Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time PSP
Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time Image
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67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 52 Ratings

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  • Summary: Never before released outside of Japan and widely considered the best entry in the long-running franchise, this PSP system iteration of the fourth chapter in the Growlanser saga delivers visuals remastered for PSP system's 16:9 widescreen, a vastly expanded script with tons of new characters to meet and quests to complete, a wealth of new ending possibilities, and much more, making it the first and only version of the game North American fans will ever want!… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. ZTGD
    Aug 17, 2012
    87
    Growlanser has flaws, sure, but the scope of the story and the complexity of the world beneath it really are fantastic. Don't give up on the game in the first hour or two, it continues to improve and impress as you play.
  2. RPG Fan
    Aug 1, 2012
    84
    Tight, strategic combat and a good variety of mission objectives keep battles feeling fresh, while the story holds surprising depth and well-written characters. Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time emerges from a bygone epoch no worse for the wear.
  3. Cheat Code Central
    Aug 23, 2012
    80
    With a lengthy, compelling story, a variety of endings, and a number of optional activities to engage in, Growlanser is a meaty and fulfilling JRPG to play.
  4. Destructoid
    Aug 1, 2012
    70
    While it sometimes loses focus, and at other time frustrates, Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time is an engaging, rewarding PSP SRPG. But, again, give it some time. There's a big world, a solid story with crazy plot twists, some great key battles and hours of gameplay to be found here. You'll just have to work through a couple of hours of dull and limited introductory play first.
  5. Gaming Nexus
    Sep 18, 2012
    65
    The battle system in Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time isn't really at fault here, it's the numbers game behind it that seems to be rigged in the computer's favor that makes playing this game a chore. The slow story pacing will also require a lot of patience from prospective gamers.
  6. Machinima
    Sep 10, 2012
    60
    A unique blend of turn based and real time battles is squandered on bland battles and a pacing that is far too slow.
  7. Game Revolution
    Aug 13, 2012
    50
    It's worth some time to play through if you enjoy a more tactical battle system than you're likely to find in a more well-known franchise, but unless that's enough to hold your attention, methinks you're going to be disappointed with this latest Growlanser.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. patricky29
    Apr 20, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Being a fan of the PlayStation 2 Growlanser games, I preordered WoT and got it some days before the official release date... since then, I have spent almost thirty hours on the game, and I have enjoyed it immensely. The mix between rts, rpg and Satoshi Urushihara's art direction is wonderful, and the choices you make during the game have a deep impact upon the storyline's progression. The story, yeah it has to be the best I have seen in a rpg in a long time, and other developers should look at it when trying to write up a war drama. I cannot thank Atlus enough for localizing this masterpiece. CollapseBeing a fan of the PlayStation 2 Growlanser games, I preordered WoT and got it some days before the official release date... since then, I have spent almost thirty hours on the game, and I have enjoyed it immensely. The mix between rts, rpg and Satoshi Urushihara's art direction is wonderful, and the choices you make during the game have a deep impact upon the storyline's progression. The story, yeah it has to be the best I have seen in a rpg in a long time, and other developers should look at it when trying to write up a war drama. I cannot thank Atlus enough for localizing this masterpiece. CollapseBeing a fan of the PlayStation 2 Growlanser games, I preordered WoT and got it some days before the official release date... since then, I have spent almost thirty hours on the game, and I have enjoyed it immensely. The mix between rts, rpg and Satoshi Urushihara's art direction is wonderful, and the choices you make during the game have a deep impact upon the storyline's progression. The story, yeah it has to be the best I have seen in a rpg in a long time, and other developers should look at it when trying to write up a war drama. I cannot thank Atlus enough for localizing this masterpiece. Collapse… Expand
  2. frantisek
    Jul 31, 2012
    10
    Growlanser Wayfarer of Time is the last English entry into one of the most original jrpg franchises you will ever be able to play: its deep plot focuses on politics, war, famine and the mystery surrounding the angels and their struggle against humankind. While the story is indeed well written and really enjoyable and the characters are some of the best seen in the last years, the real greatness of this game is its battle system, a fantastic mix of real time battles, tactical combat and traditional explorations that will satisfy every kind of jrpg fan. With tons of choices during dialogues, you will be able to play the game countless times and witness different events, ranging from some characters' deaths or survival to one of the three main plots to over 40 possible endings. This game is probably the best Japanese RPG on PSP alongside the Trails in the Sky series, and it's a great swan song for this platform's rpg lineup.… Expand
  3. Surbmonster
    Aug 1, 2012
    10
    This is a great re-release of an older PS2 classic that has finally made it stateside! The "drawback" is that there are certain parts of it that are going to feel aged. And you know what? So what? For those of us who grew up playing really well done RPG's on the PS1 and PS2, this game will hit you with wave after wave of nostalgia. The combat is strategic enough to keep you thinking and working, but still very fast passed with its RTS design, so those of you who don't like slow, grid based combat, have no fear. The story is familiar for most RPG faithful: huge continent at war with everyone fighting each other while political puppeteers make everyone dance in the shadows. Meanwhile a larger threat looms, threatening to destroy everyone indiscriminately. But the story is told so well that the things that happen that aren't a surprise to most of us don't really matter. You still care about the people and the events despite seeing them a dozen other times in other stories. The story is also harsh and unforgiving, Without spoiling too much, the story kills characters off everywhere. No one seems safe as each hour unfolds. The game is just about perfect in every way (despite looking a bit aged). If you aren't interested in a trip down nostalgia lane with a soon to be classic RPG, go back to playing some mindless CoD or Gears of War and leave the rest of us to enjoy a game that embraces good story telling and a game that will sink it's claws in you and not let go.… Expand
  4. rempel
    Aug 1, 2012
    10
    growlancer is truly a fantastic game, every psp owner should buy it and enjoy one of the greatest experiences the j-rpg genre has provided this year. the battles are a fresh take on strategy combat, and are so enjoyable and deep you won't be able to drop the game till your battery runs out, just like me. Urushiara's art may not be for everyone, but it surely adds another layer of uniqueness to the game, helping it to stand out even more.… Expand
  5. Valens
    Jul 31, 2012
    10
    Being a fan of the PlayStation 2 Growlanser games, I preordered WoT and got it some days before the official release date... since then, I have spent almost thirty hours on the game, and I have enjoyed it immensely. The mix between rts, rpg and Satoshi Urushihara's art direction is wonderful, and the choices you make during the game have a deep impact upon the storyline's progression. The story, yeah - it has to be the best I have seen in a rpg in a long time, and other developers should look at it when trying to write up a war drama. I cannot thank Atlus enough for localizing this masterpiece.… Expand
  6. Skywind
    Feb 27, 2013
    9
    This is the first time I played this series and I had my doubts... for the first 15 minutes that is. This game is awesome, almost flawless. The backgrounds are detailed, colorful and pump up the atmosphere, the characters personas are detailed to the max, the plot is... how should I say this... I started to play yesterday around 16:00 and it just sucked me in, I put down my precious around 01:00 and I was like... "duuude".
    The MC is like Charlie Chaplin, never gets in in any conversation, well not without us, players. I noticed around the second hour of playing that he only speaks when we make him so.
    The other thing is the Familiar... I poked around approx. half and hour loading the game again and again back at the familiar-constructing part, and it really is great. The body, the personality and the skills and perks depends on your answers only. Tie me up and call me Jebediah, but I loved this part of the game.
    The battle system is detailed and flexible, you need to observe the whole battlefield, count on every situation, I'm very satisfied with it and I should know it, I'm quite picky about this part as a Disgaea lover.
    The soundtrack is ok, nothing extraordinary, fits in the game perfectly. The cutscenes are beautiful, all the anime-fans will adore it as a gem on a crown. I can't get enough of this game, I know I will not find my place in the world when I finish it... oh well, I'll just start it over again after a little break.    … Expand
  7. vahn
    Jul 17, 2013
    6
    First and foremost, this is NOT a bad game and unlike many other games this one proved to be one of the most detailed, most engaging and also kind of original games I've ever played: there is a lot of stuff to do, a lot of choices are up to the player, and the story and characters are just lively and memorable, making you wonder anything. As well, the game is also very hard to predict, since anything can happen and really shows how detailed it is. Just...who thought of making this game FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE on certain parts?! I might suck on some games, sure, but when a game relies on cheap tricks it's not a good game. Granted, I kept pushing onward due to the story and the characters but I just couldn't keep up at some points and, I'm not kidding, I almost throw the console in frustration, because the game tricks you hard on some parts. Examples? An early mission simply required me to kill an enemy...I failed twice because there "had" to be people, who would do absolutely nothing by the way, dying constantly. Another? In another battle I was supposed to turn off an alarm in order to making enemy stop coming, and while it was pretty obvious and managed to figure out pretty quickly, the enemies were already too clustered and I ended up dying before I could do anything. Another example?! I was supposed to kill a courier, which was actually weak, but unfortunely "thanks" to the layout I couldn't see the enemies, and whenever I would close I would move from "super mega fast run" mode to "slower than a slug" mode, resulting to failing because I couldn't run! Is this game hard? No, this game is cheap. This is another kind of game that requires to play, step by step, with a guide or something, because there's almost no chance, unless you're INCREDIBLY good and know every scene incoming, to pass them on first try: right now I am stuck at the prison and I was smart enough to make multiple saves before anything would happen, saving me a good bunch of hours of restarting from scratch. Like I said, this game is so good and so engaging but I wish it was a LITTLE more fair in its fights and missions: I just kept giving up because of some silly handicaps an conditions. I do not think this is a bad game, but I will warn you this: if you get this game, be patient and try to get a guide in order to KNOW what you'll get next (or else you'll die once or twice at BEST). If you can persevere, however, you DO get a great game and a fantastic story that WILL hook you in immediately. Just sad that this game is too cheap....… Expand

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