This is the exact reason why Konami, a major player in the electronic gaming industry from the very beginning, actually managed to surprise the daylights out of me with their latest role-playing title, a title that would change the way I tend to look at low-profile RPGs forever. Rather than taking a cue from "The Book of Traditional, Clichéd RPGs", Konami decided to make Ephemeral Fantasia into something a little bit different. Ephemeral Fantasia tells the tale of a traveling musician named Mouse, who (with the help of his wise-cracking, know-it-all Guitar, Pattimo, as well as a selection of likeable, yet goofy allies) must save the peaceful island community known as Pandule from a sinister mastermind bent on forcing the island's inhabitants to relive the same five-day week for all eternity.

  Now, I know that we've probably all seen this done many times before, and often much better, but Konami has gone the extra mile to deliver a somewhat new experience, even if its story is somewhat familiar. The one thing that many will notice upon first popping Ephemeral Fantasia into their PS2 is that there are some really genuine characters in this game. In other words, while a few of the characters you meet are a bit on the stereotypical side, characters like Claire, the talented watchmaker-turned-lush, really do stand out and break free of the rather typical fantasy character mold. Konami has also attempted to make the title as non-linear as possible, simply by incorporating an extremely open-ended system of playable character recruitment. Unfortunately, this open-ended design makes some sort of strategy guide, whether written or online, a real necessity, as most newbie role-players probably won't have a clue as to where they should begin.

  Another thing that makes Konami's Ephemeral Fantasia all the more enjoyable is its challenging guitar mini-game. Upon meeting the Princess, Loreille, for the first time, Mouse will gain the ability to play various songs during special events. The nice part about this mini-game is that the player is only required to play the first song well. After that, songs become increasingly difficult to play, mostly due to the odd choice of control schemes and the North American lack of a proper Guitar Freaks controller. Still, despite the horrendous difficulty of the songs, the guitar mini-game makes this otherwise standard RPG into something much more pleasing. However, for the truly dedicated music game fan, these stages will provide hours of challenge and entertainment. So much so, that a friend of mine wouldn't let me continue the game until he could fully master the very first song.

  Surprisingly, the one portion of Ephemeral Fantasia that falls the farthest short of expectations is its enemy encounter system. Utilizing a strictly turn-based, random battle engine, Ephemeral Fantasia forces players to do battle every eight steps or so, with the only exception being towns and populated areas. Until your characters have been leveled-up to at least Level Ten, every single enemy you face will be an incredibly trying nuisance. However, to call the battle system totally uninspired would be going a bit too far. "Tedious at worst, but somewhat rewarding at best" would probably be the most fitting description of Ephemeral Fantasia's decidedly dull enemy encounters. Thankfully, what it lacks in graphics and sound, it makes up for in control. And though enemy encounters are still the traditional menu-based sort we're all used to by now, the menus in Ephemeral Fantasia can be utilized with nothing more than the digital pad, and the last attack you used is always at the top of the menu; quite the welcome change from the plodding, menu-based encounters of numerous role-playing titles past.

  Of course, there's also the problem presented by the game's world map and its lack of easy maneuverability. Not only will this map befuddle even the most experienced console role-players, but the rather strange idea behind finding more map pieces to piece together a better view of Pandule makes navigating the island more of a chore than it should've ever been. Adding to this confusion is the overly complex town layout and the game's tendency to load after every fifteen to twenty straight steps is enough to drive most casual gamers crazy. Ironically enough, the load-times are minimal during both saving and real-time cutscenes, the latter of which can even be fast-forwarded through by holding down the Triangle button. And, while the title does feature analog control, the fact that you still have to hold the Circle button down to run was a little unusual.

  Please don't misunderstand or take this article out of proper context though, as I still thoroughly enjoyed many aspects of Ephemeral Fantasia. Despite its many shortcomings, Ephemeral Fantasia is still a fairly solid PS2 title, with many an enjoyable moment; it's just that those moments will take a little longer to find without any kind of guidance. So, if you're looking for an average role-playing game with a nice selection of quirky, hard-to-find characters, and a little change from the traditional, Konami's Ephemeral Fantasia delivers pretty well for what it's ultimately trying to be: the first average role-playing title for the PlayStation 2.
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