Gamer--freakz

Opening Songs
OP 1 - Synchromanica (Negoto)

Ending Songs
ED 1 - Innocent (Earthmind)

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Mystery

Episodes: 11



Before you actually watch any kind of anime, the type of show you're going to get yourself into becomes very clear cut after the first episode or so. "Galilei Donna" begs to differ, I didn't know what kind of adventure these girls were getting themselves into until about episode 4 or 5. Its a strange anime, but if I were to compare it to something else, I'd say that it rings many bells to "Eureka Seven", though at times the plot is a lot less confusing here. Other than a little bit of mecha action, mystery solving and killing, "Galilei Donna" feels more like an anime about character development. Behind all these crazy themes and ridiculous action lies a story about 3 girls trying to prove themselves to the entire world. In a way, its sweet, though everything ends way too quickly. This is a nice example though, if you want your characters to develop well in an anime as short as this, a small handful of main characters will do...do not over bloat your cast.

Its adventure time!

The opening theme is one of the most catching songs I have heard in a VERY long time. Yes, it's that good. The song title is "Synchromanica" by Negoto, and by god is it catchy as f**k. I'd say that it does fit the anime quite a bit, and it has a nice jazz tune going on for it. All I can say is GOLDFISH! The ending theme is "Innocent" by Earthmind, and while its also pretty catchy, its got nothing on "Synchromania". Typical anime ending theme syndrome here, nothing too special really.



Rating: 7.5/10



I'll be honest, the plot, while it has substance, isn't all that interesting, it's the characters that make the show a fleeting experience. And when I mean characters I only mean 3, the Ferrari sisters, everyone else doesn't really matter (though Cicinho is pretty cool). The mystery behind the moon sketches weren't really anything too intriguing, and everything gets solved by a single time travel sequence, which isn't the best of things. Time travel should never be used as a plot device for anything, it's too damn convenient. Though in this cast, it works somewhat well as the mystery behind everything DOES get solved. Other than all of that, the mecha action is average, though the 3 sisters growing throughout the entire journey was what made the entire series somewhat worthwhile to watch. There were even some really well done emotional moments that will pull on your heart strings...no matter how annoying Anna was throughout the entire series.

You do NOT mess with these 3 sisters!

The story focuses 3 sisters as the main protagonists. They are the descendants of the great Galileo Galilei, but they don't really do much to back that statement up, much to the dismay of their mother. The youngest sister Hozuki is a shut in, the second sister Kazuki is a regular high school student with no special tendencies, and the oldest sister Hazuki is studying to be a lawyer....none of them are following in the footsteps of the great scientist Galileo Galilei. One day however, the 3 girls are targeted by unknown men, and they were brought to the police for protection. The next thing they knew, they were all under arrest for no apparent reason, and the government was asking them for something known as the Galileo insurance. Hozuki wasn't captured, and she pilots a giant goldfish mech that she had been building for the past 2 years of her life to rescue her sisters. Then, by the words of a nice stranger Anna, the sisters decide to scavenge the world for Galileo Galilei's moon sketches, hoping to find a way to get themselves out of this mess as wanted refugees.


"Galilei Donna" is like watching 3 sisters going on a journey to repair themselves, its not exactly the most compelling of experiences, but it feels good when you see them grow. There's a whole lot of other instances thrown in, like mecha action, politics and a little bit of romance, but everything is just fodder for character growth. "Galilei Donna" is nice and short, which is how short animes should be. The character development only worked in such a short 11 episodes because there were only 3 characters to build upon.


Peace.

Chill the hell out guys, I'm working something out. I'm in the military now so posts will be a bit rarer, but I will still continue posting. Probably will do multiple posts over the weekends.

Gamespot Score: 6.5 (Fair)

My Score: 7.2


(+) Pros: - An amazing cast of characters, - Very flashy combos and attacks, - Different characters provide different ways of attacking opponents, - Its satisfying to call in supports to rake up your combo meter to ridiculous numbers.

(-) Cons: - Gets ridiculously repetitive and draggy towards the end, - Not much real strategy in fights, - Zero replay value.


Gameplay time: 40-50 hours

I have been waiting on this game for a LOOOONG time. I was already hell bent on getting a Japanese version if they didn't decide to localize "Project X Zone". Fortunately, they did it, and I couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the release date of "Pokemon X/Y" when I got my 3DS, so it took me awhile to get my copy of "Project X Zone". The very idea of clashing multiple characters from multiple games just makes my heart race, and especially since this is a spiritual successor/sequel to "Namco X Capcom" (hell it even has characters from there), I definitely HAD to play this one, at least once in my life. So here I am, to tell you about "Project X Zone", Bandai Namco, Capcom and Sega's love child...its a downgrade from "Namco X Capcom". I don't know if that's because this is on the 3DS, but I'll leave that in your minds for now. 


The story focuses on our two protagonists, Koryuji Mii and Tenzai Kogoro. The Koryuji bloodline has been in charge of protecting the portal stone for generations, a stone that is capable of creating pathways throughout different worlds, and they have always enlisted the help of the Tenzai clan, a group of established demon killing ninjas, to assist them in defending it. However, all of that changed one day, as the portal stone suddenly disappeared. The current heir of the Koryuji bloodline, Koryuji Mii, wants to look for it, and she employed the help of her tutor, Tenzai Kogoro, the successor of the Tenzai clan. Of course, they dug their noses too deep, and they were attacked by unknown enemies, which made clear to what they were facing. At the same time, the portal stone has caused the lines between the worlds to blur, and other heroes from their different universes start to get dragged into this mess...

Frank West + Hsien-Ko AND Lindow?! Sold.

Do you guys remember "Namco X Capcom" from the PS2 era? "Project X Zone" is mostly similar. You gather round a bunch of units in a level, the game lays them out for you, then you proceed to use them in a SRPG turn by turn basis to clobber the enemies as the enemies clobber you during their turns. Its simple really, different units have different attack ranges and different stats...its common SRPG terms. When your character engages an enemy unit, you get thrown into the battle screen, where characters from both units appear like in a fighting game.


Then from the battle screen, you hit buttons through a command list shown at the bottom 3DS screen to execute attacks. You can combo these attacks to keep your opponent off the ground, both to rake up the hit score, get critical hits, and not give your opponent a chance to regain their block shield, which is a temporary shield that they have to block against some of your attacks. Dealing damage and hitting your opponents will fill up the XP gauge, which is a universal meter that you will use in battle. You will need XP to block enemy attacks, counter them, use skills and activate super moves as well as multi attacks (AOE attacks). XP caps at 100%, but you can bring it further through the game's cross feature, which features you attacking the enemy in battle through different units. Hitting enemies while they are in "cross" will have you bring the XP to a maximum of 150%, which allows for more utility or offensive options in battle. Of course, what you can do, the enemy can do as well, though normal enemies do not have super moves or multi attacks.

This isn't even half of the cast.

Needless to say the gameplay, while an important part of the game itself, the main selling point of "Project X Zone" is that its FILLED to the brim with popular characters from 3 block buster companies, Capcom, Bandai Namco and Sega. People buy this game for the characters, fact. When someone sees the cover of this game, he/she will go "Shoot, that's a lot of characters that I know!", and the interest builds from there. If you're a fan of any of these 3 companies or their characters, this game is easily shot up from an interest's point of view, which is undoubtedly what this game is trying to shoot for. The characters that you know and love retain their personalities, which is fantastic.


 Ryu is as straight faced as ever, and Dante is just a cool devil hunter like always (this is old Dante btw, not the DmC Dante). Yurri and Estelle still remain as imperative, while T-Elos still wants to kill Kos-Mos. Frank takes pictures of the sexy females and Kaguya is still oblivious about her sexy well-being. And while everyone is doing what they do best, Soma just sits there with a glum look on his face with Alisa trying to tease him. Everyone is just as you remember, and while you might not know all of these characters, its the fact that you get to see them converse or interact with the ones you know that is interesting. Believe me, there are a ton of unique pre-battle and post-battle interactions that can get pretty out of hand (like how Zephyr and Leanne tell Lady that they can only hold 3 weapons, or Chris and Jill telling Flynn that special modern day agents look weird working with a medieval knight).

Megaman X and Zero working with the sexy robot chicks from Xenosaga...not a sight you see everyday. Ulala's there too.

Characters and how the game works aside...let's get into the main meat of the game, which is what you'll be doing most of the time...that's combat. When you get your characters into the battle screen, combos are top priority, and its how you juggle or keep your opponents in the air that are important. Every pair unit in the game has 5 main attacks, one super attack and one multi attack, as well as a support maneuver when they are called into battle by another pair unit doing battle elsewhere. All support units have a single attack animation which lasts longer than most pair units 2-3 attacks. The attacks from the various attacks look pretty damn flashy, with attacks covering a good portion of the screen. X firing X busters, Ichiro launching tigers from his blade or Alisa using her head to blow people up...everything together is really a sight to behold, mixing and matching characters to your taste is really a fun thing to experiment. 


Different characters attack differently, and its important to master every character for yourself. Kite and Blackrose have straightforward attacks, while Ichiro and Sakura's are hard to combo. Zephyr and Leanne thrive on landing critical hits, while Dante and Demitri just blast through their foes with brute force. Everyone attacks differently, and the pair units do a good job from staying different from one another, there are no clones. Also, with the way the cross system works, you'll be calling in supports to lock your enemies mid-air. Having supports on the field while landing your own attacks leads to some very satisfying situations, where you'll be getting massive numbers and hits on screen. If you like to see the enemies blow up in massive rings of fire and explosions, this game will suit you nicely.

Good to see that Juri is still on bad terms with old Chun-Li.

The flaws in this game are really obvious. For one, all characters in the game are unlocked WAY too soon. The game as 41 chapters, and you'll get about everyone by chapter 22, that means that there is little incentive in unlocking characters later on. The later levels become a massive grind as enemies become massive health sponges. They take a lot to bring down, even regular enemies will require multiple super moves to defeat...let's not talk about the bosses (later levels are at least 2 hours long because of the freaking tanky normal enemies that are otherwise no threat). There isn't strategy involved in most of the battles (only some of the timed battles do), it's just out brawl your enemies and hope for the best most of the time. Finally, there is no replay value, NG+ is a sham, trust me.


"Project X Zone" does what it needs to do well. Its a fan service game with a ton of characters that we all know and love, just don't expect to be hooked on to it for too long. You'll love it for the first half of the game, but the final few chapters just feel draggy due to the overabundance of enemies. You'll enjoy your time because of all these awesome characters, but honestly, it could have been so much better. Let's hope that if they do another awesome crossover in the future, they'll step things up a bit.






Happy gaming!

Opening Songs
OP 1 - Angel (Angela)

Ending Songs
ED 1 - Tokumade (Angela)

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction

Episodes: 13



"Coppelion" is not something that you'd find everyday on the huge scheme of things. Its a different kind of anime that simply surprises you the first time you actually see it. Its appealing visual style is one thing, but the entire premise and concept of "Coppelion" is not something you see everyday. It sounds simple, but no matter much it seems so, you cannot argue that you haven't seen anything quite like it. "Coppelion" is an adventure anime featuring 3 girls that takes place in a post apocalyptic environment, where the 3 girls are to wander a devastated ghost town to look for any survivors. Sending 3 school girls to scavenge a nuclear devastated city for survivors....is a very simple yet strong premise, because its not something we get to see often. Believe it or not, if you get past the slow start, "Coppelion" will surely deliver the viewers an emotional and intense experience. 

Our 3 girls looking badass.

Its good to see Angela back on normal duty....they did both the opening and ending themes for "Coppelion", which is pretty cool. "Angel" is the opening, and its classic Angela on all ends. It sounds slow at the start and gets epic towards the end....something I'm used to with Angela songs. The ending theme "Tokumade" takes a slower approach than usual, but still has some fast moments in there. I'd take "Angel" over "Tokumade" in my opinion.



Rating: 8.0/10



There's really a lot to like about "Coppelion". The concept and premise alone is enough to catch your attention, the animation style is beautiful. The 3 main heroines are rather strong characters overall (Aoi is annoying at first but gets better), and the entire anime is littered with sympathetic characters. You'll like the 3 main heroines, and to some extent, some of the survivors in the old capital can really get to you. The overall story is simple enough, but since the anime is split into many different arcs, you'll get many different stories here and there (the first few ones are decent, the final arc which stretches about 6-7 episodes long is just awesome). The action isn't too much to speak off, since the anime is more story driven than anything, though there ARE some cool showings between the different coppelions. To be fair, there are also a ton of emotional moments that made me came close to jerking a tear, as well as funny moments that made me throw out a few chuckles.

Ibara loves her bazookas!

The story centers around 3 genetically mutated girls that are sent to the old capital. The old capital is basically Tokyo, but it was blasted to hell  because of a nuclear accident. Many escaped, many were killed, but there are still survivors living in the capital itself. The 3 girls are Coppelion, they have been genetically modified to survive the radiation that the capital emits even now. Normal people in the area need to wear hazmat suits, these girls don't, thus they are sent there to wander the city and look for survivors. Since they have no need to look out for the radiation, they stand out perfectly. With their commander Mishima and his crew being the group that always come in to evacuate the survivors, they are the perfect rescue team. However, what kind of mishaps will they find in the old capital? Will the girls be prepared for whats to come?


"Coppelion" is great. There aren't many animes like it out there currently, and it sure does a hell of a job delivering some unexpected surprises. If there was a movie like this out there, it would be an awesome one. As it stands though, "Coppelion" seems like it could use a second season, solely because of the way it ended. If it does though, I seriously cannot wait for it, because I haven't quite had enough.


Peace.

Opening Songs
OP 1 - Avenge World (Konomi Suzuki)

Ending Songs
ED 1 - Sekai Wa Kizu O Dakishimeru (Konomi Suzuki)

Genre: Action, Science Fiction

Episodes: 12



Ever seen an anime take such a drastic turn in terms of genre? Remember the transition from season 2 of "Shakugan No Shana" to the 3rd and final season? Yeah...something like that just happened to "Freezing". Before, we got this awesome school life themed harem/romance anime with kickass action between girls...the Pandora. It had a ton of elements that made it enjoyable, as well as segments that made it serious at times. It was a great mix, like many other similar anime before and after...but things really changed in "Freezing Vibration". School life? Throw that out. Having fun and messing around together? Throw that out. Lets take everyone we know and love, throw them into death ring where they'll be killing each other. Not enough? Why not we throw in lots of f**ked up shit! Human experimentation, government corruption...yeah, let's throw all that in! "Freezing Vibration" shows us the dark side of the franchise, and definitely proves to us that the overall plot is not always rainbows and sun-shines.

Don't worry, there's still fan service, though its toned down a little bit.

Not much to say here, I wasn't a fan of the "Freezing" theme songs, be it the opening or the ending. They did switch up the songs a little bit in "Vibration" most probably to fit alongside how different this second season was in comparison to the first. "Avenge World" by Konomi Suzuki is the opening song, and you know, it speaks about vengeance, you know it's going to be somewhat hardcore. It was an alright opening, but the ending theme, "Sekai Wa Kizu O Dakishimeru" (also by Konomi Suzuki), was slightly better in my opinion because it felt a little bit more upbeat. The tune was also quite catchy.


Rating: 7.5/10



The second season focused on a more serious side to the story...not that it was a bad thing. The story in season one was already decent to begin with...and it had this whole school life thing going on which made things a tad bit spicier (you know, hanging out in rooftops, student beauty pageants and shit) . In "Freezing Vibration", the school life was completely taken out, instead, we get everyone living in an experimentation laboratory where they'll be fighting against other Pandoras from other academies for battle data. Doesn't sound too bad, but it quickly turns to this completely new show when they bring in mature themes like corruption and human experimentation....it turns dark WAY too quickly, something I did not expect with the "Freezing" franchise. In a way, this bold turn in the story was good, but the series as an overall felt less "fruitful". Well at least we got to see some cool action scenes regarding the 5 strongest Pandoras...(Charles's abilities were particularly awesome, no matter how much of a bitch she was).

Well, fan service WILL always be fan service.

The story follows that of our hero and heroins from the first season, as they receive an invitation to take part in a training program over in the north pole. They are to help harvest and train the E-Pandoras, artificially created Pandoras that can function just like the originals. This was to help counter the shortages of Pandoras worldwide, or with those unwilling to become one. Satellizer, Rana, Kazuya and others were among the few selected to become battle partners of the E Pandora, whom desperately want to become stronger. Everything seems bad at first when the original Pandoras start to disrespect the imitation E Pandoras, though through the words of Elizabeth, a student from West Genetics, everything was cleared up...the Pandoras and E Pandoras were inspired to work with one another. Of course, everything goes to shit again human experimentation takes place, one of the E Pandoras turn into  Nova....


"Freezing Vibration" is a...bold continuation of the story. Its very different from the original, though I am certain this all this is canon (I went to read the manga after finishing this). There are some parts that were censored, so in many ways, "Freezing Vibration" seems a lot less violent than the original (though I don't see why they would censor the violence when they are always showing Elizabeth's tits off). In my perspective, the story made me intrigued about whats to come, but returning to the school life thing doesn't sound too bad...


Peace.

Looks like a school girl from a knight academy...

Class: Landsknecht
Traits: Elemental Damage, Physical Damage, De-buff, Tanky
Class Rating: 8/10
Subclass Rating: 9/10


The Land has been in every EO game up to date (well, almost), but their usefulness varies in each of those games....and they haven't really been mainstay party staples at all. In  EO IV however, the Land has become one of the stronger classes in the game, capable of being very versatile in both their main build and their sub class synergy. The Land is very capable and can be built as an elemental DPS linker, which is very team dependent, but can dish out tons of damage....or be a solo DPS damage dealer which does decent DPS.


With the skills in the tree alone, you can see that the Land can go multiple paths. The Land thrives on going first, because the passive increases damage dealt to the enemy from your entire team if she attacks first. The Land alone is slow but Vanguard will always make sure that you go first. Link DPS is probably one of the most consistent ways of dealing elemental damage in the whole game, and is incredibly strong, BUT link DPSing depends on your team. A good multi-hitting team can make good use of it. A physical damage Land has Sword Tempest or Swift Stab, which are very powerful attacks, but shy in comparison to links. A physical DPS Land is less reliant on her team though. They can take good hits with iron wall and swordbreaker, as well as debuff with power break and mind break.


The Land is decently versatile when looking for other classes as its subclass. Medic works for quick healing, since we have vanguard. Runemaster is godly if you want to build a link Land, the elemental bonuses from the Runemaster can really set you up nicely. Bushi works if you're going for the physical DPS route, Nightseeker is also decent for Follow Trace. AS a subclass however, Land is simply amazing...because of Vanguard. Many, MANY classes could use an ability which allows them to move first...Medic, Bushi, Imperial, Arcanist....just to name a few. This isn't even counting the defensive options that the Land has, or the fact that dual wielding will improve the class's tankyness (good for Bushi).

At least they aren't bondage masters anymore...

Class: Nightseeker
Traits: Status Ailments, High Evasion/Hit rate, Fast, Double hits*, Insta-kill
Class Rating: 6/10
Subclass Rating: 7/10


I simply love the Nightseeker, but they are completely situational....It depends on your party lineup. With an Arcanist or Sniper in it (or both), these 3 classes become godly together, the Nightseeker included. However in most other parties its hard for a Nightseeker to function as it should, because it'll spend too much time trying to inflict status ailments. Later in the game they become complete beasts, but their issues still remain. Their DPS is decent at best without any status ailments on your enemies, and it takes some time for time to throw these on the more powerful bosses. However, with status ailments ON bosses, they can deal damage equivalent to that of a charged up Imperial, which is mighty impressive. They are fairly squishy though.


Their role is very simple. Inflict status ailments with throws, wait until they stick, then wail on them with Swift Edge over and over. Its so simple in a way because this is their most realistic damage option in a boss fight. There is no other way to build a Nightseeker...which hurts them in the versatility department.  Their damage with Swift Edge is really high though, but status ailments are a must. Venom Throw is easily the best skill here, as the poison ticks for ridiculous amounts of damage (easily 750 damage per tick late game, with Black Mist you'll be kicking a lot of ass). Venom Throw + Swift Edge spam = Profit. However you'll run into trouble when the poison runs out...so you'll most definitely need Releasal Spell from the Arcanist. Follow Trace is godly when it comes to doing DPS (8 hits a turn on a poisoned target is just OP as hell), and Shadow Cloak helps in a pinch. Speed Boost increases your evade/hit rate, and Assassinate helps against most pesky enemy types if you don't want to deal with them.


The Nightseeker functions well enough alone, so subclasses are a little bit of a problem here. There are only 3 realistic options for the Nightseeker when they are looking for a subclass. The Arcanist is the best, you'll get a lot out of Ailment Boost and Releasal Spell. Bushi works for charging, so that the Nightseeker can deal even more ridiculous DPS....Fortress works for the passive health boost and defensive buffs, the Nightseeker will most probably be on the front line and them being squishy doesn't help. However, them as a subclass works fairly well because of Follow Trace and Blade Flurry. Bushis love the Nightseeker as a sub, so do the Sniper and the physical route Lands. This is especially true for the Snipers, because Foul Mastery is just beast. Imperials benefit the most from Follow Trace....god bless the enemy if you manage to pull off Overdrive twice.

We have big shields!

Class: Fortress
Traits: Tanky, Support, Sustain, Team Defender*
Class Rating: 7/10
Subclass Rating: 4/10


Do I need to say more? They are big guys and girls with  big shields. They defend the team, they are the tankiest idiots in the game, they can soak up enemy hits like no other. Sure the Imperial and Land are decent damage sponges, but they got nothing on the Fortress. If you're a beginner, the Fortress is a godsend for living through even the toughest FOEs and bosses the game can throw at you. The Fortress ensures that your party survives through even the toughest attacks, they will always be there to protect your party, and the only way your party is going to get touched otherwise, is by them going down. And believe me, they don't go down easy. They however, provide almost no DPS whatsoever.


With that said, the Fortress is a PURE defensive class. Sure, they have some damage options via Earth Break, Holy Smite and Vengance Bash, but those are meager as hell compared to what other classes can do. Besides, the Fortress will have his/her hands full defending the team already, no time to do any damage unless the enemy is stun-locked or something. They have A TON of options for being tanky. Iron Wall, Rampart and HP Boost make them near un-killable, and they can boost the party's defensive via Strike Guard and Element Guard, which is MIGHTY USEFUL. The various shield moves allow them to take damage in the party's stead, and Guard Mastery allows you to even completely block attacks. Taunt makes sure your opponents hit you, Knight's Boon, Healing Wall and Holy Blessing gives your team sustain as long as your Fortress is still alive.


The Fortress is a supportive defense class, that means when it comes to sub classes, they have some options.
Runemaster helps improve their supportive defense capabilities with runes, Dancer helps them avoid attacks while drawing fire, and Medic makes them more support-ish than ever. Land makes them go first with Vanguard, and Bushi gives them Endure so they can take that one extra hit, though the above 3 classes serve the Fortress better than these 2. As a subclass though, they pretty much suck. Their skills are only meant for defending the team, and no other class does it better for them, so its better for the Fortress to be a main class. If you do want them as a sub, its probably for the HP Boost, or Holy Blessing, which isn't saying much. Nightseeker, Dancer will benefit for the HP Boost....but even then they have better choices. I'd say as a sub, Dancer utilizes Fortress best.

You know what they do, it's simple as f**k, really.

Class: Sniper
Traits: Binds, Physical DPS, AOE damage, High Crit*, Fast
Class Rating: 8/10
Subclass Rating: 2/10


Probably the only ranged physical DPS damage dealer in the game, the Sniper serves as a late game carry. During the early segments of the game they are more of an utility class, their damage comes later, but when it does, it comes in hard. Unlike the Nightseeker, they don't need to land status ailments to make the most out of their damage, though landing the binds DO help. If you want a damage dealer from the back, the Sniper is a nice pick. Just be quick to note that while the Sniper does a lot of damage and can bind as utility, they bring close to nothing for the team OR themselves in terms of defensive traits, they die easily.


First off, Snipers crit like crazy. Lock On, Bullseye and Snipe Mastery gives you 110% crit rate with at least one bind on your enemy, which is pretty crazy. With that into account, its not that hard to do crazy amounts of damage with a Sniper. Power Boost solidifies their late game damage, and if you want, Eagle Eye further improves your damage by decreasing the defense of enemies. Binds are great, and you'll probably need them against most enemies. If you don't have an Arcanist for binds, the Sniper comes in really hand, though if I were to compare, Arcanist lands binds easier. Sniper's damage is insane with Squall Volley, which is probably the highest DPS skill in the game if every hit lands. 16 hits x 50% = 800% damage, which is guaranteed with leg bind. Throw in Follow Trace and you get an easy 1200% damage with a leg bind. It's pretty much the only skill you need.


Snipers can synergize well with some subclasses. They move fast enough, so Vanguard isn't necessary. Nightseeker is hilarious when you double proc Squall volley for some 30 hits or so on your enemy in one turn. Arcanist helps if you want to run your Sniper as a full utility binder, since Ailment Boost gives you almost guaranteed binds.  Bushi is awesome just for Charge and Blood Surge, you'll be hitting for ridiculous amounts with Squall Volley. As a subclass though, Sniper is terrible, as you won't want to suddenly force someone onto a bow. There is practically nothing that can use Sniper as a subclass...unless you force it onto a Medic or Arcanist, which is semi effective at best if you want him/her to do damage...

The Medic carries hard, fact.

Class: Medic
Traits: Healing, Support
Class Rating: 9/10
Subclass Rating: 7/10


The Medic are excellent at what they do. Healing....that's pretty much it. It sounds meager, but any RPG maniac should know that the game is not possible without a Medic (not for the normal players anyway, not talking to you elitists that can kill Warped Savior without chemicals in 3 turns). In the early stages of the game, Dancer's Regen Waltz can bear the weight of healing easily, but later on where enemies start to hit a lot harder, it becomes clear that we NEED a constant source of healing and reviving. The Medic does it nicely, and probably nobody does it better than they do in the later stages of the game.


Healing is commonplace in RPGs, and the Medic is just that. Solo heals, healing to an entire line, or just healing the entire party...the Medic has all of this. They even remove status ailments and binds, which definitely saves lives in a pinch...unless the Medics themselves get bound in the head. Reviving party members is obviously a must, and later in the game you can even automatically heal or revive party members as they go down...neat! But like the Fortress, be aware that when you pick a Medic, you expect no damage whatsoever, because they have no reliable means of DPS. Star Drop is great, but you definitely need to sub a Land to pull that off, as the Medic is SO slow.


Finding subclasses for a Medic is SO easy, and this factors into their class rating. They can practically go well with almost anything (keyword: almost). Land is great for Vanguard so that the Medic can always pull off their heal at the start of the turn, or actually pull off an early Star Drop...they can also become decently tanky. Fortress makes them even tankier, and gives them more support or innate tankiness. Bushi works for Roar and Endure...and Dancer gives them evasion if you're running your Medic up front. Sniper works if you find that your Medic isn't doing anything productive...and Arcanist is great for running interference with status ailments. AS a subclass, the Medic is alright. It works for Land for the same way Land works for Medic as a sub, it works for Fortress to make them for support-ish, and it works for Bushi as emergency healing. It also works for Arcanist as a sub when you have nothing to do when running in between your circles.

Typical situation where the dancer is left alone....really?

Class: Dancer
Traits: Support, High Evasion/Hit Rate, Healing, Fast, Quick Step*
Class Rating: 6/10
Subclass Rating: 6/10


The Dancer is an oddball class to have on your team. They are supports, that much is obvious, but they don't really provide anything else offensively other than repeated normal attacks. They are good to proc links next to a Land, but other than that they mostly stick to buffing the team...which they are decent at. Early on in the game when your Fan Dance isn't that effective yet, your Dancer will probably die before being able to pull off many effective dances. Later in the game or at least with a Fortress HP Boost, your Dancer will be a non-stop buffing machine for your team, which can either be good or bad depending on your outlook. They are buffers and only so, they provide no true offensive capabilities WHATSOEVER and have very saddening DPS compared to other classes.


For one, the Dancers can function as healers if they need be. Regen Waltz is a lot better than you would expect, though it loses our to the Medic later in the game in terms of convenience and burst. Refresh Waltz is amazing against bosses that love to spam status ailments to your entire team, same for Freedom Waltz against binds. The tangos are great for team buffing, especially Attack Tango when you have a team of carries. The Sambas follow up the Dancer to attack and proc stuff like Sword Dance or Mist Dance. All of your Dancer's Tangos, Sambas or Waltz will only affect a single line, but will affect the entire party with Rush Dance, Wide Dance and Healing Step...that's a lot of skill points. Speed Boost makes your Dancer more agile, and Quick Step lets an ally move first, which is VERY useful. Mist Dance can be hilarious with the proper weapon, leading to some permanent stunlocks against bosses.


To use the Dancer effectively you need to be constantly putting up buffs every turn, meaning that looking for an effective subclass for the Dancer can be quite difficult. They are fast, so Vanguard isn't needed. Nightseeker works for Blade Flurry though, to mass proc Sword Dance and Mist Dance. Fortress gives the Dancer extra durability. That's about it. As a subclass though, they only work for some classes, and that's only for the evasion boosts. Fortress will definitely benefit from the extra evasion boosts, Nightseekers also benefit from this. Having your Arcanist as a Dancer to set up buffs for your team as well as inflicting status ailments on your enemies can also be pretty good.

She looks like Index.

Class: Runemaster
Traits: Elemental Damage, Support, Change Enemy Weakness*
Class Rating: 7/10
Subclass Rating: 6/10


The Runemaster is a severe buff to Alchemists of old, that's for sure. Having the ability to only do elemental damage via spells was always a pitiful thing in the EO series...not only did they give the Runemaster a good source of damage this time round, they gave it support abilities via the runes. They still lose out in the DPS department though (Lands and Imperials do elemental DPS better), though as a character overall, they provide a nice mix of defensive and offensive options with runes. If anything, they are a great support class with the right characters on your team.


Runes are really, really good, I'll say that as many times as I have to. The best thing is that they are available from the start! A rune set up can decrease the damage your team takes from said element, and make an enemy weak to that element. This sets up for some brilliant elemental damage opportunities on your team, and decreases the enemy's. This is further amplified by Runic Guidance,Runic Flare and Runic Gleam, which will increase the DPS of your Runemaster to something decent (without these the Runemaster's DPS is subpar, just like the Nightseeker is without ailments on the enemy). Runes decrease elemental damage taken by your party, and Runic Shield even gives you the chance to negate them. Galvanic Rune is great against bosses as long as Volt Rune is up, and Origin Rune will work wonders versus Warped Savior or Heavenbringer.


Runemasters are fantastic to have on your team by themselves, and would have gotten a higher score on their Class Rating, but they suffer from subclass syndrome. Almost no class can be subbed by the Runemaster, because of their strict skill set....they can only do what they do and very few classes have skills that benefit them other than their own. Imperials work for Element Boost, but that's it. As a subclass however, they work decently for those who rely on elemental damage. Lands and Imperials benefit from their countless elemental damage bonuses such as Runic Flare, Runic Guidance and Runic Gleam. Hell, TP Boost and Free Energy are great for those guys too, since they have horrible TP pools. Fortresses can also benefit from setting up runes to further defend the team.

I named my Arcanist Miku.

Class: Arcanist
Traits: Status Ailments, Binds, De-Buffs, Support
Class Rating: 6/10
Subclass Rating: 6/10


Arcanists are a mixed batch. Like many classes before it, the Arcanist's only purpose is to support the team, they do almost no damage whatsoever, and carry their own weight through what they do best...screwing the enemies over with status ailments and binds. If you're not one to play around with these, the Arcanist is not for you, because that is what this class is all about (at least Nightseekers and Snipers have damage). They are very squishy, they do no damage, and they pretty much have to stand at the back to do what they need uninterrupted...you'll a proper team built around one for the Arcanist to do well.


Status ailments and binds alone do not amount to much, this much is true. You need to run a team around status ailments and binds to do well with the Arcanist...these include the Nightseeker and Sniper. With these 2 you'll be rocking the house with the Arcanist at the back, and even then, their role is solely to support. Their various circles can inflict every bind and status ailment in the game (except petrify), and with decent success rate at that, higher than the Nightseekers or Snipers can hope for. This makes them the ideal choice when it comes to sticking binds and ailments. With their circles in tact, Arcanists can passively heal via Circle Boon, Dismiss Heal for burst healing, Dismiss Blow and Blast for damage. Circle Mastery gives you purpose to keep those circles longer. Releasal Spell resets the ailment resistance of bosses (a must have), Ailment Boost gives you more chance to stick ailments and binds, and the eye abilities de-buff your foes.


There is not much for an Arcanist to do when a cirlce is up and running, so they have some free time to do what they want with a subclass. Unfortunately, their choices are limited. Medic works great for some spare healing when they need to, or just to remove bad effects on your team. Dancer works decently at best, letting the Arcanist put buffs on our team when she's free. As a subclass however, Arcanist works just fine with Nightseekers and Sniper, again, because of Ailment Boost and Releasal Spell. These are the core of all ailment/bind teams, and these will greatly help to improve your chances. Medics can also use the supportive abilities of the Arcanist, as they usually have nothing to do most of the time. The Arcanist healing abilities also take Medic's healing mastery into account, so that works.

Furry warriors!

Class: Bushi
Traits: Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage, ....More Damage
Class Rating: 6/10
Subclass Rating: 9/10


The Bushi are a f**king suicidal class. They have very nice damage, but nothing else. The Bushis provide NOTHING to the table but damage...and Roar I suppose, which is a debuff. There's a catch though, without Blood Surge and Charge, the Bushi's damage are only decent. They have a terrible TP pool, and need to attack to restore TP. However, if you intend to use Blood Surge, which you pretty much NEED to, your Bushi's damage will f**king skyrocket to stupid amounts, but they take damage every turn. To make things even dumber, Bushi are fairly squishy, as they cannot equip heavy armor and need to pretty much hold 2 weapons to maximize their damage output. Take low defenses along with a skill set that pretty much guarantees that you will damage yourself without the enemy touching you and you have a YOLO character.


The Bushi have a lot of attacks up their sleeves, and the thing is that most of them are viable damage options. Flash Strike and Meteor Strike are good moves. Multi Slash is only worth it if you're low enough with Blood Surge on, and Fierce Strike is deadly, but paralyzes you (it works wonders with a Dancer on your team with Refresh Waltz). Everything goes with the Bushi, but you're only utilizing their true potential with Blood Surge and Charge. Charge more than doubles the damage of your next attack, and Blood Surge makes you a beast, though you take good damage EVERY turn. With these in mind along with the likes of Defiance, Power Boost and Surge Mastery, you'll be doing ridiculous damage every turn...RIDICULOUS DAMAGE. BUT YOU ARE ALSO KILLING YOURSELF! Endure will save you once...but only once.


The Bushi have some options when adapting a subclass. Land is great simply for Vanguard, which is nice for the first move, since Bushi are fairly slow, but it kills your Bushi even faster (you take more damage with Vanguard on). Nightseeker is also fantastic, since they benefit from Blade Flurry AND Ferocity. Follow Trace also allows for some really silly damage output. Medic works for emergency healing, since they are always f**king dieing. As a sub though, they are simply amazing for late game DPS carries! Physical DPS Lands, Runemasters, Nightseekers, Snipers and the Imperial will all DIE for Charge and Blood Surge in their arsenal, because it makes them even more freaking ridiculous than they are! Ever try Blood Surge and Charge on moves like Swift Edge, Squall Volley, Galvanic Rune or Imperial drives? The damage numbers can get pretty silly....pretty, f**king, silly. Just try not to kill yourself.

What is this the gunblade squad?!

Class: Imperial
Traits: Elemental Damage, Set-up, Going absolutely ham with 5 digit damages*
Class Rating: 9/10
Subclass Rating: 3/10


The Imperial are straight out awesome. Just look at them with their power armor and fancy looking gun blades....they look like they can absolutely murder anyone! Imperials have tons of f**king damage and are probably the class with THE most damage when it comes to bursting down a single target. They are complete beasts against late game boss fights, and can go as far as to burst down half the HP of any of the 3 dragons with the right set-up and party. These guys are absolute monsters, you just have to use them properly.


The Imperials thrive on hitting the enemies with one, solid strike that will hopefully take them out of the game, or at least deal insane amounts of damage to them. Their attacks, the drive skills, deal A BOATLOAD of damage to a single target, but have massive cooldowns. With mastery, they can set the cooldowns of most of their skills to 5-6 turns, allowing for more drive skills in rapid succession, which will most probably take care of most bosses VERY quickly (most bosses go down by the time the 2nd drive attack comes). Imperials have the damage section covered, all they need is ways to decrease their cooldowns, which they have plenty. Heat Sink just eats up the turn numbers, while the other edge skills help out just fine. Element Boost further increases their damage, and Ignition allows them for infinite Drive attacks for a period of time. If the battle drags long enough for Ignition to come up, you can wipe out most bosses within the Ignition period (Warped Savior included).


The Imperial has some compatibility with the other classes. For one, Land is a great subclass because of Vanguard; the Imperial are slow as heck, going first is always good before they get killed. Nightseeker sub is absolutely hilarious when your Imperial actually gets to pull off Follow Trace. Runemaster is excellent since the Imperial is mostly an elemental DPS class, and they can leech a lot from the Runemaster skill set. Bushi is excellent for Blood Surge and Charge. 


Okay then, here are my team compositions. 


Team A

Front: I/R, N/A, L/R
Back: M/L, S/N



Team B


Front: N/A, F/D, D/F
Back:  A/M, S/N



Team C


Front: L/R, I/B, I/B
Back: R/I, M/L



Peace.