Trapt (PS2)

Trapt is not a stand alone game - it's actually the 4th in the "Deception" series, the game is also known as "Kagero 2: Dark Illusion" in Japan.You play as the heroine: Princess Allura, the game opens with the princess and you're father - King Olaf, standing by your mother's grave. She has been dead for 4 years, but the scars of her death are crystal to everyone still, including the King's new wife and Queen - Catalina. Catalina over the years since the death of the original Queen has become bitter and angry at her husband, and also at the princess - who refuses to accept her as part of the family. The game takes a turn for the worst when the King is suddenly murdered. Catalina uses this opportunity to blame Allura for his death; having no choice, Allura flees to an abandorned castle, where she encounters and gets possesed by "the fiend" (like the devil). In order to save her own life, she sacrifices the souls of Catalina's knights using magic known as "traps" and "dark illusions".The game may not contain the most highly tech graphics, the most rememorable storyline or anything else that makes games such as Final Fantasy series highly credited. But I do have a soft spot this game; I love the music score, and the battle system is unqiue and fairly easy to use. You simply equip a trap to either the triangle, circle or 'x' button, place it within the room you're in using the joypad, wait till the enemy is within range and then watch you're opponents health decrease...Allura can summon various objects to kill her opponents in trap like situations. You can use anything from giant buzzsaws to bombs to giant oil pots. To defeat enemies quickly you must perform a series of combos, not only using your own traps but also the objects found the room you're currently in. Such as torture devices found in the torture chamber, or electric gates found in the chapel (I have no idea either...)The game has a very "Japan" feel for it, the clothes are "fantasy" like (the sort of clothing I wished they sell in my local shop) and the game has kept the Japanese voice actors in and supplied with english subtitles. The translation's a bit poor (well the grammer is, you can tell it's done by a Japanese translator) but forgivable.The battle system is unique but camera angle is annoying and slow - you try to position the camera so you can time when an enemy comes within trap range, but by the time you get the camera sorted the enemy has already past the trap unharmed!The games offers various extras that I really enjoy most about the game; in your average game most enemies will be treated as a 'collective', such as "minions" in Bloodrayne, or "soldiers" in others. In this game they present you with a full profile; descirbing their personality, whether they enjoy they job, who they have relationships with, etc. And after you kill them, it's keeps a record of it so you can reflect back on all your glories. Such as "Decapitated by Pendulam" and "Sliced in half by Buzz Saw".You also have 'side stories' in every chapter (15 in total, 2 for every chapter that are accessed with multiple play throughs) so you get to explore the story at a new level, discover new characters and collect "warl" (the game's currency) to purchase more traps to unleash upon others.This game does have many faults, many reasons why many reviews I've seen has discarded it - but if you overlook them you'll find a unique game, unlike any other, and quite enjoyable. With 4 endings to discover, numerous traps and hidden extras to explore.