Looking at the PSP's library as a whole, the one thing that really stands out is the number of RPGs available. Although the genre had an incredibly rough start on the system, the quality has gone up along with the number of titles available. Dragoneer's Aria is the latest addition to the collection. There isn't anything about the game that causes it to stand out among the rest of the pack, though it manages to keep up with the genre's growing quality.

For the most part, Dragoneer's Aria is one of the better-looking RPGs on the PSP and has a different look than what NIS typically publishes. Rather than using a 2D anime-inspired look, the game uses 3D characters and environments that exhibit a much different art style. Character designs are interesting and match the game's tone. Levels are pretty large, though the amount of detail fluctuates with each area.

While exploring areas, you are treated to a number of ambient sounds rather than music, which only pops in during battles. The soundtrack fits the game's style, though it doesn't stray too far from what you typically expect from this style of RPG. Story sequences are fully-voiced. The actors do a great job at giving each character their own bit of personality.

You play as Valen, one of a select group known as Dragoon, who has just arrived in the town of Granadis for his graduation from the Academy. The legacy of the Dragoons reaches back to a time when an ancient hero allied himself with a Holy Dragon to combat the Dark Dragon. The duo managed to defeat the Dark Dragon, though the Holy Dragon died in the process, releasing his power into six elements that control the world. Dragoons are charged with protecting these dragons.

Before Valen's ceremony can begin, the Dark Dragon reappears and destroys the town. In the process, he shuts down the Dragon Gates, cutting off contact with the other elemental dragons. In the aftermath of the attack, the remaining Dragoons split up and journey to each of the dragon's regions to check on them. Valen is joined by a young girl named Euphe who mysteriously appears after the ceremony holding the Water Dragon's orb.

Dragoneer's Aria is, for the most part, a standard RPG. You travel from town to town discovering quests that take you to deep dungeons and usually end up with you discovering new allies and treasures. Gameplay is similar to later entries in the Final Fantasy series; dungeon exploration takes place from a third-person view. Dungeons are usually pretty big and have a certain linear openness. You are free to explore each area, though you still have a good idea about where to go in each since you have a map.

One of the better aspects of exploration is the lack of random encounters. Enemies appear on the play field, giving you a chance to avoid battles if you're in a rush or don't feel like fighting anyone. The trade-off is that you won't earn any experience, but that is to be expected.

Outside combat, you can also craft items, though you first need to purchase or find recipes for items. On one hand, this takes a little of the fun out of the system since you can't just randomly combine items and see what happens. Still, the system is useful - especially when you're deep in a dungeon with a full inventory and need a quick health boost or something.

Dragoneer's Aria also features a four-player Ad-Hoc mode, though I wasn't able to test this out.

The biggest flaw facing Dragoneer's Aria is the leveling system. Enemies level as your party does. Typically this wouldn't be that big of an issue except that enemies are already a few levels higher than you at the start. Unless you spend time and grind through a few levels (something that really doesn't work in a portable RPG), you are in for a hard time. This becomes even more frustrating given that you can only save at certain points. Similar to grinding, this doesn't work in a portable RPG.

Although you can avoid enemy encounters, some are hard to avoid. You are given the option to run from battles, though only if you're more powerful than the enemy you're up against.

Combat is fairly standard, though it comes with some really interesting twists. The most interesting of these changes is the Guard system, which requires a bit of skill to pull off. Rather than just setting a character to guard and randomly determining how much damage is deflected, you have direct control over how much you block. After being hit, a group of symbols appear. Hitting (X) when these symbols are selected deflects some of the damage. If you manage to correctly hit the (X) button five times, you can block all of the damage. The first couple of times you try it is rough, though it quickly becomes easy to block most, if not all, of the damage.

Another change involves the magic system. Every attack earns you points that can then be used to cast spells and special attacks. This lends a different set of tactics to combat since everyone has to participate in combat rather than just hanging back and casting spells. Different combat actions result in different point totals; doing no damage grants a few points, while landing a critical earns a bit more. Successfully blocking an attack will also earn points. Combat is more action-based and engaging, so you aren't mindlessly pressing buttons and flipping through menus.

Adding a little more to the tactics behind the system, everyone shares the same mana pool and spells are, for the most part, interchangeable between characters. Characters can be equipped with special items that allow them to use certain spells. The more a character uses a spell, the more powerful it becomes. You can also equip characters with Dragon Orbs, though these only tweak character's elemental alignment.

Though it has its issues in regards to balance, Dragoneer's Aria is a pretty good RPG and worth a look for fans of the genre.