Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata

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Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata (aka Magna Carta: Tears of Blood)

Developer(s)	Softmax
Publisher(s)	Banpresto Atlus 505 Games
Engine	Unreal Engine 2.0
Release date(s)	November 2004 (SK), (JP) November 15, 2005 (NA)
Genre(s)	RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 12+ OFLC (AU): PG
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2

Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata is a PlayStation 2 RPG released in 2004 in South Korea by Softmax, and in Japan by Banpresto. It is the sequel to the 2001 CRPG, Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche, and the second installment in the Magna Carta series. Sofdec was also associated with the game's development.

The game was released on November 15, 2005, in North America by Atlus, under the name Magna Carta: Tears of Blood.

1 Battle system
2 Story
- 2.1 Plot
- 2.2 Characters
3 Critical reception
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Battle system

The game uses a battle system that takes elements from Shadow Hearts and the Star Ocean series. Battle consists of up to 3 characters who may move around the battlefield in real time. The player can only control one character at a time and can only attack when the "leadership meter" (which will not fill as long as a character is moving) fills up to an appropriate amount. When that happens, a character initiates an attack by performing a series of 3 timed button presses (known as the Trinity Ring). If successful, the attack initiates, but if not the leadership meter empties and the player must wait for it to refill. Characters may attack with various combat "styles" learned in the game, which use different chi (energy) types to increase their utility. There are eight different types off chi present in all area, but in different exhaustible quantities. Through the altering of chi lanterns the player can change which chi is most abundant in an area.

[edit] Story

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The game takes place in the land of Efferia, where a seemingly endless war has raged between the continent's two species, humans and Yason. The protagonist of the game, Calintz, is a high-ranking leader of the Tears of Blood, a mercenary squad hired out by the human Alliance to deal with problems they otherwise won't, or can't touch. The core group also consists of Azel, a youthful sword wielder who looks up to Calintz; Eonis, a powerful mage; and Haren, a martial artist. Save for Azel, they all have a heavy grudge against the Yason for the deaths of friends and family. On the other side is the Blast Worms, the Yason response to the Tears of Blood. They are led by the Four Warriors, who wield great power and magic.

During a flawed battle plan, where the Alliance's use of the forbidden magic fails, Calintz stopps an assault of one of the Four Warriors' summoned familiars, Roxy's "Steelheart." After destroying a bridge to prevent enemy advancement, he finds himself in a cavern being healed by an unfamiliar woman. Because of her amnesia, all she remembers is her name, Reith, and that she can use very powerful healing magic. Eventually, they find their way out of the cave, and as a show of thanks for saving him, Calintz offers to take her to Amabat, a city of high-ranking and powerful priestesses, thinking her to be one of them.

As the story progresses, Reith, as well as the Tears of Blood and Blast Worms, learns that she is a much more important piece of the puzzle than anyone had realized.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Tears of Blood

Calintz

When he was young, Calintz's village was destroyed in a Yason attack. Seeking revenge, he became a mercenary. He is currently the captain of the Tears of Blood. He'll do whatever is necessary to complete missions assigned to him, especially when it involves fighting the Yason. However, members of the Alliance Army often see his actions as excessive. Because he usually buries his emotions, he can come across as rather cold and calculating, but he cares for his comrades and is willing to risk his life for them, thus earning their trust.

Reith

An amnesiac young woman that players meet after the failed use of the Forbidden Magic. She heals Calintz as she finds him unconscious on the cave floor. At first, after Calintz comes to, he thinks that she may be a Priestess from Amabat. Therefore, he takes her with him after promising that he would take care of her until she recovered her memory. From then on, she travels with him and the other members of the Tears of Blood. During their travels, many people are surprised by her lack of common sense, which is a result of the amnesia. She's always cheerful and speaks her mind directly. She hates fighting and will help anyone in need, without discriminating between humans and Yason. Her primary goal is to get her memory back. During the course of the game, she and Calintz seem to be developing feelings for each other. She is always sought after by the Yason for some reason, even by the Four Warriors themselves. She is really Queen Amila of the Yason.

Haren

A rude and brutish human who lost his fiancee, Felicia, in a Yason attack on the Maraccatte front. He blames himself for her death and fights against the Yason to alleviate his guilt. His weapons are his fists, and can hit with immense power, but he is slow to defend against his opponents' attacks. He bears a deep-rooted hatred for the Yason and will go to any ends to annihilate their entire race. His fighting style is "Geshiko Shinzan."

Eonis Milan

A well-educated mage from Bayer regarded as a prodigy ever since she was a child. She is polite and frequently serves as a counterpoint to Haren's hotheadedness. She lost both her parents in a Yason attack but does not fight for revenge but is rather devoted to stopping the Human-Yason war, and acts accordingly. Her fighting style is "Gyakudo Madoh," which manipulates the elements of fire and lightning to strike at her foes.

Azel

A young swordman who was saved by Calintz in a fierce blizzard on The Road to Amabat after his village had been destroyed. He always looks forward to return his debt by trying to protect Calintz as best as he could. One of his styles is the "Ryusei Ikko," which uses the movement of stars.

Chris Arcway

Much of a playboy, he is an archer and inventor for the Tears of Blood, and is working on flying machines although most of his machines are a big fiasco leading the other members not to trust his inventions that much. He thinks of himself as a father figure to Maya. His fighting style is "Myourei," which he invented himself.

Maya

At the age of ten, she witnessed her entire family being murdered by the Yason, causing her to become aphasiac. Chris acts as a father figure towards her, even thought they are not related. She was gifted at birth with healing powers which she uses in battle against the Yason.

Lehas

She is in charge of running the Tears of Blood headquarters. She is a rational and concise career-woman whose most important things are her job and seeing the Tears of Blood thrive. She looks like she is in a bad mood and normally snaps at people she talks to but she actually cares about her companions since she cannot go to battle with them.

[edit] Blast Worms

Amila Reith Riein Zes

Native of the Shinen Clan and queen of the seven Yason-Roven clans. She always wears a mask. She used the Magna Carta to stop the Forbidden Magic used by the Alliance. A bit later in the game, she seems to have contracted Rheuma, a deadly disease to the Yason wherein they turn to stone. Amila is really Reith, when Amila used the Magna Carta she lost her memory and fell into the depths below. She only remembered part of her name, Reith.

Orha Duren

He is the leader of the Blast Worms, first and strongest of the four Warriors. The one most loyal to the Queen. His familiar is called Death Raven.

Roxy Midka

She is a member of the Blast Worm's four Warriors, seems to also express some form of feelings for Orha. Her familiar is named Steelheart, the very creature that killed Haren's fiancee.

Carian Lora

She is a member of the Blast Worm's four Warriors. She seems to have a distinct dislike for the Queen and is certainly plotting against her along with Azhadi. Her familiar, Serpent Lord, seems to be some sort of hydra with three heads.

Azhadi Zoren

He is a member of the Blast Worm's four Warriors. It is rumoured that he is either as strong as or stronger than Orha himself. His familiar is called Succubus, which deals a devestating blow to male members of the party with weak HP.

[edit] Other characters

Agreian Jei Owen

The general of the Alliance. He is the son of the Great Priestess of Amabat, Mistress Ladrinne. He grew up in Fuget, the same village that Calintz lived in when he was a child. He was actually Calintz friend and rival-in-sword training. Calintz used to call him Hugo, and later in the game, he continues to call him like that in private places. Agreian is really not the High Priestess' son. Calintz is the son of the High Priestess. Hugo tricked Calintz into giving him the bracelet that was proof of the priestess' lineage.

Ladrinne Milire Owen

The great priestess that leads the Amabat nation and Agreian's mother. She is a kind person that does not wish for the war with the Yason and it pains her deeply to see her son so directly involved with the war.

Raul

A vagabond swordsman who doesn't like getting involved with dangerous situations, unless he is paid the right amount. He is an optimist and is always joking around and seems absent-minded.

Justina

A priestess of Amabat who cares for the weak and the sick. She is trusted greatly by the great priestess Mistress Ladrinne who she deeply respects. She received her priestess nomination in less time than normal. She accompanies Reith later in the game, to help Reith get her memory back. Her fighting style is the same as Reith's.

Rhianna

A strong former mercenary looking for her husband and who left her mercenary life to travel. She is lively but impatient and argues easily.

Astal

A traveling merchant who travels all across Efferia. He sometimes even sells good on the battlefield. He is able to get rare items and is a great help to the Tears of Blood. He is one of the Dark Yason who burned Fuget, whom Calintz is searching for to seek his revenge. He is also Rianna's husband.

Serina

A mysterious woman who has known Calintz for a long time. It is later revealed that she is actually Amila's younger sister. When Reith traveled with Calintz, Serina disgused herself as Amila and became the Queen.

Elaine Crane

A girl who knows something about the Light of Salvation. Later, it is revealed that she is actually the Hero of Water, the one of Eight that stole the Light of Salvation from the Yason.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Critical reception

Reviews of Magna Carta: Tears of Blood were mixed, the game averaging a 67% on Gamerankings.com.[1] Critics generally praised the game's (somewhat cliché'd) story, musical score, and "beautiful environments and fantastic character designs."[2] However, its core gameplay elements were less well received. Gamespot.com gave it a 7.1 out of 10, claiming the "well-developed cast of characters keeps the story interesting" but its "extremely linear campaign feels restrictive at times."[3] IGN.com, which gave the game a 6.1/10, claimed "the poorly-executed battle system [...] runs into too many problems for its own good." [4] The game's voice acting in particular was heavily criticized; negative comments ranged from "the performances are really uninspired"[5] to "Ill-timed, badly-acted, and poorly cast."[6]