Moon Crystal is one of those games that just comes out of
nowhere and blows away most of the other titles in its class. Coming from
relatively unknown software house, Hect, it's a platform game with a
difference. You'll immediately notice that a lot of attention has gone into
giving Moon Crystal a good storyline. Obviously tired of the myriad of save the
princess kill the dragon clones floating about Hect has gone for a different
approach.
In a land where
monsters and the undead walk the Earth during full moon a you boy named Rick
sees his family kidnapped by an evil professor named Count Crimson. The reason
is that Rick's father has in his possession a Moon Crystal that has even more
of the power that the full moon emits. With it the Count plans to raise an
undead army of monsters to serve him. For this purpose he has built a large
machine, but need Rick's father, who is a scientist to complete it. With his
mother working as a slave in the crystal mines and his father in the clutches
of the evil Count, there is only one glimmer of hope for Rick. A strange girl
helps him out with information about what to do next. Only near the end of the
game do you realize the Counts real motives and who the strange girl really is.
The graphics in Moon Crystal isn't the most impressive I've
seen on the NES, but they are pretty detailed, varied and feature some great
cut-scenes. These are shown after each boss you beat and further the story. The
levels themselves are the usual forests and caves, but also feature some
inventive ones like a pirate ship and a castle that could have come straight
out of Castlevania. Your character only has a knife to defend himself with, but
with the power-ups scattered about the levels you can improve its power as well
as learn a nifty double jump that gives you more jumping power. You also need
to search the levels for health harts to give you more of a chance against the
bosses.
The sound in the game is surprisingly good doesn't grate on your
nerves like many other titles. There's even a few sound effects, but as usual
these are often no better than white noise. It's the storyline and the urge to
see what direction the plot is going to turn next that gives the game the much
needed gameplay boost. With frequent cut-scenes and plot revelations this is
one game that you'll want to finish. The levels aren't especially large, but
the game is by no means easy. Another interesting twist is that you're
character has momentum and thus isn't as maneuverable as other platform stars.
While this is more realistic, it does cause some frustrating moments when you
plummet down holes or miss jumps because you're character didn't respond to your
input. Those who have played Prince of Persia will know what to expect and
everyone else will learn to live with it. Another sour point is the fact that
when you die you're set back quite a bit in the level and although as I've said
levels aren't that big it still sucks to die when battling a boss and then having
to redo almost the entire level. Still after some practice most average gamers
should be able to complete this one.
So there you have it. Out of nowhere you have a classic
title and for once it's not from the usual companies like Konami, Capcom or
Square. Not the most original of games, but it goes to show how much a good
story can help a game. Other companies should take note.
[8]
