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A generic RPG with the Inuyasha license slapped on

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 23 / 27
Date: April 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel

INTRODUCTION:
I'm a fan of numerous anime series, but I won't deny that most anime-based video games are largely unspectacular. For every great anime, there are about half a dozen crappy games based on it. Inuyasha is no exception. I have always love this anime/manga series, but all of the games released so far, while not horrible, have certainly not been that great. And now we arrive at a new one - an RPG for the Nintendo DS entitled Secret of the Divine Jewel. Read on and see how the latest entry in the world of Inuyasha games fares!

OVERVIEW:
Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel was released in early 2007. The game is only available on Nintendo DS and features a number of playable characters from the series, as well as some new ones.

REVIEW:
I had high hopes for this game, I really did. Unfortunately, it's another unspectacular entry into the world of Inuyasha video game titles. For the pros and cons of this title, read on!

-THE GOOD-
-NICE GRAPHICS. These are probably the best part of the game. The anime-style graphics are bright and colorful and all of the characters (the pre-existing ones anyway) are instantly recognizable.
-A UNIQUE STORYLINE THAT DOESN'T COPY THE ANIME DIRECTLY. Your main character is a female exchange student friend of Kagome who has just moved to Japan. She becomes curious about Kagome's frequent disappearances, and pursues her - only to end up in the struggle she and Inuyasha and all their friends are involved in.
-IN MANY WAYS, A GOOD USE OF THE LICENSE. Characters use attacks and techniques you will recognize, and that any fan of the series will be familiar with. Inuyasha has his Backlash Wave, Kagome can shoot Sacred Arrows, and so forth. If it's a special move you saw a character use in the anime or manga, they've probably got it here.

-THE BAD-
-THIS IS A GENERIC RPG WITH THE INUYASHA LICENSE SLAPPED ON. Essentially, it just feels like someone took a horribly outdated role playing game and threw the Inuyasha license on at the last minute to make it seem less mediocre. But it doesn't. This is a generic, mediocre RPG that doesn't bring anything new to the genre.
-HORRIBLE SAVE SYSTEM (you can only save on the world map.) When are these game makers gonna learn!? Give gamers the option to save any time! It's the twenty-first century for God's sake! This will definitely become a problem for you as the action stages get longer and the enemies more difficult.
-STARTS SLOW. You have to play through the game for like an hour before you can use characters you will actually recognize. Come on! It would have made more sense to gradually introduce them, one at a time, over that hour span. That would surely have better kept a gamer's attention.
-THE STORY IS RIPPED OFF FROM "SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK" FOR THE PLAYSTATION TWO. That PS2 RPG is where this entire premise of a friend of Kagome being sucked into the feudal era comes from. And that game did it to a better extent. Not to mention it did everything better than this game.
-ENEMY ENCOUNTERS ARE TOO FREQUENT. You'll only take a couple of steps between encounters, only to be attacked again. This becomes a pain when your foes attack in numbers and the fights seem to last forever. You'll get real bored, real fast.
-HORRIBLE LEVEL DESIGN. The levels feature far too many dead ends, with the enemy encounter rate never diminishing. The dead ends usually don't even feature hidden items, which makes it an overall very frustrating experience.
-A HORRIBLY IMBALANCED EXPERIENCE. The lack of a good save system makes this even worse. In one temple you'll fight a tough-but-not-too-hard boss. Then a ton of his flunkies. You'll be hurting and relieved to get out of the temple, and go replenish your team. But before you do, what happens? You get attacked by an unrealistically powerful boss who kills you instantly. And since the game wouldn't let you save outside the world map, you have to play through the whole scenario again. Talk about poor production.

OVERALL:
I can't recommend this game, not even to Inuyasha fans. It makes for a good weekend rental, if you've got the patience. But don't buy it. This is strictly a rental title. It's great to see everyone's favorite dog demon has arrived on Nintendo systems at long last, but this is not the welcome us fans were hoping for.

EDITION NOTES:
You should have no trouble finding this game in any major video game retailer. Likewise, any place that rents DS games should carry it.

Only Inuyasha Fans Need Apply

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: April 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm a huge fan of the Inuyasha series and when I found out that there was an RPG of the storyline, I immediately went out and bought a brand new Nintendo DS (because I didn't have one to begin with) and went on a search for the game itself. After hitting three stores, I finally found it and on sale! Not to put down Amazon, I buy most of all my media online, but I wanted this right away versus waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

Anyway, I haven't been able to put down this game since I bought it. I'll spare you the story recap as the other reviews do a good job of explaining that part, but in terms of the pros and cons in my opinion:

PROS:
- Excellent storyline and twists - The game keeps you guessing the whole time. Just when you think it's going to wrap up they throw you another curve ball and you're right back to guessing what to do next.
- Graphics and likeness to characters is impeccable!!
- All the powers and special abilities in the series are used throughout the game and some new ones are introduced too!!

CONS:
- The intro to the game does take a long time, but I like to think that it's needed as set-up for the story and it helps you get used to how the game works.
- There are far too many demon encounters, but just like the series, demons always attack in droves and sometimes the heroes have to run away. Either way, the many battles help you build up money and xPoints.
- The instruction booklet doesn't explain each characters individual powers or all of the many items you pick up along the way. Sure, some of the powers you know from the series, but new ones aren't exactly explained and some items don't seem to do anything but take up room in your characters inventory.

Overall, if you are an Inuyasha fan, I would highly recommend this purchase, but try and find it on sale. No one should have to pay over $30 for any video game.

Great adaptation of a great Anime!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 14
Date: March 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game was really fun to play. It is an RPG to its most basic forms. Heavy text, long battles, interesting and deep characters. You start off as a young girl from America who comes to Japan to live. There, she meets Kagome and follows here home and into a mysterious well (I'll spare you the whole story). Just know it follows closely with the storyline from Inuyasha, including powers and characters from the show.

The only downfall is, being an RPG, it can get long. Also, it WILL take you about an hour of gameplay to find and play as any characters you recognize.

Overall, I am 4 hours of gameplay in, and about 75%(my guess) of the way through. The upgrades and battles get better as you go.
One of the best RPGs for the DS, and the best Inuyasha game on the market.

InuYasha Divine Jewel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: May 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Game is good. But Some of the Action is alright. storyline need work. like it doesn't tell you what to do next. but still it's a great game.

Stay away from this game!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: June 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok, this type of game is geared for and will most likely be bought by fans of the Inuyasha anime and/or manga. I am a big fan of Inuyasha, having several Inuyasha comics and the Season 3 DVD set. As much as I wanted to like this game, I couldn't get past its many flaws.

First off, the graphics... I rate the graphics 3/5. The graphics are about as good as anything you will find on the Game Boy Advance, the game uses big sprites instead of polygons. The graphics are colorful, to the game's credit.

The gameplay is quite annoying, there is an extremely high encounter rate, when you enter the wild you will barely be able to walk two steps without encountering a random battle. The game would have been much more fun if they used some of the characters from the TV shows' voices.

As far as actual battle goes, I have only the first impressions because I soon grew exasperated with this game. Basically they give you are a little girl and you get 2 robots to do all the attacking and fighting with, if you try to run away your two robots will run away first, leaving the girl by herself. The girl will be too slow to run away and she will be killed: game over...

P.S. Your first encounter with any of the Inuyasha characters, besides Kagome is when you meet Sango and Miroku in the wild. They realize you are from the future, but then they leave and leave you out to die. I was never able to find them after that...

Great InuYasha Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game, I am having fun playing it, and so are my nephews. The condition of the game is great, I had a nice experience buying this game.

Inuyasha Secert if tge Divine Jewel

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: December 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I had this package sent to my daughter, she said it came well wrapped and it is a great game for her 12 year old daughter. It was a Christmas present for our granddaughter.

Son

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I watch Inuyasha on tv and I think it is awesome. So, I looked forward to having this game. I really like it. I got to know a few new characters that I didn't know from the show.

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