The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermilion -- Field Position.

The Legend of Heroes for the PlayStation Portable is a traditional Japanese RPG. You sort of have to take into account that this is a 2005 port of a PC game released in 2000 that is remaining true to a game engine originally released in 1989. The Legend of Heroes has a world map but no overworld. You move from town to road to dungeon and back and forth without any change in the engine. You explore the towns as you explore the roads as you explore the dungeons. There is no camera control as the camera is locked and the game world designed so you don't need to worry about it. The only buttons you use on your PSP are the analog nub or the D-pad, depending on your preference. They both move the character around the screen and navigate the menus. The X button is your confirmation button. The square button brings up the menu. The circle button brings up the pet menu. The triangle button is the button to back you out of the menus and return to the game. That's it. Yes, no, and two menus. There is nothing breaking the mold here. You go from town to town doing this task or that task and advancing the story by talking to the non-player characters. There is a little more depth than games from 1989. In battle you have to be concerned with your position on the battlefield. The characters actually move about the field and the field itself will scroll in four directions being larger than the typical static single screen. The enemies move about the field as well. You have to contend with range. You need to be within range to attack. When going to move one of your characters you'll get a ring around them showing you their range. With characters that have ranged attacks, you'll get a ring that has different shades showing their maximum physical movement and the range of their ranged weapons beyond that. It might not sound like much but being out of range might mean you're not able to get into range to heal the person you need to heal or that you're stuck alone amongst a horde of enemies. You will have to pay attention a little bit more than a Final Fantasy game of the era. The game's battle menu allows for seven commands. Attack is pretty obvious. Magic allows for you to use offensive or defensive or healing magic. Deadly is a special powerful attack that can be accessed once you've built up enough power in a meter under your character. The meter fills as you attack creatures, use magic, or take damage in battle. Skill allows you to use the special skills of the characters. The character Mile for example can steal items while attacking. Item will allow you to use your items in battle. Wait will allow you to hold your ground and let enemies come to you which might be a better strategy in some situations. Run allows you to attempt escape from battle. Another aspect of the engine is that it allows for you to see your enemies in the field before battle. No random encounters. The creatures will even let you know a bit about how strong they are as you get near them. There is an icon above their heads. The green face shows you that the creature is unaware of you. The red face shows that the creature sees you and isn't afraid of you. The creature will start to pursue you. The blue face shows that the creature is afraid of you and will start to flee from you. The battle screens load in and out rather fast. As do the transitions between towns and fields and dungeons. The battle system for The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermilion is a good thing. It's entirely functional and slick with ease of use. The battle system is entirely conventional for 2006, but it would have been very impressive for 1989. Next time will cover the storytelling of the game and answer the question of if Falcom's charm extends beyond the Ys series.