Rating of
3.5/5
Oldschool With a New Twist
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/28/13
This pair of games were long available only at the local arcade or for the die hard fans, the SEGA Saturn. The duo are a pair of side-scrolling beat 'em up games with some RPG elements thrown in as well as a number of items, spells and enemies that will be familiar to those who have dabbled in Dungeons & Dragons. The fact these games were even released proves that sometimes you can take something old and make it new again - and this could be a viable options going forward. While it suffers from some issues, the updated features make it a more than worthy experience.
Presentation: These games were originally released in 1994 and 1996 so there is only so much you can do to update the graphics. Yet the designers did manage to do their best and, when properly configured, it actually doesn't look too bad - even on a huge screen. Both background and characters are detailed enough that it's easy to distinguish what's happening. Hit detection (as well as picking up items) can be a bit hit or miss at times, but for games that are nearing the two decade mark, it manages to look pretty impressive. But I think the most value is the nostalgia factor - an arcade favorite being played at home after being unavailable is just a lot of fun.
Story: Pretty basic - both games follow a group of heroes as they attempt to take down an evil force - the first game is a terrible Archlich while the second is a sorceress named Syn. The first game has only four characters: basic fighter, a dwarf, a cleric and an elf while the second adds a thief and mage to the mix (while also allowing two players to be the same class). Mini-bosses and optional bosses encountered include enemies like a beholder, Manticore, Troll, Black and Red Dragons while common enemies include the likes of Gnolls, Owlbears, goblins, skeletons and dark elves. There are attempts to give you different routes to take, resulting in some subtle differences in you decide to go through multiple playthroughs.
Gameplay: Unlike standard side-scrolling beat 'em-ups, the two games offer a variety of things to pick up you can actually use ranging from ranged attack weapons like knives, arrows and hammers to rings and scrolls that offer a variety of spells from healing to magic missiles, fireballs, lightning and more. Certain characters have innate spells - the cleric can turn undead (in the first game anyway - a highly useful talent). While the elf can use all magic available. The dwarf (my character) is magically inept, requiring rings to cast any spell but he's a great fighter with a lot of life.
Between levels, characters level up - with pretty much the only advantage being additional life. The way experience workds is that the more enemies you kill, and certain items you pick up, increase your experience score. If you happen to die, that score is reset to 0. Luckily, the game is very generous on offing continues, though it is annoying watching that score disappear. You can also visit shops between many of the levels, allowing you to buy ranged weapons and, if you have enough money, potions to refill your life.
This version of the game also allows you to unlock additional content. This includes things like artwork and the original advertisements for the games but the real fun lies in the house rules. Easily the most useful one is ability to regenerate health after killing an enemy - but rules are also there to provide more gold, make items indestructible and the ability to open all locked chests without a key. There are also different modes you can unlock, but we didn't explore these options. We played local multiplayer, but there is the option to play online as well.
Replayability: The game keeps tracks of all the items you pick up - but it only records those picked up by the first player. Since certain classes can only use certain items, you would have to switch between classes to unlock all items. As said, there is the ability to take "multiple paths" (including fighting the terrible Red Dragon in the first game) so to get everything, you would have to play through the first game a minimum of three times (possibly four for each character). The second game has even more character options. Throw in the new modes and quite a few unlockable items, despite the fact both games can easily be completed in a few hours, there is plenty there to make you try the games multiple times.
Overall: A great trip down memory lane and proves there is a market to update older games and not just for the nostalgic factor, but to update is for a whole new generation.
Presentation: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability:4/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5
