I got what was apparently the last copy for several weeks on my side of the state. It's tough to find in most video game stores, but easy to get on the internet. I've been playing it during most of my free time. I'm also on Velvet's book.

What I really love about this game is how deeply it's tied to Norse and Germanic myths, the subject of many operas. Each book starts with an intro that has a orchestral tuning sequence, and the music is phenomenal. Each of the stories are intertwined, and each book reveals more than you realized about the previous ones, especially Oswald's in relation to Gwendolyn's. The stories are simply amazing and the art is stunning.

You also need to adapt completely different play styles for each of the characters. Though a lot of their abilities are the same, the way their weapons function, and the one or two unique variations in the way they play changes everything. Cornelius is a simple hack and slash, Gwendolyn involves hitting and running, blocking and powerful combos, Oswald is pure hit-hard-and-run, Mercedes is all about strategic positioning and ammo use, and Velvet is a strange mix of planting yourself in the perfect spot for attacks and counter attacks.

The game is also hard until you really get the hang of it. An odd leveling system based solely on growing and eating fruits or making recipes combined with occasional huge waves of enemies and an alchemy system make for tough work until you get used to it. Once you've got more of the alchemy mixes, it's a piece of cake.

Top it all off with an 8 year old girl reading each of the characters stories in books in her attic, and you've got an amazing action RPG.