Reviewed
Sega
Force Vault
03.14.1999
Updated
07.02.2016
Publisher
Capcom
Developer
Capcom
Format
2x
CD
Origin
Import
Available
Mar.
4, 1999
¥5,800
standard
¥7,800
w/RAM
(Japan)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
2D
View
Side
Genre
Action/
Beat
'em up
Player(s)
1-2
Options
Backup
8/8
Requires
4MB
RAM
(disc
2 only)
Importable
99% |
| Intro |
|
> Dungeons & Dragons Collection contains both Capcom
arcade hack'n' slash titles from retrogaming heaven -- Their subtitles
are
Tower of Doom (disc 1) released in 1993, and Shadow
Over Mystara (disc 2) released in 1996. Four years after
its launch, the Saturn has received two games like Sega's
original masterpiece,
Golden
Axe (arcade/Genesis). Both the original arcade games
featured 4 player coop, but the Saturn iterations are limited
to 2 player coop.
> Shadow Over Mystara maintains the same idea as the prequel
-- Advance through the various locales while slicing and dicing all the
monsters into oblivion. Just like Tower of Doom, there's
an occasional hostage to free. Along the way you'll encounter huge
bosses which have special attacks of catastrophic proportions. Use
the treasure you accumulate in battle to buy items in the shop between
levels. It's mindless fun, and it's yet another Saturn
exclusive. Note: Unlike the prequel, Shadow Over Mystara
requires the 4MB RAM
cartridge (mainly for the increased animations).
> Importing is a cinch as everything you really need is in English, including
the main menu, option menus and game screens. The most noticeable
things that are Japanese are the occasional dialog text and the names of
the special weapons. |
| Graphics |
|
> If you've seen Dungeons & Dragons in the arcade, then
you know what to expect. Both Tower of Doom and Shadow
Over Mystara are 2D hand drawn beauties from start to finish.
Of course, Shadow Over Mystara looks and animates better
since it's the newer of the two, and it uses the 4MB RAM
cartridge. As for the backgrounds, they're multi-scrolling and consist
of locales like a village, flying ship, castle, cave, dark jungle, hell
cavern, and tower (to name a few).
> On the way to bosses you'll fight various familiar monsters like goblins,
skeletons, gargoyles, lizards, liches and many more. Capcom
has added monsters that spawn from the background and foreground too.
As mentioned before, you'll fight against huge bosses that include a Harpy,
Lich, Flame Salamander, Nagpa (owl-mage), Black Dragon (to name a few).
Both games share many of the same beasts, except they look better on Shadow
Over Mystara.
> Compared to Tower of Doom, the magic effects are much more
varied and improved in Shadow Over Mystara. Overall,
the freeze and bolt magic spells are my favorite to behold. Oh...
and don't worry, the bosses hurl magic at you as well. The meteor
spell that some bosses use is really cool, and the final boss in
Shadow
Over Mystara has a special treat for you. |
| Control |
|
> The control scheme for Shadow Over Mystara is simple and
enjoyable. Capcom didn't mess with something that wasn't
broken. The buttons are attack, jump, fire (special weapon or spell)
and select. You can use the D-pad to move along a wide area and for
running as well. Throughout your quest, you'll come across treasure
chests which may or may not be trapped, and usually contain some goodies.
Also, most enemies leave some booty behind once they're defeated, which
you can pick up and use.
> The select button has been improved and now brings up an inventory ring
for quicker choices. Thank you Capcom for maintaining
the ability to map buttons in the options! Other options include
music, sound effects and difficulty levels.
> All the gold you collect will not go to waste either, since after every
round, you'll have an opportunity to stock up on weapons and health at
your local shop. Although this game has multiple shops, they all
sell the same stuff. It pays to enter the various pathways which
you'll encounter as they usually provide additional treasure. Overall,
the control is tight and classic. |
| Sound |
|
> Once again I can't remember what the arcade music sounded like, but I'm
sure the Saturn iteration is as good, if not better.
Capcom
made a noticeable improvement in the sound of the instruments, as the synthesizer
has a richer, deeper rhythm. You'll hear a combination of orchestral
and fantasy arcade tunes which are quite atmospheric at times. Nice
job for a sequel.
> The sound effects are probably straight out of the arcade as well. Shadow
Over Mystara's effects are improved over Tower of Doom,
although there is some overlap. You'll hear things like swords swinging,
enemies howling, chests cracking open, monsters roaring, meteors falling
and firebombs exploding. The speech cues are in English, by the way. |
| Fun |
|
> Shadow Over Mystara has six characters (2 outfits each)
with different abilities and attacks: Fighter (longsword), Cleric (mace+shield),
Dwarf (axe), female Elf (sword+shield), Thief (shortsword), and Magicuser
(rod). You get a great value here since the game is fully intact.
Your interest level is maintained with 10+ levels, treasure, new magic,
new locales, power-ups and additional weapons. To mix things up,
every so often you can choose from a fork in the path. The only downer
is that Capcom did not spend enough time optimizing this
game, as it's often loading. As with most beat 'em up games, the
fun factor does go down once you've completed it a few times. |
| Bottom
Line |
|
> If you'd like Golden
Axe or Streets
of Rage with a little more depth for fantasy adventure, then
look no further than Capcom's latest arcade conversion.
Dungeons
& Dragons Collection is a solid combination of two arcade classics
which are fully intact on your
Saturn, thanks to the 4MB
RAM cartridge. With unlimited continues, this game is more
about speed than lives. I'm fine with that. Lastly, this collection
has recently been released on Xbox 360 Arcade,
PC
and others. I wholeheartedly recommend it to hack'n' slash fans! |
| Ratings |
| Overall: 8.6 | Graphics:
9.0 | Control: 9.2 | Sound: 8.0 | Fun: 8.0 |
~ Shinobi
~
|
