Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky Reviews
Seeing Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky in action definitely makes clear its similarities to tri-Ace’s Valkyrie Profile, though unfortunately the same height of quality is not reached.
Exist Archive is a JRPG brought to us by Spike Chunsoft and tri-Ace. Maybe recognizable from their works such as Danganronpa and Valkyrie Profile respectively, these two came together to create a solid JRPG that covers most of its bases in: gameplay, music, and story, although perhaps lacking a bit in gameplay explanation.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is a great RPG that is both enjoyable to play and unique in its execution. The story goes beyond generic tropes, offering a unique take on life and death. Gameplay is fun and addicting, especially with combo attacks and the sidescrolling setup. Will this game hold up to Valkyrie Profile’s legacy? That’s for you to decide. However, Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is a great title for fans of RPGS.
The prospect of all these mechanics coming together was something fresh, but it quickly turned into a long and boring grind that was 100% over inflated for no reason. The story puts the final nail of mediocrity into it’s coffin.
Despite the bumpy and confusing start, the excellent plot -combined with a rather satisfying gameplay and a delightful art style- make Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky a recommended experience for any fan of the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is a test as much as a game, with some interesting new ideas being applied to a pretty standard JRPG. There are some highs and some lows, but the overall product is lacking in severe ways that are amplified by the generally promising new concepts. However, a strong story and some exploration options make this a game to consider.
Exist Archive is proof you can sometimes have too much of a good thing, and doesn't have enough unique ideas of its own to stand out.
Here is a JRPG that knows what it sets out to do, and executes it in a fantastically fun way. The unique battle system, solid platforming, and interesting story should keep players going for the game's entire duration, even despite the grinding. The overall presentation takes a bit of getting used to, but it is genuinely good looking, if a little rough around at the edges, with great music and passable voice-acting. It's recommendable to Valkyrie Profile fans, though it differs from that series in many ways.
Overflowing with charming personalities and buoyed by a deep and rewarding combat system, Exist Archive is a nice addition to the Vita library. It's just too bad that recycled dungeons and tedious grinding show up to spoil the fun.
Exist Archive is a game that deserves more people giving it a go. Thankfully, getting each of the endings isn’t a huge hassle but if you’re entire unsure, feel free to use a guide as it is a pretty lengthy game that you might not want to play again in a hurry!
You can purchase Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky right here.
For all its early-stage failings, Exist Archive is an excellent game once it finds its groove. As long as you go in knowing what to expect and knowing it will get better eventually, it's a game I'd recommend to anyone who likes JRPGs.
Even though Exist Archive is a pretty game that blends Metroidvania stages with traditional JRPG elements very well, it simply fails to deliver when it comes to variety.
There’s a lot to be had here, but the PS Vita version of Exist Archive could have used some more attention. Still, in the proper hands, there’s plenty of JRPG goodness to get lost in.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky has a solid foundation in its art style, characters, and combat. It’s just a shame that a lack in variation holds it back from being something truly engaging.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is an advertisement for the mantra that less is more. There's an enjoyable ten hour game here, but it's buried in a repetitive and frustrating forty hour experience in which the majority of the content not only feels superfluous, but actually detrimental to the whole. The story it tells might be good enough to justify grinding through the uninspired battles and platforming sections were the game dramatically shorter, but as it is the sporadic narrative can't save what is a largely tedious affair.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is an incredible game with a deep rich story and a highly addictive combat system.
The Valkyrie Profile successor you always wanted in both the good and the bad ways.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky feels like the spiritual successor to Valkyria Profile series, but without the added depth and complexity of the story and characters. Those who were hoping for a good action RPG can still have an enjoyable experience.
Exist Archive is a title elevated by its superb combat that remained enjoyable even after a thousand encounters. However, it doesn’t have much more to offer outside of the combat, as there’s a serious lack of variety in the overall gameplay. The repetitive nature of exploring one dungeon after another, punctuated by the odd event here and there played against my patience. Even though I can safely say that I enjoyed my initial playthrough, I can’t say the same about the prospect of playing through it once more to get an alternative ending.