Radiant Historia is a role-playing video game (RPG) set in a fantasy world and following a group of characters traveling across the war-torn continent of Vainqueur.[1][2][3] The game's environments are explored from a top-down perspective, with different zones opening up during the course of the narrative.[3][4] These self-contained environments are accessed using a world map, and can then be freely explored.[1] Within these environments following the game's opening mission, the main character Stocke can manipulate boxes to clear paths and solve puzzles, in addition to other elements such as destructible objects and treasure chests containing consumables or items such as armor and weapons.[5]
Time travel[edit]
Traveling between parallel timelines forms a key mechanic within Radiant Historia, with the percentage of timelines explored influencing the ending.[6]
A key part of Radiant Historia is navigating a series of branching stories spread across alternate timelines using a book called the White Chronicle.[2][6] Given to main protagonist Stocke during the game's opening, it is used to travel between different timelines during the course of the story.[6] After its first use, the Historia can be accessed at special points scattered through the game world.[1] Following a key choice within the story, there are two main timelines and numerous smaller branches from those timelines.[3][6] Several events within one timeline can only be completed using information or items gathered from the alternate timeline. Events in both timelines are recorded in a journal that can be accessed through the party menu.[1][3][4]
Aside from points where the story dictates the player's action, navigating the timelines is a non-linear process.[2] Story segments within each timeline, called "nodes", are color-coded depending on its content; brown nodes are chapters of the main story, blue boxes are events in which the player can make a choice which creates new paths in the timeline and can be revisited to take a different path, and dark boxes indicate a node with a bad ending or no way to continue the narrative.[5][6] Experience points and currency earned in battles are carried over between timelines.[7] Events across each timeline are tied to side quests the player can complete. While there are multiple endings depending on the path taken by the player, there are only two canon endings; the standard version, and an extended version unlocked by completing all side quests.[6]