Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters

EasyGameStation, the creators of Recettear, have recently delivered Chantelise through Steam.  The game focuses on Chante and Elise as they struggle to locate a witch that has placed a spell on the elder sister Chante which transformed her into a fairy.  They feel once they can find the witch they will be able to reverse the spell. 

Unlike Recettear where combat is optional, Chantelise is centered entirely around combat.  Armed with a small dagger, Elise can quickly dispatch enemies.  Although a fairy, Chante can still lend a hand with magic spells.  These spells are cast using differently colored jewels that monsters may drop when struck or defeated.  The good news is that monster do drop them often, the bad is that you can only hold up to six at a time.  This presents the need for strategy in deciding which jewels to pick up and when. 

So far I'm digging the fluid animation and story, the combat is so-so.  I seem to have a hard time timing my physical attack and end up getting hit a lot.  It could be just me though because I'm not usually gaming with a controller and using a controller for this game is a must.  What I don't like is that there is no leveling system.  Instead of gaining levels, you equip items and purchase medicine which increases your overall health.  When you die, you don't lose the money you've collected.  This is done so that if you run into a difficult area, you can keep dying and eventually purchase more health.  While not as good as an actual level system, it works for the game. 

Chantelise is not for everyone I'd say, especially those that are expecting a leveling system like an RPG.  But
this game is a lot less like an RPG and more like a third person adventure game.  A good price for this game would be around $10.  Going by the natural trend, I'd expect this game to dip around the $5 mark this Christmas season if Steam hosts their annual winter holiday sale. 

-We should be consistent with our perception of past, present and future; not only they themselves, but in relation to the others. The past keeps us within sight of lessons learned, the future keeps us within sight of our goals and the present keeps us within sight of ourselves. -TheChiaGod