Trillion: God of Destruction - The Verdict

Idea Factory's "Trillion: God of Destruction" is one of those special gaming experiences that is slow to start, and hard to grasp at first, but is one that grows on you the more you play it. It's a game that takes in account persistence, endurance, faith, sacrifice, relationships, love, and loss and weaves it all into a heartfelt fantasy about overcoming seemingly impossible odds. It's a lot like real life in that sense. While I do understand the game on such a level now I will be honest in saying that it took me a while to warm up to it, myself. Once I did though I fell in love with the characters involved as well as the story being told, and was rooting for them from deep within as they each faced insurmountable opposition in the form of a God who was out to destroy their home.

When I first began playing all I could think about was how story heavy 'Trillion: God of Destruction" was, and about how much time was spent on character development. I felt that the little time spent fighting Trillion, and Mokujin wasn't significant enough to make me call the game an "RPG", or even a purchase worthy game. I felt that it was more of a visual novel, and that due to it's lack of explanation and provided direction that it was poorly designed. Those were my initial thoughts. As I continued to play and build upon character relations along with the character stats though I found myself caring more for the characters involved, and was utterly heartbroken when some of them died by my own careless mistakes. When I realized these untimely deaths of my favorite characters were meant to be to a certain extent it took away my grief of the loss somewhat, and had me hoping that all would not be lost for Zeabolos, and his lady overlords. Thankfully not all is doom, and gloom when it comes to fighting the all consuming Trillion, and supposing you can fight the good fight you will be able to see one of the better endings out of the available ten that are there for unlocking. You'll also find plentiful moments of heartfelt emotions, laughter, and relationship building that will make each decision you apply all the more important to you.

In the previous preview review I explained that you start off by training one of three overlords for the fight against Trillion including that of Levia, Mammon, and Perpell. Each of which are stereotypes of the seven deadly sins. Your goal with them, as I mentioned before is to train them via several different training options while minding the characters' fatigue level, and the coinciding day driven cycles. I also mentioned the fact that you could improve upon their stats, teach them new skills, and dote upon them with character specific gifts to increase an affection level which acted as an extra shield when fighting the game's two bosses. I further talked about Faust's shop which can provide restorative items as well as equipment, and summon devils that can aid you as minions in your battle. I let you in on the fact that there's a blacksmith with which to fortify your overlord's weapon, and to open up slots on said weapon that can be filled with seals for boosted stat effect. I also let you in on another fact regarding the various story driven events that occur as you go about developing the current overlord.

To my surprise, and delight the game did not end with the death of my third overlord Perpell, or those introductory mechanics. That last death being the most heart wrenching one I'd seen through to the end, yet. While continuing my playthrough I had noticed that there were chapters involved, and in seeing how this affected the story it led me to believe that character deaths were inevitable to a point. To some extent I was correct in believing that, but not entirely so. Past poor Perpell's death the game changed quite a bit. It introduced the last three playable lady overlords including Ashmedia (Lust), Ruche (Pride), and Fegor (Sloth) as they faced the same grueling training routine in preparation for a final battle against Trillion. It also introduced an angel named Uriel, and opened up yet another training option for the overlords to take advantage of. As expected the characters' roles in the plot continued to flesh out the sordid situation, and built upon what the previous overlords had set out to do. Along with the persistent push from the nearly dead Zeabolos the overlords continued onward seeking out Trillion's demise, and the underworld throne. Of course the decisions regarding the last three overlords' cyclic days ended up mattering even more since they were all that was left standing between the underworld, and it's absolute annihilation.

Along with the all inclusive character roster, added story elements, and added features "Trillion: God of Destruction" extends beyond all of it's given features to throw at the gamer ten possible endings, and a 'New Game+' feature which carries things over for added replay value. Those extra additions along with the unlockable music/soundtrack, the scene screenshots, and the CG cutscenes gives players an added incentive to keep on playing in order to see their playthroughs of the game to the end. Learning how to best train your overlords, and how to best approach the Trillion boss fight will be your top priorities at all times though.

In saying that I will share with you what was shared with me. The Trillion, and Mokujin boss fights might seem impossible at first, but with certain skills/spells that include movement capabilities you can get in close, and get out of range without receiving that final fatal blow. You'll definitely want to stay away from the middle lane, and approach either side of Trillion with extra caution when on the battlefield. He dishes out his own area based attacks while summoning minions to stop you in your tracks. Deal with the minions, and move forward into the blank out of reach squares around Trillion to gain an advantageous shot at him while using a spell with extended reach. Keep in mind that you will lose a few overlords along the way as well, but that applying their "Death Skill' in a manner that will help the next overlord in line better deal the damage that needs to be dealt will be beneficial for everyone afterwards. You'll find that death skills can bind Trillion's body parts, and that you can even extend upon your next overlord's training cycle should your current overlord meet their demise. Doing a massive amount of final damage, or going out with a "Bang!" is also an option to consider. If that doesn't suit your fancy then perhaps fortifying the next overlord's weapon, or becoming an aiding spirit in the fight would best suit your plans of approach.

Graphics & Audio ...

If I had to compare the visuals in "Trillion: God of Destruction" to anything I'd say that it greatly resembles the art in an anime known as, "Soul Eater". Things like the moon shown during a day spent reminds me of this. Even the character art such as that pertaining to Zeabolos' design reminds me of 'Dr.Stein' from that same anime series. Along with the provided character eye candy I also loved seeing the various views of the underworld locales. Some of it was repetitive, mind you, but it wasn't the kind of repetitive that gets old. I think the changing subtitles, and the spoken voice acting helped to keep each scene interesting, and unique. I highly suggest investing in some "Interact" time via the "Rest" menu as it will show you more intimate relationship scenarios involving the ill-fated Zeabolos, and the overlords. As far as the soundtrack goes it is symphonic in some scenarios, and orchestral in others. It definitely has that religious vibe about it, and it fits well with the game's demonic theme. For those of you interested in hearing the original Japanese voice-overs that is an option as well.

The Verdict ...

For $39.99 I think you are in for a treat with this game. While it might seem unapproachable to you at first like it was to me it will no doubt grow on you with it's heartfelt delivery. It's a story that I feel a lot of us can relate to even with it's fantastical nature. Idea Factory's developer went out of their way to make each character, and action matter, and in doing so made the game more important to those who dare to play it. We often times complain about characters not mattering in a story, and not being fleshed out. That is not the case in 'Trillion: God of Destruction'. Once you figure things out you will begin to appreciate the developer's approach to visual novel style storytelling, and will become appreciative of the fact that you were able to fight that final battle as some of the most memorable characters in an RPG line-up.

In closing I say in confidence that if you are willing to keep an open mind, and see this game through to it's many ends you will more than likely enjoy it. For the asking price it's not a bad deal at all. Don't miss out on it, as it will be released on the 29th of this month!