Kids with swords

by ERIK LEIJON

There’s something disconcerting about the latest Square Enix action-RPG, Infinite Undiscovery (X360/Square Enix, tri-Ace), and it goes far beyond the invented word in the game’s title. Infinite follows the stringent rules of a Japanese RPG, and one of those strange Japanese obsessions that translates awkwardly for American audiences is the need for the protagonists to be really young (usually teenagers). Kids destined for greatness is not a new concept on any continent, but Infinite Undiscovery goes a bit too far, making what is a fairly fun—if not overly generic—role-playing game an uncomfortable celebration of child soldiers.

In some parallel future, a sinister and shadowy group known as The Order have attached a bunch of chains to the moon from Earth, causing the planet to become overrun with your typical video game monsters. The mission of a ragtag group of mostly 17-year-olds is to travel from town to town, breaking the chains and dispatching the ugly goblins who protect them.

CHILD SOLDIERS: Infinite Undiscovery

The main character, an orphaned flautist named Capell, could have been an intriguing hero since he’s not a born fighter like the rest of his Spartan crew. Actually, he starts as a firm believer in non-violence, before receiving a rousing speech from an anime girl and Capell’s lookalike Lord Sigmund—à la Big Lebowski, Capell is often mistaken for Sigmund by complete strangers looking for the charismatic leader.

It seems early on that Capell’s aversion to violence could support some interesting gameplay that rewards the player for playing stealthily, but alas, in Japanese RPG style, once Capell is told it’s an honourable person’s duty to carry a big sword, he quickly does a 180 and becomes an unstoppable killing machine. What’s truly disturbing about the entire experience is how a recently widowed wife pawns off her two 10-year-old children on Capell, gushing at the possibility of her bonnet-wearing kids dying in combat. Capell seems to be the only one doubting the sanity of the situation, while everyone else convinces him that sending prepubescents into battle is a good idea.

The main characters also have a weird relationship with Lord Sigmund, who, like them, is a 17-year-old lost boy, but has the unique ability to destroy his chains (Capell gets this power as well). To the other child soldiers, though, he’s revered as a god. It’d be a cool idea if this were a game about a dystopian future where a group of orphans banded together to fight evil, but this weird underlying storyline seems to be largely unintentional, since most of the cutscenes serve to glorify the selflessness of the group and the importance of friendship.

Infinite Undiscovery plays like a standard action-RPG, and the teamwork-based actions are effective but simplistic. The “undiscovered” portion of the game, meaning how your actions will cause unknown changes to environments, has no real effect on the playing experience.

GARDEN PARTY

British developer Rare is over a decade removed from their brilliant Goldeneye 007 on the child-friendly Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (X360/Microsoft, Rare). Players are in charge of their personal garden, inhabited by many living piñatas, which are attracted to the flowers you’re required to grow. There are mini-quests along with the routine of watering plants and growing new ones. The gameplay is intentionally rudimentary for children, but seasoned gamers might get hooked on completing repetitious tasks, similar to a Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing.

It’s a fun variation on the strategy genre, but I found it rather depressing that once the candiosity level of my piñata reached its maximum, the poor piñata would then be whisked away to a Piñata Central party. You can guess what happens next.