Super Nintendo look - ActRaiser 2

Once again, I find myself in a state of panic as I drop absolutely everything that I'm doing to hyper-fixate on a single game that hasn't been relevant in over thirty years. That game is none other than ActRaiser 2, one in which I fumbled through practically eons ago and forgot about entirely, only to discover that there is indeed some sauce and Quintet did indeed cook with it. Now, I don't know exactly how much praise I can heap onto this action-platformer before it becomes hyperbolic but bear with me. First and most importantly, this was one of those games that Enix of America did no favors. Granted, the complete lack of simulation elements had already doomed the game in the eyes of many, but numerous changes to the difficulty (all for the worse) practically buried its remaining meritorious qualities. This vicious one-two punch created a legacy in which I can't run a search on the game without tripping over a dozen "Wow! This stinks!" posts.

In defense of why ActRaiser 2 is actually great.

Much like the classics of the 8 and 16-bit era, this game was designed to be deliberate. There is weight to every decision and consequence to every action. I don't want to throw around comparisons willy-nilly, but if you can imagine the half-way point between Castlevania and Rocket Knight Adventures, then that's where ActRaiser 2 would be. The pacing is slow and steady. While you have versatile tools to enhance your mobility, using them poorly might just put you in a worse condition than if you had just ignored them entirely. For starters, the double jump is a necessity, but once the jump button is pressed the second time, the hero goes into a glide. You'll quickly learn to press the jump button (or press up) to cancel that glide, else you might find yourself flying off the platform you were trying to land on. Landing from a glide, while looking neat, leaves the hero open to attack. There is a surprising amount of complexity in merely getting around, a weightiness that I'd usually attribute to mech-shooters like Front Mission: Gun Hazard.

Then there's the sword, which is no longer the "one size fits all" solution to every problem. Remember how in 1990's ActRaiser, all you had to do was press the attack button? It didn't matter if the enemy was straight ahead, attacking from above, firing a projectile, or low to the ground. They were all dealt with in one swift all-encompassing stroke. Now, the sword is a tool of precision, where strikes have to be aimed to be truly effective. It's a learning curve where there was originally none, and that's without factoring in the shield. You can block almost everything that's thrown at or dropped on you, as long as you don't move. Adding to the challenge is that enemies are a bit heartier than before, often taking multiple hits to down... or not. This is where the versatility starts paying off. Down-stabs do double damage and dive-bombs do triple damage. Also, if you can work with the brief invulnerability periods and hitboxes, you'll discover opportunities to deliver uncontested damage to adversaries. It feels extremely satisfying. 

Magic has seen a creative overhaul. Every spell is available from the outset, and they're cast by holding down and releasing the attack button. Depending on what the hero is doing at the time of relase, his spell can take one of several forms. While standing, he shoots a stream of fire. Holding up causes him to lob multiple projectiles in an arc, and so on. There are seven spells altogether, each with their own utility. Despite the changes to magic, I figure most players will still hold onto all of their charges so that they can eliminate bosses quickly. The catch of course is that charges aren't replenished after a death.  

The level design is a blend of monster-filled hallways, large rooms with multiple paths, and obstacle courses. Your wings, sword, and agency are all you have, and that's where the even most simplistic levels shine. Multiple adversaries can and will attack at once, each with their own behaviors. The first might make charge at you, another could be about to attack from above, and there's something further away spitting fireballs. Several threats, all working in concert, and it's on you to figure out the best approach. To emphasize, the sword can't be everywhere at once, and relying on the standard attacks will only get you so far. The answer is often found in using the layout of the immediate area to mount an aerial assault. As much as I'd love to sprinkle around words like methodical, the fact is that the protagonist is pretty slow, which means the player has to think fast. Also, worst comes to worst, there's always trial & error. Healing items are common enough, and you'll have decent number of lives for when big mistakes happen. 

It should be noted that "obstacle courses" in this case never reach a point of absurdity. You won't be fluttering through spike-adorned halls while getting sniped at from multiple directions. Mostly, they're just there to add flavor to a stage. Though keep in mind that with all of the platforming and monsters, the possibility of getting knocked into a pit is very real. It's not an overly frequent occurrence, and if you feel like you're leaping into danger, just go ahead and down-stab. The down-stab is lowkey one of the strongest moves in the game, mainly because the hero is invulnerable while performing it. Maybe in some other title it'd be overpowered, but here it's just a part of your arsenal.  

Every boss in ActRaiser 2 is worthwhile. No matter their size and shape, every archfiend you'll contend works wonderfully within the game world. One of the noteworthy bosses is a goblin wizard. He flies across the screen at speeds that are difficult to react to, so your best chance of survival is to watch and wait. He flings imposing fireballs from the sides and above. You can't outwalk them, but you can outright block them. Consider this an important reminder to never underestimate your shield. Other fights make full usage of the immediate environment, offering platforms to leap onto or get knocked off of. As mentioned earlier, if you arrive at a boss with a full suite of spell charges, then you likely have the means of destroying them quickly. Timing and positioning are essential, of course, but getting these quick kills is an immaculate feeling. 

Besides the fact that you won't get to experience the final boss battle, there's no harm in starting with the Easy difficulty setting. Normal provides a noticeable step up in challenge by adding new enemies, giving bosses more attacks, and slightly shifting the damage values. This shift is quite interesting in that it'll require you to utilize the full skillset instead of just standing and hacking. Rather than strike a single enemy three times, you'll be more inclined to use a down-stab and a strike to defeat them in two. If you can find the space to fly, then a dive-bomb will eliminate them in one. The change in difficulty rewards methodical and versatile playstyles. Indeed, it is a bit tougher than the first entry, but it's still deliberate and fair. Clearly, a lot of time was devoted to ensuring that encounters are balanced and players are given just enough resources to survive.

Fair? Balanced? Yeah, I'm talking about the Super Famicom version of ActRaiser 2. The version we received in the West is... fine. I mean, it's definitely playable. Enix of America just had different values. They wanted a game that would take a week to finish instead of a weekend. I just don't see the value in repeating the same level multiple times over because of changes that only maniacs would appreciate. 

Now, this is where I start digging into the minutiae. The hero has 20 HP. He can obtain healing items that restore 2, 10, or 20 HP. In the west, some of those 10 HP healing items now only heal for 5 HP. Worse, some items were removed entirely or replaced with enemies. Contact with spikes or lava has gone from "pretty damaging" to "you'll die in 2 hits". Enemies hit harder and have more HP. This boost is uniquely annoying since it messes with the flow of the game. If an enemy has 4 HP, then that means it takes four strikes, or two down-stabs, or one dive-bomb & one strike. All these extra hits piling on top of each other only serve to bring the pacing down. The increased rarity of healing items only ensures that players have to take extra time with each encounter, just to ensure they don't take any damage. 

An instance where a healing item in the Japanese version (Left) is replaced by an enemy in the USA version (Right).

Combine these changes with a decrease in starting lives, and you end up with a game that's too often defined by trial & error. Mistakes are punished severely. Obstacles that'd normally be a bump in the road have been turned into brick walls. These constant setbacks eventually lead to criticisms that I'd consider unfair. The controls, in my opinion, are perfect. Yes, the hero has a slow walking speed, and his wings require time as well as patience to get the hang of, but they are still an exact fit for this game. All of the necessities are in the player's hands. They even have some exceptional techniques like the invulnerable down-stab (don't forget that shield either!). It's the tweaks brought on by the Western version that are at fault, not the controls.

I don't want to get too heated about it, since the game may as well be ancient history, but to me this is one of the larger issues of the sometimes-nebulous approach developers take to difficulty. With every successive entry in a series, particularly in those that emphasize arcade-like qualities, there is the natural desire to push the envelope, and create a greater challenge for players to overcome. However, this desire is one that - in my opinion at least - has to come from within, not as a response to outside influences. Player feedback should be taken into consideration, but when it becomes to the driving force, then problems start to arise. Like, imagine if an arcade shmup had a location test, but the only attendees were the best of the best, and all of their suggestions were "make the game tougher, more intense, etc." If that's all the feedback you get, then the end result will be a game that only maniacs can appreciate.

Now, ActRaiser 2 isn't nearly as extreme a case, but the signs are clearly there. The changes mandated by Enix of America were in response to what was likely a very tiny (but vocal) minority. I'll also consider the possibility that the "week to finish instead of a weekend" talk was in reference to rentals. The rental market played a massive role in the Western game industry during the 90s. Make the game more difficult, and maybe players will be less inclined to rent. Whatever the case, in their attempts to capture this mythical "hardcore gamer" audience, Enix of America messed up. They took what should've been regarded as a Super Nintendo classic and stuck it in some niche that'd take decades to receive positive recognition. 

Perhaps I myself am partially to blame for not seeing it earlier, but this is one video game that deserves better. There is so much here that is good, perhaps great even. There is a richness to the movement and combat that was rare to see in 1993. It's this blend of ideas from Castlevania to Ghouls n' Ghosts that coalesced into something quite special. The more I play, the more I appreciate the amount of care taken by its level designers and programmers. 

Whenever you find the time, seriously consider giving the Japanese version of ActRaiser 2 a try, even if and perhaps especially so if you were put off by the Western release that you played all those years ago. 

2025 Special - Brandish 2: The Planet Buster

I have something of a history with Nihon Falcom's Brandish series, and by series, I mean one game. That game is of course, Brandish: The Dark Revenant. Released on the Playstation Portable in 2009 - and finally getting localized in 2015 - this is a remake of the first entry in the series. Full 3D, arranged soundtrack, various QOL features and extras, you know the drill. I'm a fan of that game, said as much in a review I wrote some couple of years later. From concept to execution, I enjoyed everything about it. 

At its heart, Brandish is a real-time dungeon-crawler, but with an overhead perspective. A casual glance at a random screenshot might give off the impression that this a Zelda/Ys-inspired adventure, but the moment-to-moment gameplay has much more in common with something like Legend of Grimrock. When up is pressed on the d-pad, Ares moves forward. Pressing left or right turns Ares in the four cardinal directions. Holding down the L button will allow him to strafe. The sudden 90-degree turns are disorienting, and there's no telling if it'll take 5 minutes or 5 hours to adjust to them, but they work in establishing the game's unique approach. 

Combat is typically of matter of maneuvering around enemies to strike at their weaker sides & rear. How you go about this is entirely up to your playstyle. In most cases, an ambush is preferable to a frontal assault. Attacking an enemy that's facing Ares provides them opportunities to block and counter-attack. The protagonist can also deflect blows, but not if they're haplessly swinging away. Timing as well as avoiding prolonged encounters are a couple necessities of survival, but this is very much a teaching game. You learn by doing (and dying). The level of difficulty is fluid in the sense that cautious players can stock up on curatives and save all the time, pros can eschew both for the added challenge, and maniacs can try to defeat every boss without getting hit. All of the above is possible, which is a testament to Falcom's immense gamedev talent.

Most anyone who has heard of Brandish has probably seen some artwork depicting an attractive blonde woman in a magic bikini and cape. That's Dela Delon (or Dora Doron) and she's the main character of the series. Granted, you don't play as her outside of Brandish 3 and a bonus mode in The Dark Revenant, but she gets most of the characterization and is present for almost every major story beat. Dela is a bit like a cross between Doronjo and Naga the Serpent. In short, she's the comic relief. Ares, the person you actually control, is the blankest of slates. He doesn't even have eyes! If he wasn't constantly stumbling into dungeons, he'd probably be the player-insert in some dating sim. His notable traits are... well... some of the shopkeepers say he has a nice bod. That's all I've got.

Brandish 2: The Planet Buster takes place shortly after the events of the first game. Ares gets lost in a desert and collapses. Luckily for him, he's found, resuscitated, and promptly imprisoned. Worse, the all-powerful & all-titular sword he was carrying with him was stolen. Escape the prison, storm the castle, delve into a world of darkness, climb the tower, explore the lab, and conquer the fortress. This adventure is liable to set you back 10 to 12 hours. Is it a worthwhile endeavor? Well...

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Well...

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Well...

Before going any further, I should make it clear that I played through the Super Famicom port, which was released by Koei in 1995. Fan-translations for both the SNES version and the PC-98 original exist and naturally I went with the inferior choice. Additionally, though the port does utilize the mouse, I chose to stick with the controller, which was another costly mistake. My experience is likely to be much different from yours, so keep that in mind if you're already well-familiar with the game or plan on playing it in the future. 

One of the most noticeable and notable qualities of this sequel is its variety in locales. Rather than a series of floors of ever-increasing complexity and difficulty, there are now dungeons both inside and outside to explore. Underground lairs are still quite common, but the forests and castle surroundings provide a hint of fresh air. The level-design still tends towards the maze-like, so don't expect to traipse through any large empty fields. Speaking of; the dungeons are at least as solid as the first entry, with some added variety and refinements. It's worth mentioning that there is nothing nearly as bad as that one floor in Brandish. You know the one where there are holes everywhere and Ares has to drop steel balls every step to avoid falling in them himself? Absolutely nothing like that is found here. The few dungeons that use pits often have multiple entrances, so you can fall multiple times and still accomplish objectives without starting from scratch.

Weapons are still as prone to breakage as ever. Though Ares can always resort to his fists, managing a limited supply of weaponry is still a big part of survival. There are more armaments to acquire, including fist-weapons and two-handed hammers & axes. Dual wielding is possible, but I never found a need or want for it in my play-through. Excess items and equipment are common, as-is the almost constant inventory fumbling. Items & Spells can be used from the menu and/or the quickslot. Ideally, players should make use of both functions, but that's pretty difficult with just a controller. As far as magic is concerned, your most-used spells are liable to be ice and the buffs. Ice can freeze most enemies, which has numerous benefits. The buffs are extremely strong. A buffed offense will crush most any fiend in a few hits while a buffed defense will turn otherwise devastating blows into a kitten's loving bites.

Much like the first game, bosses aren't always a "here's a large foe that hits really hard". Many require skillful maneuverings and smart tactics. The kraken will have Ares leaping from stone to stone, attempting to position himself in a prime spot to attack the beast's head while avoiding its poisonous smog. Defeating a master ninja requires constant movement and reorienting oneself, avoiding at all costs a frontal attack. When an attack is blocked, weapons lose 2 points of durability instead of just 1. Avoiding costly mistakes like these lends some flavor to numerous encounters. However, there are also times when an adversary just doesn't seem all that invested in attacking me, sometimes wandering in a random direction. Maybe it's by design, but it's still a little off-putting in the heat of battle.

I mentioned the fluid difficulty of Brandish before, and that still applies here... mostly. Encounters are open-ended to the point that you can fight a tough monster, leave the room to rest, and that same monster will still be in the state you left them in when you return. To add to this, if you've got a good bit of distance away from the enemy, you can take a powernap to avoid dipping into your potion supply. Opportunities for staying healthy are extremely prevalent. In spite of this, I managed to die 115 times in an 11-hour play-through. 115! I'm sincerely positive that I died less in over a hundred hours of Elden Ring. What gives?

When seemingly every advantage is given to the player, the game leaves itself with no other recourse than what I call the nuclear option. In short, a lot of what Ares will run into in Brandish 2 will kill him in a couple of hits. I feel like there's some unexplained critical hit mechanic that allows enemies to 100% ignore armor to take huge chunks of life all at once. Whatever the case, mid to late-game encounters are usually determined by whether or not the player applied their buffs. There is still benefit and sometimes necessity to learning when to strike and when to move, but for the most part combat is a banal process. It's an awful shame, since I remember The Dark Revenant being so engaging in that regard. Learning that "dance of death" to get around enemies and strike them down was a lot of fun.

This issue is further compounded by both the controls and the lag. Whether it's moving, fighting, or managing, every action feels sluggish with the controller. Yes, yes, "use the mouse" should've been drilled into my head in the beginning. Still, I'd argue that even that wouldn't have been enough, because of the lag. It's hard to pinpoint, but it's there, like an ever-present haze. It's not so much slowdown as it is the occasional hiccup, and that hiccup is enough to eat an input. To put it another way, I attempt to strafe to the left to avoid an enemy, but the L button doesn't register, so that strafe becomes a turn and now I'm getting stabbed in the back. This lack of responsiveness has a chilling effect in that I'm less likely to take risks. This means more time spent saving in-between battles and employing safety strategies. I say all this, and yet I still have 115 deaths to my name. 

Needless to say, my initial enjoyment was eventually smothered, leaving me with a game that just didn't feel good to play. At some point I realized that even the shops have lag. Why am I losing inputs in the shop? There are just a couple of menus and a busty shopkeeper making kissy faces at Ares. That's enough to tax the Super Nintendo somehow. Seriously though, this was a regrettable adventure. 

Just skip straight to the PC-98 original. On the absurdly slim chance that the game is just inherently flawed, at least you're guaranteed a smoother experience.

2025 Special - Record of Lodoss War

Eons ago, I wrote a nothing-review for Record of Lodoss War. This Action-RPG for the Dreamcast deserves at least a semi-close look. It's a maniacal yet oddly satisfying grind. Crushing adversity under the sheer weight of huge numbers refuses to go out of style. Whatever sauce Neverland cooked up here was enough to pull me away from dozens of other games. Shoot. I've got a copy of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that still hasn't been unwrapped! Imagine, putting off one of the best games of the year just to follow the adventures of The World's Least Interesting Person.

See that rough fellow? That's going to be you for the 15 to 20 hours. Also, your name is Larx... or Larz, or something else, I forget exactly. Never mind, it's a useless detail. The important thing is that you're on a quest to rescue Marmo from the Evil Goddess Kardis. Also, you were brought back from the dead, but don't expect any cool undead powers. If you die again, it's back to loading that last save to try again. The bulk of your early game deaths are the result of going to the wrong place and getting immediately clobbered. Indeed, you can explore a large chunk of the world shortly after the introductory dungeon, just don't expect to get far. Marmo is packed with all manner of creeps, cluttering the largely mundane & dreary locales with monstrous visages and fireball-throwing mayhem. 

Early on, the best you can do is to simply follow the directions you're given. If Wart the wizard tells you to head north, then you should do so without giving a moment's thought to anything else. Larz is frail and a bit useless early on. However, given enough effort - and enough mythril - he'll become strong enough to take down a divine being singlehandedly. Actually, strike that. I meant to say, "a divine being, their closest allies, and a dozen friends singlehandedly". The odds are explicitly designed to be overwhelming, and that's fine. It just means more corpses underneath your boots... provided you get those numbers pumped up.

It won't take long to realize that levelling in Record of Lodoss War doesn't do a whole lot. An extra 20 HP and a +1 to attack isn't going to cut it. This is where the mythril comes in. Well, the game calls it "mithrill", but let's try and ignore that. Whether you're carving it out of monsters or off of the walls, this shiny blue ore is the currency that helps you become like a God. Early on, you'll meet a blacksmith who hammers rune words into your equipment. Explore the world to find rune words, then teleport back to base and spend the mythril on upgrades. I can't emphasize enough that this process is a massive grind, but the results are worth it. All those monsters you had to run past or away from will eventually be squashed like pitiful insects. The word eventually is doing some heavy lifting here. Some players could find themselves in a rut where they can't seem to make progress in either the story or the optional content. 

I'll admit, I took advantage of a couple exploits. There's an easy source of mythril involving a boss that can't seem to stay dead. Adversaries are generally decent at pathfinding, but it's still possible for them to get stuck on something. Consider it a perfect chance to spam walls of fire. Clever usage of a "raise the dead" spell could even the odds in a tough battle. Well, perhaps that isn't an exploit, but considering how much of the game is usually spent running up and smacking something with a sword... thinking is almost like cheating. Besides being few and far between, these moments that require strategizing will fall by the wayside once the protagonist's power level starts jumping exponentially. 

This big silver dude will keep respawning if you revisit his lair. Easy mythril.

Now rune words are usually basic upgrades like +3 Strength or whatever. Take the time to wipe out the optional lairs and you'll discover special rune words. Only one can be equipped at a time, but the right combination can turn Larz from zero to hero in a second. For example. I equipped a couple of special runes that caused my hit-points to reach an astonishing 15,000+. Another doubled my armor, so even bulky foes could only tickle me with their gigantic hammers. The grind gets intense, but the results are plain as day and very satisfying to achieve. Also, while some might view it as a negative, I really appreciate that mythril rarely drops from normal monsters. It incentivizes me to focus on the next objective and avoid unnecessary battles, particularly in the overworld. 

A philosophical question I've often run into with RPGs, whether they be action or turn-based, is what does the hero do with their unfathomable amounts of power? There are multiple points in this very game where power corrupts individuals until they become psychotic monsters hellbent on annihilating all life. I can't imagine even the most virtuous of heroes settling for field-tilling or sleeping on the couch after they had just toppled Gods. 

Though this game is 25 years old, I'm still putting up a SPOILER WARNING here and now.

Got it? 

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Okay... let's get on with the spoiling.

Neverland answers this quandary in a manner that's blunt yet appreciable. The protagonist dies. Yeah, turns out that the whole "brought back from the dead" deal was only temporary. He stopped Kardis, completed his mission, and fell over dead after a second's worth of celebrating. Now, there is a post-game, but it's one of those post-games where you're probably better off just staying dead. The Cold Cave is a nightmare. No matter where you step, dozens of rapidly spawning monsters hound you. They might start off a bit weak, but their numbers never drop below overwhelming. The nastiest fiends become increasingly frequent with every step. It's important to note that being turned to stone is the #1 cause of death in the post-game. Given enough time, you can recover from this ailment, but the chances of being tag-teamed into oblivion by two Medusa are shockingly high. There are handful of super-bosses to pit your ungodly strength against as well. Basically, you can stick to the ending where Larz takes a well-deserved eternal rest or the extended ending where he struggles futilely through increasingly absurd situations (and dies anyway because LOL). 

Once you're eyebrows-deep in a realm of madness that only the gaming maniacs of the world can appreciate, the fact that this is a Record of Lodoss War game becomes increasingly irrelevant. Oh sure, Parm, Deedlit, and some of the other characters of the classic series, make an appearance. They'll even lend a hand for a dungeon or boss-battle. Their justifications for why they're at this otherwise abandoned island are well-reasoned. It's just... their contributions to both the story and gameplay eventually become so distant that I'd almost forgotten they were ever there to begin with. I suppose they can't get too attached to someone who is literally a dead man walking, so fair enough. 

While Neverland is perhaps best known for their Lufia games, I believe they had a clear understanding of what makes for compelling Action RPGs. Their Dreamcast effort is rough in a number of ways. The slowdown when facing a massive swath of foes is particularly outrageous. Still, there weren't any crashes in my 15+ hours of playtime. A few QOL features like equipment transformation & duplication ensure powerful gear is never lost. It's a good time and unbelievably addictive.

2025 Special - Sword of Mana

Fair warning. There will be spoilers.

Thank the goddess! Unlike the last game I reviewed, Sword of Mana doesn't go by half-a-dozen different names. Well, unless you count its original Japanese title Shin'yaku: Seiken Densetsu aka A New Testament: The Legend of the Sacred Sword. Wow. That actually sounds much cooler than what we got here in the West. Anyway, this 2003 title for the Game Boy Advance is a significant remake. The plot is roughly the same, but every other aspect has been reimagined. There are now subsystems on top of subsystems, numerous side-quests, and a handful of secrets that practically require a guide to discover. It's a layered Action RPG, and perhaps not everyone's cup of tea. 

Allow me to just come right out and say that I actually think pretty highly of this game. What stuck out to me is its approach to character development. Sure, the plot is the same, but the way characters struggle with its many setbacks and tragic events creates a melodramatic tone that I find really enjoyable. Not too long ago, I kicked around an idea for an RPG story, one where despite the protagonist's best efforts, they'd lose their friends and loved ones. Not an uncommon idea, even the greatest heroes can't save everyone. My idea was a bit different though. These relationships weren't torn apart by death, but were victim to a lack of communication, a growing disinterest in each other, words or actions that at the time didn't seem like much, but created a divide that not even saving the world would repair. 

While Sword of Mana doesn't have friendships crumbling like so many card-houses, there were multiple times where I felt emptiness. A noble sacrifice goes underappreciated. A protagonist's virtues are tested. It hurts the most when a supposedly just cause ends with what could be considered petty revenge. This is one of the darkest E-rated games I've played. There is no more death than in Final Fantasy Adventure, but every loss hits much harder, almost to the point where it loops around and becomes hilarious. Consider the story of Amanda. Shortly before dying, she begs the male lead to use her blood to rescue everyone who was turned into birds by Devius. The player can opt not to do this, since returning to the castle where everyone is imprisoned is entirely optional. However, if they decide to change everyone back, they'll quickly discover that at least a few people preferred the bird life. Like I said, noble sacrifice goes underappreciated. 

The funny thing is, I can't blame anyone who wishes they could remain a bird. Saving the world doesn't guarantee everyone a happy ending. This game doesn't often dwell on it, but there several NPCs that can't be helped. Sure, you can slay a thousand beasts, but you can't cure sickness or aging, let alone bring anyone back from the dead. It's a melancholy adventure, where sometimes the best you can do is to simply acknowledge and move on. Still, that doesn't mean you should ignore everyone, especially if they ask you for help. There are a lot of side-quests to complete. Bear in mind that the significance of the rewards is liable to be lost on anyone who isn't questing a lot. In other words, expect to receive a lot of dudbear coins. Their usefulness isn't made apparent until you've collected a large number of them. The benefit of this is that if you choose to ignore the plights of others, it isn't detrimental to your chances of finishing the game. 

Much like Legend of Mana, this adventure offers an extremely fluid approach to difficulty. There are a lot of features to engage with. If you choose to avoid them and just rush through the plot, then that's perfectly valid. You'll struggle a bit more with enemies & bosses, but that's the extent of the consequences of speedrunning. Players who decide to grind level-ups and skill-levels will have an exponentially easier time. The same can be said if they learn the class-system to get the best possible stat-boosts. The same can also be said if they master crafting. Those who take the time to obtain the best gear, explore the world with the finest comb, and learn all those guide-necessitating subsystems, then the difficulty becomes nonexistent. The developer expected most players to only mildly experiment with everything available to them but left the door wide-open for the maniacs to crush the game into the tiniest fragments. Speaking as someone who barely scratched the surface, I still ended up with a lance that was slaying bosses in three to five hits. 

Perhaps breaking the combat system is the fastest way to make it tolerable. I'll admit, I wasn't too fond of it. Somehow fighting is less refined than previous entries like Trials of Mana. Regular attacks can only hit one enemy at a time, which is awfully odd for a 2003 release. Many foes are strong or weak against various types of damage. This means a lot of switching between weapons. The menu isn't as efficient as I would've liked. Some sort of quick-select would have been wonderful. Alas, the GBA control pad lacks the extra button necessary for such a feature. After a long enough time, I learned to run past enemies that were immune to physical attacks. Learning to use spells outside of puzzles often isn't worth the trouble. Heals and buffs are all you really need. Surprisingly, the one title that kept coming to mind was Vagrant Story. I mean, there's undoubtedly a lot less friction to deal with, but the basic aspects are familiar enough. Switching weapons to deal with different enemies, sitting still for extended periods of time to replenish MP. Shoot, there are even some minor jumping puzzles. No crate pushing though. That's a damn shame (I'm joking! Please don't remake this game to add crates!)

Did I mention that bosses were dying in three to five hits? Yeah, so I'm afraid there's not a lot to discuss there. I guess it's cool that not every fight is just some big slug bug thingamathing that just has to be stabbed repeatedly. There are often environmental hazards like a spinning floor or health-depleting lava. Enough for me to say "oh that's something" the moment before the boss itself is obliterated. Hey! That's another Vagrant Story commonality right there! I don't think I fought a single boss that had more than 750 HP. I figure this was all designed that even players who didn't choose optimal weapons or leveling strategies didn't fall victim to HP inflation, and that's fine. though now I'm left wondering if I could've had a more fulfilling experience if my lance wasn't so gosh darn strong. Oh well.

Shame there's not much that can be done to make your allies anything but useless. I don't want to dwell on this feature for too long, because picking on something this half-baked simply isn't fair. I'll consider it a nod to the original, where the AI partner just wandered every which way and maybe chucked a fireball towards a monster. Still, it couldn't hurt to upgrade your partner's armor, because seeing their ghost follow you around for extended periods of time might wear upon your soul.

Sword of Mana's early 2000s localization is one of the highlights. Everyone is a total corndog. The male lead is always yelling "Whoooooaaaaaaaa!" and at one point drops an honest-to-goodness "Say WHAT?" The female lead can also be endearingly dorky. Everybody else they run into is probably, eventually going to say something quirky. It never gets overwhelming or cringe*, and I think that's what kept me looking forward to whatever someone has to say. However, since the plot is relatively unchanged from a 1991 Game Boy release, there will be an excess of unnecessary words.

All in all, this game tries for the same uniqueness that made Legend of Mana so appealing. It doesn't quite capture its flavor and richness, but I admire the effort. The developers put a lot of love into this adventure. They made some bold decisions that I might've slammed other games for. Did you know that there are hidden geodes that are impossible to see but are required for a side-quest? I stumbled onto one by wandering into an inconspicuous corner. Chances of acquiring any of the others without a guide are less than 1%, but whatever. When I think "artistic expression in a video game", that's exactly what comes to mind. 

*I'm guessing people don't say cringe anymore.

2025 Special - Final Fantasy Adventure

Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden is about what you'd expect given the title. It's the humble beginnings of a franchise that would develop its world and characters over several installments. What started as essentially a spin-off of Square's most popular brand would eventually become a brand all its own, the Brand... of Mana. I've been a Secret of Mana fan since forever ago, so it was a real treat seeing all of the little references that would be expanded upon in future installments. Not to mention, there are a ton of enemies & bosses in Adventures of Mana that would be revisited in glorious 256 x 224 Super Nintendo resolution. If all these names weren't confusing enough, an entry titled Sword of Mana was released on the Game Boy Advance. From the jump, it's a modernized - by 2003 standards - take on the Game Boy original. I'm sure I'll get to it someday.

Didn't I fight this guy in the beginning of Secret of Mana?

For now, let's try to get on track for what is a surprisingly solid take on the Zelda formula. The hero, who like always, goes by the name of Larx, escapes the carnage of the arena but takes a nasty tumble down a waterfall. With sword in hand and courage in heart, he must take on scores of fell beasts, explore a multitude of dungeons, while utilizing both weapons and spells to solve puzzles. It's a remarkable adventure that doesn't wear out its welcome. The pacing is smooth and efficient, with a consistent rate of new areas and monsters to overcome. In fact, I'm pretty sure there isn't any backtracking. The game has aged a fair bit though. Not excessively, but noticeably. 

Noticeably aging isn't the worst thing to happen to a video game, but it can affect the player's enjoyment. The combat is fine. Not as refined as it could be, but serviceable 98% of the time. In those rare cases where it felt like your weapon didn't connect when you felt that it should, the consequences of that are nonexistent. More to the point, unless you're trying to speedrun, you'll never once face the possibility of death. The protagonist starts off meager, but upon level up, you can decide to push the bulk of your stat-gains into stamina. Before long, your hero becomes a brick shithouse, a shitting bricks house, a brick that shits houses, whatever. Point is, unless you do something wild like get turned into a moogle or run into lava repeatedly, Larx's HP will never reach a critical point. Healing spells are cheap, you can save anywhere, there's nothing to worry about on that front.

You'll obtain weapons for breaking rocks, cutting down trees, and crossing gaps.

The dungeons are the one aspect that has aged the most. The overworld is mostly linear, so you'll rarely struggle with the point A to point B navigating. The dungeons are a bit more complicated, and not in the fun way. First off, you'll want to stock up on mattocks & keys. You don't want to end up in a situation where you run out of either. The game tries to throw you a bone by having certain monsters drop these necessary items, but you might end up having to leave to restock. The problems here are twofold. Leaving a dungeon resets the in-game map. Worse, leaving the room resets any unlocked doors or holes you've bashed in the walls. I hate to make direct comparisons, but when you unlock a door or blow up a wall in The Legend of Zelda, it stays that way forever. The same convenience couldn't be extended to Final Fantasy Adventure. A shame, but I suppose that's just the nature of game development. Again, if you've got enough stock, then it's not too big an issue. 

Knowing which walls are of the breakable kind is another story I'm afraid. To its credit, the game provides subtle hints for most of them... most of them. Checking the map can also help, though most dungeons are typically too straightforward for players to develop suspicions that something is being hidden from them. Necessary traversal weapons are acquired between dungeons, so the only real incentive to explore is for the very slight possibility of a hidden piece of equipment. I'm fairly sure that these specials occasions happen less than five times throughout an entire play-through. A few end-game enemies drop rare armor, and that's rad. Altogether though, you're probably better off keeping a guide within arm's reach just so you don't find yourself running in circles. 

Still, aside from a couple potentially annoying instances, this is exactly the sort of breezy adventure you want after a stressful workday. Dealing with adversaries is no sweat, though they can cause any number of status effects. I mentioned that there's no threat of death and that remains the case, but there's fun in trying to avoid getting poisoned, moogled, turned to stone, etc. The near-constant supply of level-ups and armament upgrades are more than enough for your daily dopamine intake. Also, I can't think of anyone who'd turn down save-anywhere functionality.

It's a fine weekend game. All I need to say, really.

Before I forget, the reason the game looks so colorful here is because this is the Final Fantasy Adventure DX romhack. There's another hack called Legend of the Mana Sword that looks really good. Maybe one day I'll give that one a try.

  

2025 Special - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of those games that is known and beloved by practically everyone. It's also significantly more difficult to write about than almost every other action-adventure I've covered in the past couple of months. Everything that can be said has already been said... or something. I forget how that cliched line is supposed to go. Point is, I've got the ugly task of coming up with a worthwhile thought for a game you already know everything about. 

Before going any further, it must be mentioned that this is the first time I've played through the game in over thirty years. I used to own the original version of Link's Awakening. The actual cartridge, if you can believe it. A lot of hours and batteries were spent on Koholint Island. 

A clearly tired Gabriel who spent all night and all morning playing Vampire Survivors has just sat in front of the keyboard.

Okay no, this isn't working.

I mean damn. What was I doing waxing nostalgia just a second ago? Gross! C'mon Mr. Jones, get it together! This isn't some untarnished symbol of hope. It's not a faint reminder of better days. It's a video game, so treat it like one. Let's get down to brass tacks, or rather... brass swords. Yeah, I haven't talked all that much about the swordplay in these Game Boy entries, and that's probably because it's perfectly functional. Perfectly functional, and maybe a little bland. What I'm saying here is that there's not enough spice in the sauce. Link's sword has this huge area of effect that instantly shreds any opposition. It's not 3D Dot Heroes' ridiculously thick sword swings, but it's still quite a lot. Like, I can't help but think about the original Legend of Zelda, back when Link's hit & run tactics were the only thing keeping him out of the grave. There were limits to his abilities, particularly his little stibbety-stab sword. A small sword trapped in a room with so many nasty monsters, that is one spicy recipe. Maybe the monsters of Koholint could've tried a little harder.

See what I mean? Everyone's a quitter.

All told, the swordplay is not a subject that I want to dwell on for too much longer. The combat is fine, serviceable, does what it needs to do. I wish it did a little bit more, but that's partly on me for revisiting the game after 30+ years and fresh memories of its successors. The Oracle duology, might I add, came out in 2001, nearly 8 years after Link's Awakening. That's a lot of time for analysis and player feedback. Still, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't mention the reverse-difficulty issue. One of the hardest bosses is the clown genie from Bottle Grotto. It was in his second phase that I noticed the fireballs he was chucking around liberally swallowed hearts like donut holes. I set myself up thinking there'd be more adversaries like him, but nope. Bottle Grotto was also a lot shorter than I remember. Over time, the dungeons become larger and more complex, but the threat of death slinks further and further into the background until it almost disappears entirely. Almost, because the last phase of the final boss hits hard. It's especially painful if Link didn't bother to grab the blue tunic from the DX-exclusive dungeon.

Much like the simplistic swordplay, I can't complain overmuch about the reverse-difficulty. This is such an intricately-crafted game that its few issues never affected my enjoyment. Koholint Island. Hot damn. This might be one of the best overworlds I've ever explored. It's not densely packed with a gazillion secrets and things to interact with. It actually feels real, well... as real as a dream world in a video game, but whatever. Just the fact that I can come back to Koholint after 30+ years and still navigate it as easily as my own living room is unreal. 

Side note: I have got to stop saying "30+ years". Every utterance is causing me to age like that one asshole from The Last Crusade who drank out of the wrong cup. I'll be dust in the corner by the time 2025 finally ends.

Seriously though, this is one top tier overworld. One of its underrated qualities is that most of it can be explored with just a couple items: the feather & the bracelet. Link can visit several points of interest after clearing a mere two dungeons. He doesn't have to constantly swap items to get around either. The amount of time spent in the inventory screen is comparable to the NES game, which all things considered is pretty amazing. The Oracle entries deserve a ton of praise, but retrofitting an N64 Zelda's worth of items onto a two-button platform got to be really burdensome. Not only are there just enough items to make the adventure fulfilling, but players aren't obligated to swap their entire loadout every other screen. I love this amount of restraint. Nintendo has always had a keen understanding of game-design, and Link's Awakening is absolutely a showcase.

The dungeons themselves are also really good. Indeed, they are shorter than I remember, but let's be real here: I've got these two elephants sitting on my shoulders and I can't keep mentioning them. Besides, what's important here is the pacing. Each labyrinth is designed to be just long enough to warrant the player's full attention. Puzzles are often easy to understand and take very little time to solve. It just makes sense for a battery-powered platform aimed predominantly at kids to feature dungeons that can be completed in a brisk 10 to 20 minutes apiece. Eagle Tower, the 7th dungeon, features probably the most complicated puzzle in the entire game, which involves carrying an iron ball through several rooms to destroy four pillars. I actually got stuck here for a hot minute, and that's probably because I was going around it the wrong way. I mean that literally; I was trying to throw the iron ball across a chasm that's much too large. The game even casually drops a "if this isn't working then try a different approach" hint. Awfully kind of them. It's like they've noticed all the brainrot I've accumulated from playing forty action-adventures in four months.

Smashing the pillars is pretty satisfying.

Time spent in-between dungeons never feels wasted either. There is usually a small task that Link has to complete before he can proceed to the next dungeon, and I'm pretty sure I enjoyed all of them. They're an excuse to see the world, return to previously visited locations, and utilize acquired tools to find new paths or hidden rewards. Again, this is smart design. The subtlety is what brings everything together. I'm not just going from point A to point B so an NPC can hand me a key-item. I'm making my way around Koholint in ways that feel natural, as if I'm just as much an inhabitant as anyone else.

I've also gained a deeper appreciation for all of this game's smaller details. Like, I just noticed that Prince Richard is actually the guy from The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls and not a random vampire with frogs in his house. The cameos by Wart and a Shyguy from Super Mario Bros. 2 are cute reminders that Koholint Island is not what it appears to be. Oh, and how could I forget Link lifting Marin over his head while the "item-get" jingle blares away. This entry had a lot of fun with the fourth wall. One other thing: the shop. If the "999" didn't give it away, I was never struggling for rupees. Despite this, I was always stealing from the shop. That probably says many things about me as a person, none of them good. Oh well.

When you're "low" on health and slashing a bush is too much trouble.

All in all, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one damn good game. More than that, it serves as a stalwart reminder of what drew me to the series in the first place. There's this great sense of discovery when walking from one screen to the next. It's hard for me to describe, but it's something that I've always missed in the 3D games. Maybe it's because oftentimes they rely on taking control away so that the camera can point at objects of interest. Then again, I could just be that type of gamer who's tired of always moving the right analog stick and locking onto anything that breathes. Whatever the case, this entry in the series has aged miraculously. Try to replay it whenever you can. You definitely don't want to catch yourself saying shit like "30+ years"... 

2025 Special - Arcus Odyssey

In ancient times, there was a Sorceress by the name of Castorina. She sought the destruction of the world. Total annihilation, remaking it in her image, all the usual stuff. Her plans were ultimately foiled by Leaty, the good witch of the north, who banished her to the realm of darkness. Finally, as insurance in case the Sorceress ever returned, a legendary sword called The Power of Leaty was forged. Huh. I get that Leaty is the sole reason why the world hadn't succumbed to an eternity of destruction, but what an awkward name for a sword. Alright, fine. I'll stop with the lame jokes. Arcus Odyssey, the 1991 action-adventure by Wolf Team, deserves a lot more respect than that. Point is, Castorina is back and none too thrilled. It's time to save the world yet again.

Right after choosing a 1 or 2 player game, you (and a friend?) are greeted with the choice of four heroes. Naturally, I've decided on Jedda Chef. He's a swordsman befitting the 2025 Special so- ehh!? You've got to be kidding me. I've seen a lot of goofy names over the past few months, but Sir Chef over here takes the cake. Each of the four characters have a ranged attack. Its power and coverage increase whenever the player picks up a red crystal (up to three times). One of the delightful aspects is that everyone can move while shooting. There aren't very many occasions where it's in your best interest not to shoot. Enemies respawn ala Ninja Gaiden, so go crazy and stay alive. Everyone also has access to five spells. The cost/effectiveness varies wildly. Oh, and holding down the fire button creates a projectile-blocking shield. Don't underestimate the usefulness of this technique. 

Let me emphasize that despite the overhead perspective and somewhat similar core mechanics, this is not a Gauntlet situation where the four heroes are mostly the same in terms of strengths and weaknesses. In fact, I've made things harder on myself by going with the choice. Mr. Chef's regular attack has meager coverage and requires some heavy button-mashing to destroy bosses. His level 2 spell is pretty strong, crushing most bosses in 1-3 hits. However, late game adversaries require the level 4, which is expensive and tricky to use. The crazy part is that even as the worst character, he still kicks ass. Everyone in this game is just that wicked-strong. Erin, the lady with the flail, can kill most bosses with one swing. Diana is an archer with a level 1 full-healing spell. Bead's regular attack ensures that most foes aren't alive long enough to appear onscreen. 

I'm going to run with an assumption here that Wolf Team intended for each character to be ultra-powerful. They wanted everyone self-sufficient, lending the player enough allowance to approach the game however they choose. Basically, if you're confident in your gamer abilities, you can rush through Arcus Odyssey without hunting down items. Newcomers or those seeking a more relaxed adventure are free to explore, gathering whatever's necessary to defeat Castorina. This setup is also a boon in two player mode. If there's a skill-deferential, then you or your partner can grab the items. Nobody is forced to steal from each other just to survive. Besides, passwords are handed out after every level. This is a game intended to reach a wide audience, while still allowing the maniacs to play their own way (no items, no continuing, etc.). 

On my first couple play-throughs, I was initially put off by the level-design. The stages are often labyrinthian in design, requiring multiple objectives or key-items to complete. Imagine feeling put off that Wolf Team wanted some adventure in their action-adventure game. Yeah, this was something that I had gotten over after a bit more playtime. Each area is usually small or focused so that players aren't wandering around for very long. The few NPCs generally say everything you'll need to know. If you have to do a lot of running around, then you're likely going to stumble upon powerful stuff like invincibility and full-heal potions. Respawning enemies can be troublesome, especially for the one or two Chef fans out there, but even the longest stages shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to complete.

Indeed, this is one of the shorter games I've reviewed this year, and that's fine. The multiple playable characters as well as support for different play styles make this an easy revisit. There's a decent breadth of variety in both locales and fiends. It's an adventure that feels sufficient, making full use of its limited runtime. Boss battles can be tough, but only if you approach them with the intention of playing fair. Personally, I reveled in the fact that so many of them can be killed outright. The developers didn't skimp on the power in their power fantasy, and I totally admire that. Perhaps, I'd have felt differently at another point in my life and demanded that every encounter be a life-or-death slugfest as finely tuned as the average Cave shmup, but... Nah! I'm going to savor this.

Arcus Odyssey is yet another Sega Genesis game that is prone to slipping through the cracks and getting ignored by even the hardcore gaming community. I mean, I'm absolutely speaking for myself here. This is the first time I ever seriously played the game. Wolf Team did some great work here. A rad intro, a sometimes-silly localization, and Motoi Sakuraba's classic Mega Drive sound round out the package nicely. 

Give it a go.