Rodea: The Sky Soldier gets first review in Famitsu

After an incredibly long wait, Rodea: The Sky Soldier is finally launching in Japan next week. Given that the game is so close, Famitsu published a review in its latest issue.

We’ve gone ahead and translated the review in full. You can find it after the break.

Reviewer 1 – 8

You can feel it right away that this game was made with an obsession to flying action. The controls need a bit of getting used to but when mastered, the sense of freedom and thrill is wonderful. It is fun to reach different places of the floating stages. The atmosphere, characters and story get better the more you dive into the world. The game isn’t filled with the latest technology but it is carefully crafted.

Reviewer 2 – 7

You control the flying action by aiming where you want to fly and although the controls are a bit improper, it feels good to freely fly around the spacious stages. You can also feel the big scale in huge boss battles which is nice. It is inconvenient that you can’t set reverse controls for looking around and thus controls may feel hard depending on the person. As the Wii U version gives more freedom in controlling the viewpoint, flying in the sky feels more comfortable in that version.

Reviewer 3 – 8

It feels good to dash in the sky. After jumping into the sky, you fly towards the target area like a bullet. You can fire your gun while flying so it may feel hectic but when you get used to the controls, exploring becomes fun. It’s also interesting to challenge yourself and try how far you can fly without falling into ground. Game Pad is used in a unique way by showing a portrait of your partner and you can even set options like how frequently that partner talks to you.

Reviewer 4 – 7

There are somewhat frustrating things in this game like accidental deaths due to the viewpoint and putting too much info (reticle, energy meter, cursor etc.) into the middle of the screen as excessive info makes it hard to see. It’s a pity that elevation differences and positioning are especially hard to grasp in the 3DS version. Although the graphics are not so good, the game is action-packed and elements like character customization give a worthy reason for replaying. The exhilarating feeling of flying freely in the sky is excellent.

We have a couple of things to mention about clear time as well. It apparently takes around 15 hours to complete Rodea: The Sky Soldier. When replaying stages to obtain collectibles and such, you can expect roughly 30 hours of gameplay.