Reviewed
02.25.2000
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Sega
(Ascii
1986;
Kogado
1986)
Format
2
Megabit
Origin
Import/Domestic
Available
1988
(USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Medium~Hard
Dimensions
2D
View
Might
& Magic II
-esque
Genre
RPG
Players
1
Options
Battery
(5 saves)
Requires
n/a
Importable
n/a |
INTRO:
> The first console RPG for America! The Dark Lord Terarin has removed
the Golden Seal from the Pandora Passage releasing evil and woe upon the
land. A prophesy speaks of a hero who will awaken the 3 heroes who fought
with the legendary Iason and return peace to the land. Are you ready to
traverse the Five Lands fighting whatever evil may await?
GRAPHICS:
> The 5x5 square overview map is functional and the party view screen just
has the occasional terrain change. The lower right hand box lets you know
your gold, herbs, fangs, and character reputation. The life bars are a
visual affair, no numbers for detail, takes time to get used to this method
now, it's very old. But the backgrounds when you fight monsters are good.
They give a good sense of atmosphere, be it the port city in the background
in shallow water battles, or the stormy seas in the rough water battles.
And the art designs of the monsters rival the creativity of most modern
games, it simply must be seen. There is a plethora of unusual names and
looks for monsters in here; easily a golden source for name handles (...ahem)
or new monsters for pen/paper RPGs (ya know, the real RPGs... heh. I got
some people upset with that one :) ). The pictorial status icons for items
is nice and large. Graphically nothing big, but in total, of solid 8-bit
quality.
CONTROL:
> Pretty easy as soon as you realize the window in which to pay attention.
The menu system is self explanatory easy, just don't mistake Spell for
Magical; there's no battle spells in this game only magical items, no loss
really. And don't Talk to every monster, they usually just attack. The
only bit of confusion might be the towns. It's easy - when you are
in the town there's enter button and exit button. No matter where you are
in the town you can exit with the press of one button (wish they kept that
nowadays, eh). Can't exit dungeons like this, but then the mazes would
be no fun... Battles have one action for each side, unless you use a magical
item which lets you go again. So you choose your attacker and engage the
monster, they exchange blows and the round sets up again. But this doesn't
mean there's NO strategy. You must know your enemy, and the capacities
of your party members against your enemy, or learn a bitter lesson in defeat.
And resurrection is VERY expensive. Got to know when to use magic items
(expensive) and when to save them. Not nuclear physics strategy, but still
challenging and fun. Remember this, "simple dungeon crawl" RPG.
SOUND:
> I like the music, it fits well. Generally upbeat and dramatic when appropriate.
No silly and sleepy sounding blips and bleeps. It left an indelible mark
on my youth. Sound effects are satisfying too. Though the physical attacks
will drone eventually in your mind from repetition, the overall quality
of the sound effects enhances the game's atmosphere. The sounds and music
help the battles seem epic, keep the towns cheerful, and make the surface/dungeon
crawling adventurous.
FUN:
> Extremely fun, but this is heavy nostalgia talking. This is a dungeon
crawl with story elements. The battles to better your characters may get
monotonous, but such is the nature of early RPGs. The large mazes, dramatic
battles, and element of discovery makes this one solid game.
|
