In its short life span, the PSP has seen a healthy offering of games from every genre except RPGs. While it can certainly be argued that the genre really don't lend itself all that well to portable gaming, there are still die-hards who want a little RPG action on the go. This lack of RPGs makes Kingdom of Paradise a tempting offering for PSP owners craving a portable RPG.

Visually, Kingdom of Paradise squeezes everything it can out of the PSP. Environments are large and feature all manner of little details, from the wood-grain in floor boards to the tiniest of shrubs dotting the background. Character models animate nicely, especially during combat. You'll also see numerous cut-scenes during story sequences that even feature lip-movement (though the movements do get off at times, giving the game that "dubbed" feeling). Special effects are the real star of presentation and hit with big, brightly colored explosions.

The game's audio elements are decent, but aren't exactly all that exciting. The game features lots of spoken dialogue; some good, some bad. The voice acting itself is good, but dulled by some really bad writing, making it seem as though the translation may have been rushed in some areas. There are even times when names are pronounced in two or three ways during the same line of dialogue. I found these instances more amusing than anything else. Music fits with the game's Eastern atmosphere and features mostly serene wind chimes, strings and flutes. These calm tones give way to thumping drums and bass during combat, fitting the fast-paced combat system.

Kingdom of Paradise follows the story of Shinbu, a disgraced swordsman who was drummed out of the Seiryu clan after accessing forbidden knowledge. Normally, this type of a set-up leads to the stereotypical angst-ridden hero who shows up in nearly every game these days. However, Shinbu is not your typical hero and would love nothing more than to regain his reputation -- a chance he gets; though it's not exactly how he would want it. This opportunity comes after a chance meeting with Sui Lin, another disciple of Seiryu who is looking for Shinbu to inform him that a rival group, the Kirin, has wiped out the Shinbu. Doctrine dictates that the highest-ranking clan member takes over leadership, so it falls on the disgraced Shinbu to avenge the clan and rebuilt it.

After a pretty nice setup, Kingdom of Paradise spins a fun tale, combining standard RPG plots with Eastern mythology. There are, however, a few minor flaws in the story, namely spots where the story just doesn't sound right. For example, early in the game Shinbu is given his father's sword, which is supposed to be the most powerful sword in the world... well, except for that other one that is even more powerful that you need to find. These moments don't happen too much, so they don't kill the story, though the little contradictions like these do add a few blemishes on an otherwise entertaining tale.

Aside from combat, which I'll touch on later, Kingdom of Paradise has you completing a number of typical RPG quests. You'll explore ancient temples, save people from certain peril and so on, and so on... Overall, the game is entertaining, though many of the quests are a bit tedious and take longer to complete than they should. This brings up a major problem with not only Kingdom of Paradise, but with portable RPGs in general. The typical play habits of portable gamers aren’t like those of a console gamer. Handheld guys don't have hours upon hours to spend working through long story sequences and numerous fetch quests. At most, portable gamers usually have about 15 - 30 minutes to play, so they want to get in and get out as quickly as possible. In general, Kingdom of Paradise feels more like a console RPG in this respect since you'll find yourself backtracking through the game's large world and talking to everyone. Navigating towns also presents a problem since you never know exactly where to go and, since you have no control over the camera, some background objects can get in the way of that sliver of a door you're supposed to do through.

Then there are the long story sequences, which really drag down the action. When I first popped in the game, I must have sat through at least 10 minutes of story sequence before actually getting to swing a sword in any significant combat. Thankfully, the game allows you to save just about anywhere, so this does ease the playability just a bit.

Some WiFi features are also thrown into Kingdom of Paradise, giving you a little added value to the already lengthy adventure. You can trade Kenpu with other players as well as challenging them to a arena battle where you can test out your created combos against others.

Difficulty comes in two types on Kingdom of Paradise; user-created and game-created. Combat isn't all that difficult as long as you put together good Kenpu combinations. It is advisable to actually read the manual before getting too deep into the game since the in-game instructions are rather sparse and don't explain things all that well. Later on, the game does become much easier once you realize that your magic abilities are even more powerful than your attacks and can win most battles for you rather easily.

In-game quests tend to sound harder than they really are. Similar to the combat system, a number of quests aren't explained all that well and give you objectives in the vaguest of terms. The problem is that there's no manual to refer to when it comes to quests, so there are times where you'll find yourself wandering the world in hopes that you come across what you're looking for.

Combat is one area where Kingdom of Paradise departs from standard RPGs. Given the game's portable nature, Kingdom of Paradise takes more of an action slant to add a quicker pace to the action (an element that stands in stark comparison to the sometimes drawn-out story sequences). Combat revolves around items called Bungei Scrolls. When combined with Kenpu tiles, which are attacks, Bungei Scrolls become preset combos that you can use in battle. There are about 150 moves that you can find, so the number of combos available is rather deep. Once again, it is advisable to read the manual for a better explanation of the system. You'll more than likely figure out the basics, but you still won't understand all of the ins-and-outs of the system if you just go by what the game tells you.

Once you get past the complicated setup, combat is fairly easy and consists primarily of mashing the button as fast as possible as Shinbu executes all manner of flips, slashes and other martial arts moves. You'll also be accompanied by a partner (usually Sui Lin) in some areas, so you're not alone in your quest.

One notable issue with the game's combat system is the blocking mechanic, which rarely works. For whatever reason, there's a noticeable lag between pressing the block button and it actually happening. When fighting normal enemies this isn't much of a problem, though it does become an issue when facing down bigger foes.

Magic also plays a big part in combat. Each character in the game is tied to an element that is projected through their Chi. As is the case in nature, each of these elements stands in opposition to each other; so those with a connection to water can stomp those connected to fire... I'm sure you get the idea. You begin the game with only a handful of elemental magic, but the more you use it, the more in tune you become with your Chi, opening up even more powerful spells and attacks. The system isn't quite as deep as the Bungei system, but it still works and opens up a lot of combat possibilities. Perhaps too many since Chi attacks will soon become even more powerful than your combos. It also doesn't help that you're able to use Chi as much as you like (you only have to wait a few seconds to charge your Chi meter) and you're practically invincible when using these abilities.

Even with its problems, Kingdom of Paradise is a good offering, especially for the RPG thirsty PSP. It's not the most portable friendly game, but its still a worthwhile experience if you're looking for something a little different than the arcade-styled titles already available for the system.