Prisma Preview
I’m excited to see the ideas at play and how they end up coming into fruition, while the overall style of the game looks great.
Earlier this year, Cris Tales developer Dreams Uncorporated teased its newest title, Prisma. Ahead of its full reveal this week, RPGamer was able to learn some more details about the game from Dreams Uncorporated studio head Carlos Rocha and art director Angelica Harfan. Much like the studio’s previous title, Prisma looks to offer another innovative take on JRPGs and blend it with colourful visuals drawing from South American culture. Featuring plenty of interesting ideas and great style, Primsa looks set to offer another striking and fascinating entry into the genre.
While Cris Tales had a heavy focus on time in both its story and gameplay mechanics, Prisma heavily revolves around alternate worlds. Its unique premise sees photojournalist Alma receiving powers from an old camera she finds that contains a magical Prism Shard. She becomes trapped in another world alongside numerous versions of herself from parallel dimensions. These versions of Alma, each with their own Prism Shard, come with different pasts and abilities that greatly impact them and their behaviour. Some become allies, others foes, shopkeepers, and more. With their own party of Alma’s, players must find a way to get home, by completing quests and bonding with the different Almas.
It’s Alma’s room, but which one?
Each of the Almas will try and persuade the player/protagonist Alma to their point of view during the game, with various decisions to be taken. Aligning with a particular Alma will make the bond between them and the protagonist grow, unlocking new conversations, combos to use in combat, side quests, and story options. Each playthrough will let players complete their bond with up to four Almas out of a total of seven, with different story routes and endings helping to encourage multiple playthroughs.
Like with Cris Tales, South American culture has a strong influence on the game’s visual design. Regular enemies are inspired by South American folklore, as are much of the architecture and locations found in the world of Domacon. The setting is very much built around magical realism, populated by a mixture of regular citizens that can turn into foes, talking animals, and the various Almas that have integrated into it. The stylised graphics appear to blend together very well, using 2D and 3D elements while retaining the same look and well across them, with the designs adding a lot of character to the setting and the different Almas. The game also uses comic/manga UI elements to good effect.
Photography plays an important role in multiple gameplay elements.
The theme of perspective takes on an important role in both the narrative and gameplay. Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset’s maxim, “I am me and my circumstances”, helps drive the idea of the alternate Almas and how their perspectives and situations have caused them to be different. This somewhat extends to how a party of different “you”s can work with the class systems of many JRPGs, and how each Alma’s situation resulted in them becoming their respective classes. That said, despite their differences in personality or theme, these are the same person underneath, so there are similarities to find between them as well. Meanwhile, the mechanical side of perspective is also covered; Alma’s camera is used in the 2D exploration as it is able to show the true nature of the world, while also being involved in the combat mechanics.
For combat, the protagonist Alma isn’t actually directly involved; instead, she acts as the viewpoint for the combat through her camera as players command the party. The game includes QTE elements like timed button presses for attacking and defending, while there are also shielding and stunning mechanics for players to make use of or overcome. As party members attack or take hits, the battery in Alma’s camera is filled, which unlocks options for her to have a strong influence on how the battle plays out.
Different lenses can many this straight attack curved or be split into hitting multiple enemies.
The turn-based combat invites a comparison with Mistwalker’s Fantasian in how players can manipulate attacks to hit multiple enemies. In Prisma’s case this is done by switching and aiming different camera lenses unlocked through the game. For example, a fish-eye lens allows attack paths to be curved, while a shattered lens can see it split into multiple lines. However, enemies have the ability to use the lens’s effect themselves. This offers many interesting possibilities for combat encounters and strategy, such as allowing players to strike a foe that appears to be shielded by other enemies placed in front of them.
In addition to the lenses, Alma can also unlock and apply various filters, providing boosts such as extra healing each turn. Each Alma in the party brings their own set of skills, with special abilities that can be unlocked as the game progresses, with party members able to gain or remove abilities by using the Prism Shard they obtain during the game.
It’s always pleasing to see innovation, especially in something as storied as the RPG genre, and Dreams Uncorporated is looking to continue it’s success on that front. I’m excited to see the ideas at play and how they end up coming into fruition, while the overall style of the game looks great. Prisma is definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.
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