In 2000, the original Rhapsody game was translated into English and offered to Western audiences. Many might have thought that there was only one game in the series, but in reality, two other titles simply did not receive translations. In a new package of both Rhapsody II and III, NIS America provides a glimpse into the history of a unique JRPG. Here’s our review of Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles for the Nintendo Switch.

The Rhapsody series is certainly a niche series with loving fans who are passionate but few in number. Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles is a great way to check out this series for the first time if you’re new to the franchise. In the first game, Cornet (a young puppeteer) and her puppet friend Kururu face off against the villain Marjoly and her minions in a battle over a prince. Battles are fought in a tactical fashion. Oddly enough, this combat style is not present in these two titles included in Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles.

Instead, the sequels in this package focus on traditional turn-based gameplay. Here’s the interesting thing about both Rhapsody II and III. They are not difficult games. They both take under 25 hours to complete and offer more in terms of character and art style than actual JRPG system depth. That said, the lighter nature of both games makes them a fun reprieve from the often-times cliche stories of other JRPGs released in the 1990s. I can honestly say I haven’t played many JRPGs like Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles. 

The question now becomes whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I believe after completing both games that JRPG fans would likely enjoy the tone of these titles because they’re so different from 90s JRPG releases. They’re also boosted by enhanced visuals, making these the best versions of each game. If you’re not someone who cares much for the history of JRPGs, however, these aren’t going to be recommendations anyone would make as places to start your JRPG journey.

Like many NIS America titles, I greatly appreciate that these games are being released in this improved fashion for historical purposes. I enjoyed my time with both titles and having them both in one package makes it easy to play through these games. Especially since they were not previously translated into English, but are now available in my Switch library. I won’t say they do much in terms of expanding the genre, however. While I did see both through to the end, they didn’t ever excite me in gameplay or story.

Where does that leave us? I believe the history of these titles and their unique approach to the JRPG formula make them worthwhile for genre enthusiasts. That said, there is nothing here I’d strongly recommend as a must-play or definitive title in the history of 90s Japanese game development. Diehards may disagree and claim the score (below) is too low, but I’ll take my chances that Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles is reaching an audience who will love it and leave it at that.

Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles offers plenty to those who love the series, as well as anyone interested in playing a more niche RPG. It’s just not something that offers a deeper insight into the scope of Japanese game development at large. The pessimistic approach to this review is to say that there are much stronger 90s JRPGs to spend your time with. I won’t go that far, and I will politely add that no other JRPG I’ve played from the 1990s matches Rhapsody‘s tone and uniqueness.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles was provided by NIS America for this review.

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Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles

$49.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Unique JRPG from the 90s
• A new opportunity to play these games in English
• Entertaining writing

Cons

• Far from a landmark title in the genre
• Easy combat encounters and few challenges
• For their length, they offer little in terms of fun factor