Dragon Warrior 2 (Chunsoft 1990)

After saving the world at the end of Dragon Warrior the hero and the princess left and started their own kingdom. Peace reigned and everyone was happy. The happy couple had three children who each got their own lands to rule. Under their fair and just rulership the land enjoyed peace for 100 years before trouble started again. This time an evil sorcerer called Hargon attacked Moonbrooke Castle in his plans to use the dark gods for world domination. Fortunately a lone solder escaped the carnage to warn the king of Midenhall. Unfortunately the king is far too old for questing but luckily his heir is on hand to save the world.

 

What this all boils down to is pretty much saving the world by finding five artefacts and killing the bad guy. Fortunately Dragon Warrior 2 has some minor improvements that will make the game more fun to play for fans of the first part as well as please newcomers. It's still not up to Final Fantasy standards but at least Enix bothers to translate their games, something Square wasn't very interested in during their early days. The bad news is that the graphics remain pretty much the same as the original with only a few improvements here and there. Seeing as the first game already had dated graphics this does not make for a very visually impressive game. The gameworld is many times larger than the original though so the game packs a far greater challenge.

The biggest change from the first game is the addition of party members. You can now have two other members in your party to help you in your quest. Of course, this means that you'll no longer fight single enemies but can be attacked by large groups of monsters. Although your main character is a warrior and cannot use any magic, his companions can and the game packs a few new spells to make life easier for you. The interface has also been cleaned up a bit and while remaining pretty much the same as in part one most of the more tedious aspects has been improved. You no longer have to use a command to use stairs for example. You also no longer have to worry about torches as all the caves and dungeons are well lit. You can still only save at certain spots but now almost every town and castle has a save spot so you don't have to backtrack vast distances to save your game. If you're really lucky you can also lay your hand on a potion that enables you to save anywhere. This can only be used once and the potions are very hard to come by so don't rely on them.

Buying and selling is still a bit annoying as you have to buy or sell items one by one but at least the shopkeeper will tell you if an item you want to buy can be used by a character. This saves a lot of buying useless equipment hassles. Just to add a little bit of spice to the game you can now also play some lottery mini-game if you find the tickets. Winning can reward you with some very neat prizes although it's not very easy. There are also lots more puzzles and quest than there was in part one although things can still get pretty tedious at times.

The sounds in the game are still very annoying and after a few hours of play can seriously get on your nerves. A bit more variety would have helped a lot. Not all the tunes are bad but you hear them so much that they really start to grate. Sound effects are still pretty much non-existent  Controls are the same as the previous game and it still felt very stiff to me. The cleaner interface made for less cumbersome actions but it's still not perfect. You do get to travel around in a boat due to the larger gameworld but the hordes of random encounters can sap your fun very rapidly.

The game has a decent enough storyline but the formulaic gameplay doesn't make for a very compelling experience. Most of the time finding the items is a bit tedious due to the amount of random encounters and some of the clues can also be very obscure. I played the game for more than twenty hours to acquire all the crests and items, but then couldn't find the final bosses hidden castle. My only clue was that it's hidden somewhere peaceful. Having to fight every second step also sucks the fun right out of the game.

If you enjoyed the first game and can put up the dated look then Dragon Warrior still has a lot to offer. The gameplay is much better than the first part and there are quite a few parts in the game where you have to puzzle things out. You also get to visit some familiar locations and the dialogue is still sometimes entertaining. Having allies also makes for tougher battles and there are now loads more creature types to battle. Overall, the game packs enough improvements to make it worthwhile for fans of the genre. 

[8]

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987)

After beating the evil Count Dracula back in Catlevania, the last thing Simon Belmond wanted to do is yet another quest. Unfortunately for him he finds that he has been cursed by Dracula and has to destroy the Counts five remaining body parts if he wants to be free. With only the words of a friendly spirit, Simon must now travel across the vast Transylvanian countryside, visiting towns and gathering items for his quest. Along the way you'll chat to locals, stock up on vampire slaying goodies and raise your levels. Each part of the Count you recover also gives you some new powers and if you're lucky you might just survive long enough for the final showdown.

Castlevania was an excellent game and it's no surprise that Konami decided to do a sequel. What is surprising is that they chose to make quite a few changes to the format and Castlevania II now plays much more like a role playing game than a platform title. The majority of the game is still that platform jumping ghoul slaying action that made the original such a hit but this time around instead of stages you have one big area to travel around and play through. This can be quite daunting and some areas also cannot be accesses without first solving some puzzles and getting the correct items. Towns are dotted along the way with churches to heal you and shops to stock up on garlic and holy water. You can also chat to the villagers for some handy clues, although some of them seem to like leading you down false paths. The English translation also appears to be quite dodgy which can make puzzle solving almost impossible at times.

The graphics hasn't improved that much over the original but some interesting new ideas has been incorporated. The most noticeable is that since large parts of the game takes place in the countryside and swamps you now have a day/night cycle to contend with. During daylight you can visit the towns and talk to villagers but during the night the monsters are out in full force and are even more powerful. The cycles are quite fast and it's sometimes annoying to wait around towns for morning before you can be healed or buy items. It also means that Simon never sleeps during his epic quest, a part of his cures perhaps? There are loads of locations but the main areas to look out for are the mansions where the body parts are stored. I found myself stuck way too often for my liking just because I couldn't find a location or couldn't unravel a cryptic clue.

 

The game is much easier than the original and even new players should have no problem getting into it. You can continue as much as you like and you even restart from the same spot that you died. The only penalty is that you lose all the hearts and experience you've collected but this is hardly a problem. The game also has passwords if you choose not to continue so the emphasis has switched from challenging arcade reflexes to more cerebral challenges. If you like the original though you'll still have fun with this one but if you like your platform games as a straightforward test of your reflexes you might want to reconsider.

The music is the usual excellent stuff from Konami and lives up to the great legacy of the original. The same spooky tunes and haunting melodies are present and there are quite a few memorable tracks. Sound effects are nothing special but in light of the excellent music this can be overlooked. The controls are exactly the same as the original with the same problems that the original had. You still get knocked backwards when touched by enemies so plummeting down bottomless pits is still a regular occurrence. The fact that you can continue eases the burden considerable though. Controls can occasionally still feel a bit stiff especially while jumping but if you are a fan of Castlevania you should be used to it by now.

With the new gameplay elements Castlevania can at times get a bit boring most noticeable when you stroll around not able to find the next path. The basic gameplay isn't that difficult but some of the more obscure puzzles will have you stumped. The gameplay at times feels a lot like Metroid and thus suffers from the same problems that such nonlinear gameplay emphasizes. If you're up to a huge quest though then give Castlevania II a try by all means just don't expect to breeze through it on your reflexes alone. Gripping gameplay and cool elements makes it a classic despite some of its more annoying features.

[8]

Final Fantasy (Square 1990)

Chances are you've heard about a little company called Square. While Final Fantasy is not their only franchise, it is one of their best and with good reason. Not bad considering the creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi thought this was to be the last game he would make.

The world of Final Fantasy is in trouble. The elements are out of control and this causes all kinds of unpleasant things like the earth starting to rot and stormy weather. The legends tell of four light warriors that will come to save the day by defeating each of the four fiends and finding the four orbs. Now it's up to you and your party of light warriors to stop the chaos and save your world from evil.

Final Fantasy packs quite a few nice options like the ability to pick your party from a group of character classes like Fighters, Thief's, Mages and Black Belts. Each has their own weapon and armor capabilities not to mention spells. After proving your worth, your characters can also be promoted to Ninjas, Knights and Wizards. These features are very nice and were almost unheard of back then in console titles. The world of Final Fantasy is also quite large with a variety of towns and dungeons and you even get different modes of transport like Boats, Canoes and Airships.

Mostly, you'll be fighting creatures for money and experience. Fear not as there are also some puzzles to solve. Taking on the four fiends is no easy task as they reside deep in their dungeons and you can only save in a town or world map. This means you're on your own inside the dungeons so one false move can cost you your life. This means Final Fantasy is one of the most challenging RPGs out there and will really tax your skills. It sucks that you only have one save game slot though.

Combat takes place in turn based format giving you lots of time to plan your next move. All enemies have their own strengths and weaknesses and learning what weapon or spell works best on what monster will help you a lot. There are also lots of magical items and weapons that will make your quest a bit easier. The combat is cool and the only criticism I have is that if the creature you wanted to attack is already dead or has fled your character does not automatically move on to the next one but instead still tries to attack the absent creature.

You can buy a variety of items like tents, cabins and houses that will allow you to save and rest on the world map but once in the dungeons you are on your own. There are also items like healing potions and antidotes as well as potions to cure being turned into stone. For combat ailments like being blinded or paralyzed you'll have to rely on your white mages defensive spells. Seeing as you use so many potions and stuff it's a pity that you can only buy one item at a time. A simple slider or number input could have sped up the process considerable. The music by Nobuo Uematsu is a highlight and you definitely won't be reaching for the mute button. Control is easy and every button has a use.

I have been looking forward to playing this game for some time now and I must say I wasn't disappointed. What it might lack in graphics it more than makes up with in gameplay and this is one game that will take some time to complete. It's tough and challenging but still has that addictive quality that has you exploring every dungeon and town in sight. A very worthwhile addition to your collection and a game that comes highly recommended.

[9]

Dragon Warrior (Chunsoft 1989)

The world of Alefgard was cloaked in darkness until a brave warrior used an item called the Ball of Light to drive off the forces of darkness. After this, a period of peace lasted for many generations until one day the Ball of Light was stolen by an evil wizard calling himself the Dragonlord. This resulted in evil flooding back into the world and monsters roaming everywhere. The people start looking for a hero to bring back peace again and it just so happens that you are a descendant of the original hero. Looks like it's time to go on a quest again.

It's about time that Dragon Warrior got an English conversion. This game came out way back in 1986 in Japan under the title Dragon Quest and it's only now three years later that the game reached western shores. Thankfully the game was given some minor graphical improvements but overall it still looks pretty dated. Unlike other Role Playing Games you play through the entire game by yourself and have no help from party members. You still have some weapons and items to use as well as magic spells to cast. The game reminded me a lot of some of the earlier Ultima titles with a similar world map and town layout. Your quest to retrieve the Ball of Light and defeat the Dragonlord ultimately boils down to finding items to allow access to his castle and gaining enough experience to survive the final showdown. There are very little puzzles in the game and most of the time you're just fighting random creatures or looking for a certain item.

The game has only a few towns and even less dungeons so it's pretty hard to get stuck or lost. There are a few obscure parts where you have to find an item that's quite well hidden but overall there's nothing here to really tax the brain cells. The gameplay is quite simplistic but that's hardly surprising for such an old game. The game has a bit more animations than the original and maybe a bit more color here and there but overall the game looks pretty much the same as the three year old Japanese version. Only a few sprites seem to have been changed here and there and as far as I can tell the game plays exactly the same.

The music in the game is quite good although a bit more variations in the tunes would have been nice. Don't even expect to hear sound effects though. Controls are the usual RPG fare although Dragon Warrior seems to like its menu system a bit more than other similar games. Where you usually just have to walk over stairs to go up and down in this game you have to stand on the stairs and then go into the menu to choose the "stairs" option. Likewise with doors that are locked. This can be pretty annoying at first but you'll soon grow used to it.

Playing as a single character instead of a group means you have fewer people to worry about but combat can also be a lot tougher. There is only one place in the entire game where you can save and this is at the castle. This means you have to trek all the way back there each time you want to switch off. Fortunately the gameworld isn't that big and you have a few items and spells to get you there faster. Dying also dumps you back here although you do lose some money as a penalty.

While Dragon Warrior doesn't come close to the Final Fantasy series it's still challenging and interesting enough to warrant a play. Hard-core role playing fans will enjoy the challenge although it has to be said that gaining levels takes quite a long time. The game is also quite slow paced and there is virtually no plot revelations or twists while you play. The game can also become quite tedious at times as you slog your way through armies of monsters to reach a location. A few more boss monsters, some new story elements and a few other minor improvements and Dragon Warrior could have been a classic. As it is, it is still a solid and entertaining title. 

[8]

Conquest Of The Crystal Palace (Asmik 1990)

The citizens of the Crystal Palace were happy until their once peaceful homeland was conquered by an evil spirit and his undead minions. With their King  and Queen killed, their only hope was the young prince. Unfortunately he was only six months old at the time. Fortunately the palace guardian and keeper, Zapolis survived despite being turned into a dog. Now fifteen years later prince Farron and his trusty dog Zap must venture back to their home and defeat the warspirit once and for all.

I have to say I'm impressed with this effort from Asmik. They have taken a sound platform game and added a bit of role playing elements to shake things up. The graphics are quite good and features some nice details. Some levels such as the Gateway of Flame have nice effects like the lava. The main character has some nice animations and is also quite responsive to control. Levels also shy away from the run of the mill formulas and feature some originality for once. Besides walking about, slaying your foes and collecting the coins they leave behind, you will also come across a shop from time to time. Here you can replenish your health, buy some new weapons or even catch the wacky news. While fighting you can also call upon Zap to attack your enemies and he has his own life bar that can also be filled up again by buying some food at the shop.

The game only has five levels but they are moderately long and feature some really hectic boss battles. Some of these guys are really tough and having the right weapon for the job helps immensely. You start out with only a sword but can buy some projectile weapons along the way. These don't last long so must be used sparingly and preferably kept for the bosses.

Another highlight is the music which is surprisingly good for a NES game, especially one of this era. There are also some downsides, but luckily not much. Gameplay can be a bit frustrating at times with things hitting you all over the place, but with patience and timing you can easily complete the game. Dying is also a frustrating experience while fighting a boss as you have to travel all the way back to him to restart the fight, instead of simply starting the battle from scratch. The last level also features some particularly nasty maze like layouts that can cause much frustration. Don't let these criticisms put you off though. Conquest of the Crystal Palace is still an enjoyable game and one that stands out in the platform market due to the extra features.

[8]

Secret of Mana (Square 1993)

What does an exiled young boy, a girl looking for her lost love and a sprite with an attitude problem have in common? Besides being the last hope for a world losing all its mana, they are also the stars of one of the greatest SNES Role Playing Games ever, Secret of Mana. Coming from the masters at Square it should come as no surprise that this is an excellent game, yet nothing can prepare you for how good it is until you've actually played it.

Few games can grab your attention right from the start and hold it until the ending credits scroll by. Secret of Mana does this effortlessly and the ending isn't even over yet before you start thinking about how badly you want a sequel. Not that the game is short by any means it took me four days of solid playing to crack this one. It's been a while since I played a game until four in the morning and had to tear myself away before sleep deprivation did me in.

The graphics in the game are what you expect from Square and everything's of extremely high quality. Every screen is packed with the maximum amount of color and the animations are a joy to behold. There are a multitude of towns, villages, castles, dungeons and other strange locations to visit and each one has been expertly designed. Your three characters are interesting and each has a full range of animations. Likewise, enemy designs are brilliant and there are some truly excellent foes you fight. I'm not even talking about the beyond cool boss characters. Square has also jammed in some impressive Mode 7 sequences and you even get to fly around on the back of a dragon on a huge Mode 7 map view of the entire world. The last boss also makes use of this special effect for a truly memorable battle.

The music in the game is just plain awesome and there are so many cool tunes playing it's not even funny. Most of the tunes are cheerful and funny but there are also some atmospheric and moody tunes for when the serious plot changes take place. Sadly the sound effects aren't all that great and sound pretty generic with no real "bang". Still there is the occasional cool effect and overall the audio of the game is way above average.

During your huge quest you find quite a few weapons and unlike other Role Playing Games you stick with the weapons you find and upgrade them instead of buying new ones. For this though you need weapon orbs and these can only be found by beating the various bosses. This means while you might start with a standard whip it will soon be upgraded to a Chain Whip and end up as a Giglas Flail. You also have weapons like swords, axes, pole arms, bows, boomerangs and gloves. All your characters can use any of the weapons although some are more proficient with a certain weapon than others. The only armor you have to worry about is Helmets, Armor and Gauntlets.

Although your main character cannot perform magic, your other two characters can cast effect and attack spells. Along the way you'll find and receive help from elementals like Gnome, Lumina, Dryad, Shade, Salamando, Luna and Undine. Each of your magic users gets three spells from each Elemental although finding and freeing them usually involves some puzzles and bosses. Since combat is real time, two of your characters are under CPU control while you control the main character. At any time though you can switch to any of the other characters to cast a spell or use an item. This makes combat very frantic and your constantly switching between characters castling spells and healing. The really cool thing is that a second player can jump in during combat and help you out. This can help quite a lot and makes for even more entertaining gameplay provided your friend knows what they are doing.

Your characters level up in the usual RPG style by defeating enemies but your weapons also level up while fighting. While at the start you might just perform a simple one hit attack by the end you can unleash some devastating combos if you power up your weapon. This means if your character has a level eight in Swords you have to hold in your attack button till it charges up all the way to level eight and then release the button to activate the attack. This is critical for boss battles and some serious cool looking combos can be performed. Of course, for the characters not under your control you can set their attack patterns (stay away, defend or move in) as well as what level they should attack at.

Although Secret of Mana is an excellent game there are sadly some niggles that detract from the overall experience. My main gripe with the game is the way that other party members tag along behind you. They have this irritating problem of getting stuck behind scenery and seeing as lots off the games dungeons feature complex mazes and loads of obstacles you can see how this might get annoying. It can also get you killed in combat if you try to run away and someone is stuck behind a pillar (again) while the enemy starts casting evil spells. Less problematic but also slightly annoying is the way you sometimes ping pong helplessly between enemies as they hack away at your health. Don't even get me started on enemies that can kill you in one hit and dungeons with no save points.

Don't let any of this put you off from playing one of the best RPGs for the system. This is the reason to own a SNES and not a Mega Drive if you are into your Role Playing Games. The plot is engrossing and there are some kick-ass puzzles and dungeons. The game is huge and there is never a lack of things to do or see while playing. Things can get a bit whimsical at times (at one point you meet Santa Claus) but overall the plot is quite serious with a nice storyline and great plot turns. The combat is cool and makes a nice break from all the turn based titles out there. 

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