Although heavily flawed, Crimson Shroud's got a lot to offer any fan of dark, quirky RPGs. Designed by Yasumi Matsuno (the kook behind Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics), it's a very atmospheric dungeon romp designed to emulate the joys of a table top RPG. It's got the sober, overwrought dialogue of a mood-setting Dungeon Master down pat, and thankfully the story they came up with is a sufficiently gripping one (even if they did just steal the world of Ivalice in everything but name). On top of that, while combat is mostly a straight-forward turn-based RPG affair, they added a hilarious dice system to the game that allows you to roll for accuracy or add dice from your own personal collection to attacks that you want to deal just a little more damage.

Unfortunately, the game's got some issues. You can beat it for the basic bad ending in three or four hours, after which you can unlock better endings by replaying it. However, by the time you've beaten it once, a lot of the combat system's quirky allure has worn off, and the massive pile of weaponry and armor they give you feels overwhelming rather than useful. While the story's written well and packs a solid shot of mystery, there really aren't TOO many points where it branches, so you'll wind up skipping through the vast majority of it your second time through. Still, the game's got serious moxie and originality, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. If you've got the Nintendough sitting around unused, pick it up and give it a go and pray for a longer, fully fleshed-out sequel in the future.