More penguins from videogames – and as it turns out, more JRPGs published by NISA.
The Alliance Alive, developed by FuRyu, was originally released for Nintendo 3DS by Atlus, in 2017. The game was later ported over to other systems as The Alliance Alive HD Remastered and published by NISA. This is the version covered here.
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The Alliance Alive is set in a fantasy world where 1000 years ago there was a war between daemons and humans. The humans lost and their world was divided by a magical, impenetrable barrier into tinier, manageable pockets. This barrier also has ravaged the environment, to the point it always rains and the world hasn't seen a blue sky from the clouds in generations. Daemons rarely even come to this world any more and humans are being lorded over by Beastmen (basically humans with animal heads).
The game's story picks up when two teenagers Galil and Azura find themselves in the middle of revolution. Not only do they almost by accident become the figureheads of this movement, they also get control of 'The Ark' – a technologically out-of-this-world ship that is seemingly the only thing besides daemons that can traverse through the magical barriers. So, they set sail, forming alliances across continents and uniting the world for liberating itself from oppression.
So far so good. But do you know the cliché 'it gets good 8 hours in'? Well, The Alliance Alive starts good, but around 8-to-10 hours mark something magical happens. That something turns the game from 'good' to 'one of the best JRPGs ever made'.
Once you unlock the ability to travel through the magical barriers to other continents, your first port of call is the Snow Realm. It's perma-winter frost-scape culturally inspired by ancient Japan. However, north-west of the continent is an island. On that island there's a cave.
Yes, there's a Penguin Tribe their own fishing village. The leader of the Tribe, however, is missing, having left looking for his lost son in the Waterdevil Dens. These are demonic sub-spaces of sorts and home of Waterdevils, powerful water-dwelling creatures that live in virtually all bodies of water in overworld.
So, naturally we go of to search for the tribe leader and his son. And it is in one of the Waterdevil Dens that we finally get to meet...
I'm just going to say it; Robbins is the best RPG character there's ever been. He is a boisterous but good-hearted penguin who loves his family. Oh, and fish too, naturally. If you help Robbins to save his son and return with him to celebrate the occasion in the Penguin Tribe's cave, you get the option to add him to your cast of heroes.
Since he is a completely optional character you can completely miss, he doesn't contribute to the main story as much as works as a comedic relief. He is the mightiest of the penguins and knows it, making him brave enough to trahstalk every foe sees – even what amounts to elder dragons – as well as take credit for fantastical turns of events. There are several really funny conversations and one-liners that happen thanks to Robbins.
Robbins isn't all talk, though. He can't use weapons – flippers and all – but he knows Penguin Martial Arts and is a potent mage with several really good AOE options right out the gate. He also has a flipper-waving cheer-leader type team boost ability, which is both beyond cute really effective, especially with late game boss fights.
This being a team-based JRPG, you are represented by one character whilst exploring the world. However, you can choose which of the characters is the team leader and this affects everything from interactions to dialogue. If you choose Robbins, you will get even more of his quips and comments.
Also, a lot of the early game in The Alliance Alive locks you out of fast travel options, forcing you to get to know the lands. That means a lot of walking. It could be maddening to some, but if you've chosen Robbins as your lead, you can't help but to smile looking at him waddling about. It's beyond adorable.
So yes, if you like classic JRPGs of PS1-to-PS2 era – or penguins – this is definitely worth getting into. The game is available on PS4, Switch and PC in addition to the 3DS original.
However, sadly I have to add that do not get the game if you only have access to PS5. As of writing this, The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is not compatible with PS5 – and not in The Surge II way where a few shaders are messed up, but it crashes constantly and is thus unplayable. Luckily I still have a PS4 so I could return to it for this here feature. I'd love to see a PS5 version, as Robbins is life.
So here's the penguin Robbins riding a giant bunny with big balls.
