along the way, in a typical large-scale Japanese tale of myth, magic and huge monsters.

Eschewing the combat system so beloved of RPG-ers everywhere, Orphen has opted for a simple and very playable control system involving only the symbol buttons on the PS2 controller. These can be assigned to suit, giving the player access to a subset of the huge range of spells and weapons available throughout the game.

Picking the game is easy enough thanks to a comprehensive tutorial system, thoughtfully built in by the game producers (big thumbs up for this, as it gives far more information than the user manuals ever do).

Gameplay is interesting to say the least and provides some irritations, which may put off the less than dedicated player. The CGI movies, marvellous though they are, are a little stilted and in places totally disjointed, with no way of skipping them through judicious use of the X key.

Whilst not everyone's cup of tea, Orphen is an interesting and intriguing game which, while being far from perfect, is an enjoyable romp which will cheerfully pass a good many hours.--James Gordon

The game is a great blend of action and RPG game styles, the animated sequences stay true to the style of the anime. But the big down fall of the game is the combate system...

Now how can I explain the combat system? Let's put it this way... it's as bad as the camera system in Dino crisis 3... Yhea it's that bad!

So in all this is a great game that any fan of the anime should get, but unless you REALLY like RPG's or the anime this may not be for you.


Wow...   October 30, 2003
Mr. A. S. Wheeler (Hull)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Okay, I'll admit at first I was a bit sceptical about this game especially when I completed it first.

The graphics in this game are very good considering this was an early PS2 title, the gameplay is fun and the puzzles are indeed challenging.

There is one downside however, you can keep on restarting a boss battle or any battle for that fact just by pressing start and changing your equipment.

I do not understand why there are so many people saying this game is bad, I guess you have got to get used to the gameplay and the style its in. A semi-anime game although it was based off of a series in Japan.

This game has its high and low points, Its not for everyone. I suggest you either find a video of the game or rent it before buying it.
Personally I would get this 2nd hand as the price shouldn't be much.

A very good game, well worth the money.


You will regret buying this game!   May 9, 2001
F. Callow (Leicester UK)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

i don't know who is putting in these "excellent" reviews but i suspect they may be agents of activision. this game is awful, the story is slow, the voice acting is lame to say the least, the puzzles are easy & the powerups and pickups are not necessary to complete the game. plus if you don't kill the final boss first time, you have to sit through 10 minutes of repeated storyline before you get another go. if you're desperate to play every game on PS2, get this one second hand because it's trade in value will be plummeting as the market is flooded with people's trade-ins.


Final Fantasy except good! BUY IT NOW!   March 4, 2001
1 out of 5 found this review helpful

This game has great graphics and excellent cut-scenes. The gameplay is simple and convenient to use. The combat system is different but works very well. Admittedly the puzzles are quite simple but this doesn't matter because as it is such an enjoyable game ands it means it's very hard to get bored, plus it's very long; with 3 storylines each with 3 parts to them. The storylines are also entertaining with interesting twists. My advice is to buy it now because it's the PS2's best adventure game and will keep you playing for ages.