Trillion: God of Destruction is the latest title developed by Compile Heart that includes several key staff members from the Disgaea series. The game employs a simple device: to train an Overlord who possesses the courage, skills and audacity to challenge an adversary with one trillion health. As much of the game draws inspiration from Disgaea from its humor right down to the artistic appeal, Trillion: God of Destruction is a game filled with comedy and light hearted jokes that is now available on the PlayStation Vita.
The story follows the Underworld where its denizens enjoy a carefree life until an emerging threat called the “God of Destruction” disturbs the peace. All resistance and attempts to destroy it fail as even the Overlord Zeabolos is victimized by its power. On the verge of death, Zeabolos accepts an offer for a strange voice to avenge his defeat by selling his soul and siding with a girl named Faust to defeat the evil power with a Trillion health. After explaining the situation to his Overlord underlings, Zeabolos promises the throne to the one who successfully slays the God of Destruction and avenges his humiliating defeat to restore his honor. Each of the Overlords has their distinct and unique personality like the calm and loyal Levia, the treasure-seeking and money hungry Mammon and the cute and spunky Perpell. They each hold a symbolic crest of the Underworld: Envy, Greed and Gluttony that is consistent with their perspective and values. You are given the option to play as one of the Overlords that ultimately determines how you equip and prepare them for several battles against Trillion through the rest of the game.
The Overlord you choose will be bestowed with the Ring of the Tyrant, a ring crafted by Faust with the remains of Overlord Zeabolos’ soul. As expected, you must train your Overlord while Trillion sleeps to gain experience and new abilities in preparation for your next battle. You command and move your Overlord via grid-based system with real time elements as the monsters move in sync with you. Many of Trillion’s minions and cronies will guard and block your way to impede your efforts: Close combat, Ranged-combat, Support and Defense minions. All of Trillion’s actions are visible and displayed before they are executed that gives you the chance to evade and counter his moves. If you enter within its attack range, the grid tiles turn red as an indicator of pending danger. You can seal Trillion’s moves by inflicting a certain level of damage to destroy its external shell and expose its vulnerable body parts. By using this strategy, you can seal off its moves temporarily to attack it before it recuperates. To aid you in battle, you may enlist Devil Envoys to level the battlefield as specialized Anti-Trillion soldiers to fight against Trillion’s minions.
There are six different types of training: Fury, Concentration, Flame Dodge, Infinite Imbuing, Blade Dance and Asura. Each of them strengths different stats for your chosen Overlord with more experience points granted respective with the associated character icons from your allies. Random events may occur between training and it is up to you to decide if you wish to accept or decline additional training or challenged duels. If you receive the coveted Excellent rating three times consecutively, your Overlord will enter into a trance state called Fever Time where all your training receives “Excellent” results for seven days. Conversely, if your Overlord gets three “Poor” ratings in a row, you are eligible for a Double Up Chance that allows you to boost your experience points by a designated amount.
After earning five medals in training, you gain access to the Valley of Swords where your chosen Overlord can fight enemies and acquire spoils in a dungeon setting. Failure to complete it the Valley of Swords within a set parameter of moves results in the loss of all acquired coins, weapons, items and equipment. It is wise to prepare your favorite Overlord with the best equipment, boosted stats and lots of rest prior to braving the Valley of Swords. As you train, you are given a chance to win a special reward on the Underworld Prize machine with one of 100 possible gifts that can be used to strengthen your bond with your Overlord.
As you train and progress further into the game, you are given the option to challenge Mokujin, an opponent who transforms into Trillion for a mock battle. He is not the God of Destruction but your abilities and skills will ultimately be tested as a simulated battle against Trillion that mirrors his offensive moves and tactics. Mokujin is equipped with 6 billion HP and respective to your results, you may be rewarded with money and a boost to your Affection level. If the going gets tough, you can adjust your strategy accordingly before facing the real threat that is Trillion as the mock battle is the best preparation for the final showdown against the Underworld nemesis. If you fall in battle, they will perform one last Death Skill with their life power to seal or inflict Trillion with heavy damage before they permanently fade into oblivion.
In the event all six Overlords are defeated, the Gem of Love allows you to revive one Overlord from the grave. This option is only accessible if you have maxed out the Affection level for at least one Overlord. The powerful gem imparts great power and was imparted by God for Uriel, one of the four high ranking archangels, to hold in his possession. Rejected and tossed aside by the Overlord Zeabolos, the Gem of Love is akin to the power of love with Uriel making a special appearance. Thus, it is to your benefit to strengthen and max your bond with your chosen Overlord as a contingency plan.
Trial and error is common in this game as there are many possibilities with no single playthrough ever being exactly the same as the prior one. Strategic decisions are often made that either result in victory or bring your Overlord close to utter annihilation. My biggest gripe with the game lies in the medals needed to access the Valley of Swords as I originally expected to be training in a closed dungeon from the start. The results of training sessions tend to feel like a lottery before receiving your evaluated grade. Furthermore, increasing a character’s stats while watching their current experience drop and decrease in separate numerical categories felt very awkward and strange.
Trillion: God of Destruction is a flawed but unique game that is entertaining and one which fulfills its promise as a strategy RPG. The controls could certainly use some tweaking as it tends to impede the flow of the game. Though the steep learning curve and difficulty is frustrating at times, the reward for mastering the intricate and strategic gameplay is well worth the investment. With multiple scenarios and various endings, there is nothing more satisfying than challenging and defeating the legendary God of Destruction.
PROS: Strategic Battle System, Comical Characters, Great Visuals
CONS: Steep Learning Curve, Infuriating Controls
SCORE – 75%
This review is based on a digital copy of Trillion: God of Destruction on the PlayStation Vita provided by Idea Factory.
