I've actually found this to be among the better RPG's on the DS!
Alright, so it doesn't have hugely amazing graphics. It doesn't have animated scenes.
What it DOES have:
-Cute characters
-Hidden items
-Turn based play
-Riddle-like dungeons (with surprises)
-A victorian style/Steam punk theme
-An interesting Skill system.
One of the things other people have mentioned- Is, yes. You get attacked a lot in dungeons. But that's pretty normal. I've found it on the whole to be fun- and a good way to kill time. It was really worth buying!
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Product details
- Is discontinued by manufacturer : Yes
- Language : English
- Rated : Everyone 10+
- Product Dimensions : 18.57 x 17.07 x 1.6 cm; 126 Grams
- Release date : Oct. 27 2009
- Manufacturer : Ignition Entertainment
- ASIN : B002DC8GWW
- Item model number : 40044
- Best Sellers Rank: #52,999 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
- #918 in Nintendo DS Games
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
From the developers who brought Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV to the Nintendo DS comes the next epic handheld role-playing game — Nostalgia! Set in the 19th century — “The Age of Adventure” — Nostalgia immerses gamers into a world filled with treacherous airship battles, elusive treasure hunts, and actionpacked dungeon combat. Prepare to visit popular cities such as Tokyo, London, New York and Cairo as you embark on a quest in search of a world yet unknown…
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Customer reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
68 global ratings
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Top reviews
Top reviews from Canada
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Reviewed in Canada on November 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
This game has essentially 1 thing going for it: A somewhat charming world. The RPG gameplay is very very repetitive and neither the characters nor the story are interesting enough to keep you engaged. The combat gets exceedingly slower and more difficult as the game progresses, making the already repetitive battles take even longer. I couldn't end up finishing it after around 15 hours in, as the story progression was getting too cryptic and the need to grind money in order to upgrade your weapons every short period of time was very annoying. There are better RPG games on the DS to play.
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2012
Pros:
- The combat system is simple, with no pointless gimmicks.
- Fun and light hearted over all theme.
- The airships are fun to fly and are upgradable.
- Finishing all the jobs is not required to progress the main story.
- The game is balanced between combat and story events, grinding is not necessary.
Cons:
- No character combat A.I., this makes battles longer and repetitive.
- Combat is easy so there is little challenge.
- S.P. (skill points) max out at 9999, if your not paying attention you can miss out on collecting S.P. from current battles.
- Can't take on more then one job at a time, this creates a lot of back tracking.
- There is a huge jump in difficultly in the jobs near the end of the game, this makes completing all the jobs impossible unless you do some major grinding. (This is why its good that completing all the jobs is not required to progress the game.)
- Most of the jobs are boring and unimaginative.
- To few cities and NPC's; its the 19th century and it feels like there's only about 50 people in the entire world, the game world needs more depth.
Game play is basic turn based RPG in style, you gain experience in battle and after gaining a certain amount you go up in level. Going up in level makes your characters stronger. Through combat you also collect skill points(SP), these SP are then spent to gain access to new skills and enhance old skills. There are two types of combat; character vs monster and airship vs airship, there are skills for both types of combat as well. Movement through out the game is also split into two types. Your on foot in cities and dungeons, but to move around the world you travel on the airships. The airships can travel at three altitudes, and you can only reach certain locations by traveling at medium and high altitudes. The airship can upgrade its weapons and armor just like your characters, and when you find plans through out the game you can have special upgrades built for your airship.
The graphics are good, but some of the camera angles during airship travel can make seeing where your going difficult.
The story is a standard and simple one. Eddie's father a adventurer goes missing, Eddie sets out to become an adventurer so that he can find him. During the first few hours of the game you meet up with other characters and form a party of four, Eddie(the hero), Pad(the rogue), Melody(the magic user) and Fiona(the healer). Each character has a reason for combating a evil group called the Cabal, which you run into at every turn while looking for your father. Soon your group of adventurers are not just settling personal grudges against the Cabal, but also trying to bring the evil doers down before they collect seven ancient artifacts and destroy the world.
Although this is more a game for beginners to the RPG genre, veterans to RPG's can also find some fun in playing Nostalgia. I sunk 47 hours into Nostalgia for only $30, so it has very good value but there's no new game + feature to the game. Once you've played it there's no reason to replay, but I do recommend this game. Its fun and has enough content to keep you playing for a while.
GAME-PLAY: 7/10
GRAPHICS: 7/10
STORY: 7/10
VALUE: 7/10
OVERALL: 7/10
- The combat system is simple, with no pointless gimmicks.
- Fun and light hearted over all theme.
- The airships are fun to fly and are upgradable.
- Finishing all the jobs is not required to progress the main story.
- The game is balanced between combat and story events, grinding is not necessary.
Cons:
- No character combat A.I., this makes battles longer and repetitive.
- Combat is easy so there is little challenge.
- S.P. (skill points) max out at 9999, if your not paying attention you can miss out on collecting S.P. from current battles.
- Can't take on more then one job at a time, this creates a lot of back tracking.
- There is a huge jump in difficultly in the jobs near the end of the game, this makes completing all the jobs impossible unless you do some major grinding. (This is why its good that completing all the jobs is not required to progress the game.)
- Most of the jobs are boring and unimaginative.
- To few cities and NPC's; its the 19th century and it feels like there's only about 50 people in the entire world, the game world needs more depth.
Game play is basic turn based RPG in style, you gain experience in battle and after gaining a certain amount you go up in level. Going up in level makes your characters stronger. Through combat you also collect skill points(SP), these SP are then spent to gain access to new skills and enhance old skills. There are two types of combat; character vs monster and airship vs airship, there are skills for both types of combat as well. Movement through out the game is also split into two types. Your on foot in cities and dungeons, but to move around the world you travel on the airships. The airships can travel at three altitudes, and you can only reach certain locations by traveling at medium and high altitudes. The airship can upgrade its weapons and armor just like your characters, and when you find plans through out the game you can have special upgrades built for your airship.
The graphics are good, but some of the camera angles during airship travel can make seeing where your going difficult.
The story is a standard and simple one. Eddie's father a adventurer goes missing, Eddie sets out to become an adventurer so that he can find him. During the first few hours of the game you meet up with other characters and form a party of four, Eddie(the hero), Pad(the rogue), Melody(the magic user) and Fiona(the healer). Each character has a reason for combating a evil group called the Cabal, which you run into at every turn while looking for your father. Soon your group of adventurers are not just settling personal grudges against the Cabal, but also trying to bring the evil doers down before they collect seven ancient artifacts and destroy the world.
Although this is more a game for beginners to the RPG genre, veterans to RPG's can also find some fun in playing Nostalgia. I sunk 47 hours into Nostalgia for only $30, so it has very good value but there's no new game + feature to the game. Once you've played it there's no reason to replay, but I do recommend this game. Its fun and has enough content to keep you playing for a while.
GAME-PLAY: 7/10
GRAPHICS: 7/10
STORY: 7/10
VALUE: 7/10
OVERALL: 7/10
Reviewed in Canada on May 3, 2012
A young British boy named Edward wants to become an adventurer like his father, who has recently gone missing in an alternate 19th century Earth. Famous cities such as London, New York, Cairo, and Tokyo can be visited. He'll take to the skies aboard an air ship to solve the mystery, which sadly doesn't capitalize on the game's real world setting much.
Nostalgia is a traditional Japanese role-playing game, and it doesn't deviate much from established conventions. The random encounter rate is a bit high and you'll fall back on the same set of skills time and time again to get through them.
You don't explore the world map on foot. You'll fly from one destination to another on your air ship, which will eventually fly at three different altitudes. You'll have to ascend to fly over mountains and clouds which block your progress, but you'll face more difficult enemies the higher up you go.
In battles aboard the air ship, each character mans a different weapon. It all plays out a little too much like a regular battle, and throws realism completely out the window. Despite having enemies attack from three different directions, there isn't really any extra strategy required.
Likewise you can upgrade your ship throughout the game with new weapons and armor, much like outfitting a regular party member, but you won't see any interesting customization options.
Clearly, Nostalgia cannot be considered one of the great role-playing games available for the Nintendo DS, but it's not a bad game. Had it stuck to a more faithful representation of the time period (using more human enemies and less magical stuff) Nostalgia would have been something special. But if you've already played the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games and are still looking for another old school RPG to play, Nostalgia is a decent back up to have in your roster. Its use of real world locations (even if they're far from accurate) sets it apart, and luckily it doesn't overstay its welcome (clocking in at around 20 hours).
PROs:
Unique 19th century setting
Locations based on real world cities
Decent challenge
20+ hours of content
CONs:
Bog-standard fantasy elements betray the setting
Flat localization
Ugly + small number of enemy/monster designs
Disappointing air ship battles
Can only take on 1 quest at a time
Nostalgia is a traditional Japanese role-playing game, and it doesn't deviate much from established conventions. The random encounter rate is a bit high and you'll fall back on the same set of skills time and time again to get through them.
You don't explore the world map on foot. You'll fly from one destination to another on your air ship, which will eventually fly at three different altitudes. You'll have to ascend to fly over mountains and clouds which block your progress, but you'll face more difficult enemies the higher up you go.
In battles aboard the air ship, each character mans a different weapon. It all plays out a little too much like a regular battle, and throws realism completely out the window. Despite having enemies attack from three different directions, there isn't really any extra strategy required.
Likewise you can upgrade your ship throughout the game with new weapons and armor, much like outfitting a regular party member, but you won't see any interesting customization options.
Clearly, Nostalgia cannot be considered one of the great role-playing games available for the Nintendo DS, but it's not a bad game. Had it stuck to a more faithful representation of the time period (using more human enemies and less magical stuff) Nostalgia would have been something special. But if you've already played the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games and are still looking for another old school RPG to play, Nostalgia is a decent back up to have in your roster. Its use of real world locations (even if they're far from accurate) sets it apart, and luckily it doesn't overstay its welcome (clocking in at around 20 hours).
PROs:
Unique 19th century setting
Locations based on real world cities
Decent challenge
20+ hours of content
CONs:
Bog-standard fantasy elements betray the setting
Flat localization
Ugly + small number of enemy/monster designs
Disappointing air ship battles
Can only take on 1 quest at a time
Top reviews from other countries
B. Baltz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Game
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2010Verified Purchase
This is a classic style RPG, but it should not be compared to other RPG's when rating it (the game was designed how it was on purpose and not to try to beat out other RPG's). Describing the story would be boring so I will just give a review based on the IGN rating system.
Presentation: 5/5
The case looks standard and does not give any false implications that the game is amazing without earning it. As the back of the case states, the game takes place in an alternate 19th century time period, and it mixes mythology into real and fake locations. ESRB rates the game at everyone 10+ so there is no blood or inappropriate language. The game manual has all necessary information and even tells what character stats mean (not mentioned in the game) and is in English and French. The in game menu features an "Adventuer's Notebook" which stores some random game data as well as completion percentages for aspects of the game. Also on the menu is the option to Save game on 2 slots or Quick save and quit.
Graphics: 5/5
It is made for the DS (so expect DS graphics...) and features "3D" graphics, there is nothing to complain about. There are no skips in FPS rates, no bugs I have found. Really if they spent all their time on graphics then the gameplay would be garbage like is done with most games.
Sound: 5/5
Once again it is a DS RPG so you can't expect what is found on other systems. The sound is fine and upbeat, and the only complaint that people might find is that the music does not change when revisiting areas, but that is common in a supermajority of games.
Gameplay: 5/5
The controls arent complicated at all. Grinding (leveling in one spot for a long time) is not necessary for most of the game but helps for some bosses and does not usually take very long. There is usually a save point right before the bosses so you have plenty of health and infinite do-overs. Save often though because some bosses are unexpected. Some people think that the ship battles are too hard but they are not. Most leveling in the game wont be done during air battles and at a certain point you can just instantly flee from the battles anyway. The story is awesome, fairly self-explanatory, and pretty original. It's hard to rate originality when games share a lot of the same characteristics, so don't expect it to blow your mind.
Lasting Appeal: 3.5/5
How long you stay with the game is dependant on a lot of factors but it has plenty of appeal. There are side quests to do, and optional bosses to fight even after the main game is over. The low score is because of lack of replay value, which doesn't matter to some people anyway on an RPG like this, simply get the most out of it that you can on the first playthrough.
Overall: 9.5-10/10
Just keep in mind that the game was made how it is intentionally. I'm not sure but I would say that the developers spent plenty of time on it and it shouldn't be missed just because it is not well known.
Presentation: 5/5
The case looks standard and does not give any false implications that the game is amazing without earning it. As the back of the case states, the game takes place in an alternate 19th century time period, and it mixes mythology into real and fake locations. ESRB rates the game at everyone 10+ so there is no blood or inappropriate language. The game manual has all necessary information and even tells what character stats mean (not mentioned in the game) and is in English and French. The in game menu features an "Adventuer's Notebook" which stores some random game data as well as completion percentages for aspects of the game. Also on the menu is the option to Save game on 2 slots or Quick save and quit.
Graphics: 5/5
It is made for the DS (so expect DS graphics...) and features "3D" graphics, there is nothing to complain about. There are no skips in FPS rates, no bugs I have found. Really if they spent all their time on graphics then the gameplay would be garbage like is done with most games.
Sound: 5/5
Once again it is a DS RPG so you can't expect what is found on other systems. The sound is fine and upbeat, and the only complaint that people might find is that the music does not change when revisiting areas, but that is common in a supermajority of games.
Gameplay: 5/5
The controls arent complicated at all. Grinding (leveling in one spot for a long time) is not necessary for most of the game but helps for some bosses and does not usually take very long. There is usually a save point right before the bosses so you have plenty of health and infinite do-overs. Save often though because some bosses are unexpected. Some people think that the ship battles are too hard but they are not. Most leveling in the game wont be done during air battles and at a certain point you can just instantly flee from the battles anyway. The story is awesome, fairly self-explanatory, and pretty original. It's hard to rate originality when games share a lot of the same characteristics, so don't expect it to blow your mind.
Lasting Appeal: 3.5/5
How long you stay with the game is dependant on a lot of factors but it has plenty of appeal. There are side quests to do, and optional bosses to fight even after the main game is over. The low score is because of lack of replay value, which doesn't matter to some people anyway on an RPG like this, simply get the most out of it that you can on the first playthrough.
Overall: 9.5-10/10
Just keep in mind that the game was made how it is intentionally. I'm not sure but I would say that the developers spent plenty of time on it and it shouldn't be missed just because it is not well known.
6 people found this helpful
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Randall Pfeifer
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Is it any good?" Yes
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2009Verified Purchase
Nostalgia would be a nice throwback to old-school JRPGs...if there weren't already old-school JPRGs like Final Fantasy III and Dragon Quest V. Regardless, this game is by no means bad.
In case you didn't know already, Nostalgia takes place in an alternate 19th Century, where a boy named Eddie searches for his missing father and deals with a secret society searching for ancient tablets.
The biggest feature that appealed to me is that the world is actually based on Earth, so you can visit familiar sites like New York City, Cairo, and Tokyo, and visit some less-than-familiar places like Cape Town, Mt. Ararat, and Easter Island. It's teaching you geography, but without the watered-down experience of an edutainment game (though it isn't entirely accurate) Another feature is the airship battles, which function just like normal battles (albeit with different tactics). A third new feature is a Skill Point system, which you gain by fighting enemies, to level up whichever spells you want.
On the downside, the difficulty feels unbalanced. Since your airship doesn't level up, it can feel like you're hitting a roof when you run out of weapons and upgrades to buy. Also, again, this game tries to throw back to the old RPG days, so people will say the game "plays it safe", or it can even feel cliché. However, as someone who doesn't play many modern RPGs, I feel at home here.
So go ahead and pick this up if you're in for an RPG fix. And if it helps any, I've heard comparisons to Skies of Arcadia.
In case you didn't know already, Nostalgia takes place in an alternate 19th Century, where a boy named Eddie searches for his missing father and deals with a secret society searching for ancient tablets.
The biggest feature that appealed to me is that the world is actually based on Earth, so you can visit familiar sites like New York City, Cairo, and Tokyo, and visit some less-than-familiar places like Cape Town, Mt. Ararat, and Easter Island. It's teaching you geography, but without the watered-down experience of an edutainment game (though it isn't entirely accurate) Another feature is the airship battles, which function just like normal battles (albeit with different tactics). A third new feature is a Skill Point system, which you gain by fighting enemies, to level up whichever spells you want.
On the downside, the difficulty feels unbalanced. Since your airship doesn't level up, it can feel like you're hitting a roof when you run out of weapons and upgrades to buy. Also, again, this game tries to throw back to the old RPG days, so people will say the game "plays it safe", or it can even feel cliché. However, as someone who doesn't play many modern RPGs, I feel at home here.
So go ahead and pick this up if you're in for an RPG fix. And if it helps any, I've heard comparisons to Skies of Arcadia.
5 people found this helpful
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Aya
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, fun...FUN!!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2011Verified Purchase
I read alot of reviews for this game and let me tell ya it`s a blast! At first I thought "What the heck? Indiana Jones?!" but thankfully that dies really fast and the game suddenly opens with it`s own unique story line. I thought it was funny that the game was called Nastalgia, mainly because it reminded me of alot older rp games like: Evolution, Grandia 2, ect. Which made me enjoy it even more.
Personally, I found the game fairly easy but not so easy that it was boring. There were a few random bosses towards the end that I actually found challengin but again this is just me. The game settings are really easy to figure out too, also the fact that you can save anywhere you want (except dungeons) made it easy for me to bring the game to work and play on my lunch breaks. lol
I loved the story, though it didn`t go into full depth, it gave enough info for you to assume your own answers and be satisfied. The characters are kinda corny, but the way the game`s set made it charming. You`ll end up attached to all of them never the less.
Plus, if your giving it to your kid, the game teaches decent lessons regarding friendship, revenge, nobility, honesty, ect. Really overal, this was a fun and very enjoyable game. Easy enough for relaxed gameplay but interesting enough to keep you hooked on the development of characters and story. Buy it! -^_^-
Personally, I found the game fairly easy but not so easy that it was boring. There were a few random bosses towards the end that I actually found challengin but again this is just me. The game settings are really easy to figure out too, also the fact that you can save anywhere you want (except dungeons) made it easy for me to bring the game to work and play on my lunch breaks. lol
I loved the story, though it didn`t go into full depth, it gave enough info for you to assume your own answers and be satisfied. The characters are kinda corny, but the way the game`s set made it charming. You`ll end up attached to all of them never the less.
Plus, if your giving it to your kid, the game teaches decent lessons regarding friendship, revenge, nobility, honesty, ect. Really overal, this was a fun and very enjoyable game. Easy enough for relaxed gameplay but interesting enough to keep you hooked on the development of characters and story. Buy it! -^_^-
One person found this helpful
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Mamandada
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Throwback
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2011Verified Purchase
This game could have been PERFECT. It feels a lot of like the lovechild of Final Fantasy and Indiana Jones, especially in the beginning. As per usual FF, you essentially have your four main character classes (Knight, Thief, White Mage, Black Mage), but it's mixed into our own world with archaeologists and guns. This game is really fun IF you enjoy the style of earlier Final Fantasy games.
However, there is a huge but. Unlike FF where you get the airship after some significant time into the game, you get the airship immediately and upgrade it. Unfortunately, you get hassled by super strong monsters while in the air. I got wiped out more than once in an airship battle, but never lost a 'real' battle with all of my people. The airship part was what ruined it for me, especially since there's an after game and a fair amount of quests.
However, there is a huge but. Unlike FF where you get the airship after some significant time into the game, you get the airship immediately and upgrade it. Unfortunately, you get hassled by super strong monsters while in the air. I got wiped out more than once in an airship battle, but never lost a 'real' battle with all of my people. The airship part was what ruined it for me, especially since there's an after game and a fair amount of quests.
One person found this helpful
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Alvaro Perez
4.0 out of 5 stars
An ok RPG game
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012Verified Purchase
I received the game on time and in good condition. Been playing it for a while now. It has every element one would expect from a role playing game (RPG). The four playable characters complement each other well: A swordsman, a gunner, a black mage and a white mage. The game also feels a bit like an Indiana Jones adventure. However, the plot is not really THAT engaging so if you are looking for a great plot or innovative gameplay this game probably isn't for you.






