Parent's Guide: The Awakened Fate Ultimatum - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Following a run-in with some devils, school kid Shin Kamikaze accidentally sort of got stabbed to death, only to be taken to Celestia (think 'heaven') and revived by a red-headed scientist, who replaced his heart with a crystal - a crystal which somehow turned him into God. Now it's up to him, under the guidance of the pure-hearted angel Jupiel and the devilish scientist Ariael to head into a number of randomly-generated dungeons, fight monsters and help the angels of Celestia win the long-running war with the devils of the Netherworld.

Much like it's predecessor, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is a dungeon crawler, and as such follows a fairly strict set of rules. Each level is divided into a grid, with every step you take and every attack you make causing an energy meter to slowly deplete - eating food, either brought with you or found on the floor can refill a portion of the bar, but you will need to keep an eye on it from time to time. At the same time, every time you make a move, the enemies that patrol the dungeon make their move too - stay still and they'll stay put too, giving you time to plan out your next action. Get into a fight with one, and you'll take it in turns to land hits on each other until one of you runs out of health - hopefully them, because if you die you'll be forced to leave the dungeon and start over, leaving the entire contents of your inventory behind in the process. Including that amazing Dagger+3 you picked up mere minutes before.

Generally having more to think about than your average role-playing game, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is probably best left to the older, or more able, crowd, as a lack of forward planning and foresight will most likely end in death and frustration. And while most of the game is fully voiced during cutscenes and conversations, any of Shin's thoughts during them are unvoiced, as is any advice given to you whilst in the dungeons. It's also worth noting that story sections are particularly lengthy, with some awkward moral choices to be made - something which some players may not appreciate as much, being all too eager to get back into the action.

As with most games of this ilk, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is fairly tame in terms of content - but not entirely clean either. Violence is restricted to hitting the angelic/devilish creatures with swords, staffs and hammers, coupled with impact sounds - no obvious damage or wounds are shown, and defeated enemies simply disappear. While not especially bloody or gory, the intro also features a character impaled on a sword, while later another character sits amid splashes of blood, with streaks on her face and clothes. Bad language crops up from time to time too, with words like b*stard, b*tch and bullsh*t all making appearances.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Playstation 3