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Post by toei on Aug 15, 2020 13:00:43 GMT -5
I like Paladin's Quest a lot. It's somewhat "controversial" among SNES RPG fans, but I don't think it should be. It's a deep sci-fi/fantasy RPG, meaning it takes place on strange, foreign planets, and most characters aren't human. The environments have bold, unusual color schemes, which seems to bother some people. It also has a mercenary system, where you have to hire most companions (you don't create them like in DQ3; they're preset characters), and it's harder than average, though as with most turn-based RPGs, you don't really have to grind too much if you play smart. Other than that, it reminds me of Breath of Fire the most. It's kind of like a weird, otherworldly Breath of Fire, really. It was a solid 8.5 to me when I played it, then I promptly went to an RPG forum to talk about it and the one guy who'd played it said "games shouldn't hurt my eyes" or some bullshit.
The sequels, Lennus 2 (Paladin's Quest is a nonsense title given for the Western market to make it seem more generic than it is), has been fan-translated. The graphics are top notch, and it's got some good points, but I didn't actually enjoy it as much as I thought I would because they made the enemies so easy. Most people rate it far above the first, but I don't.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 15, 2020 13:50:11 GMT -5
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Post by toei on Aug 15, 2020 17:11:08 GMT -5
I recognize his name from Alundra, but I didn't know he was primarily an anime composer. He's done a good amount of VG work, too. Honestly, as much as I like Alundra (and Paladin's Quest, though not to the same extent), the music doesn't stand out that much to me. Pretty much just standard RPG music.
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Post by Ex on Aug 15, 2020 22:14:08 GMT -5
toeiThanks for all the info. The unusual premise and aesthetics of Paladin's Quest sounds like a positive to me, at least it attempted to do something different. I too get irritated when people disregard a game over something trivial like the color palette. Such as people disregarding KF because the character "turns too slowly" for example.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 16, 2020 17:02:56 GMT -5
Well, here's a random one that's not thematic in any way for this month: Nosferatu for SNES. I've always wanted to finish this game for the longest time, and I've put a decent amount of time into the opening stages over the years. But today, I finally put it to rest. Sort of. I started last night and when I quit, I wanted to see if I'd missed stuff... and it turns out I had. See, most treasure boxes have multiple items in them, and I had no idea. I ended up with a much larger life meter by starting over, which is what I did today. Still got the bad ending, though, because I continued more than seven times (on top of save states).
Anyway, brief description is that it's a gothic Prince of Persia, for the most part. Combat is kind of a cinematic beat-em-up style, and I like it a lot. Forward and back steps, multiple kick/punch options, it's pretty neat... if a bit clunky, like everything in this genre. Still, a neat idea compared to the norm (swords or guns). The game is extremely punishing, though, with lots of death traps and finicky movements, as well as a timer that continually ticks down... and if you're exploring, time will often be tight. You want to find those treasure chests if at all possible, because not only can they give life extensions, they can also give red or green crystals (temp attack power/life restore) or extra time.
Overall, I like what's here. I think it's a game I'd appreciate more with further runs, and knowing the lay of the land could see me get the good ending. But not now. I'm going to give what's here a 7/10. This last jaunt saw me invest 3.5 hours over two different sessions from the start, but really, it can be finished in about an hour to an hour-and-a-half if you know what you're doing.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 16, 2020 17:15:15 GMT -5
I definitely need to check that one out. Time limits are often a non issue in most 8bit console games, in my experience. But I get the vibe the limits might be stressful in these cinematic platformers like Prince of Persia and Nosferatu? I'm guessing those don't really have traditional levels either, it's just one huge interconnected thing. I'd be annoyed if I couldn't take my time in Another World and Flashback... so I'm never sure what to think of that.
EDIT: Wow, the combat in Nosferatu does look really cool and unexpected haha.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 16, 2020 17:36:52 GMT -5
Yep, it's definitely not the norm. I kinda wish there were more of it!
EDIT: Chalk this one up under "things I didn't expect to do today". Made a fully legit run through Space Megaforce. I've always meant to get around to it ever since I found out it was a Compile game. Well, it's absolutely that, so if you like their stuff, you'll like this, and if you don't, this won't change your mind. It's a weird game, though, in that there are some really short chase-style stages, and some stages that feel like they go on forever. You also have a surprising amount of environmental maneuvering, but unlike Gradius or Life Force, you can ram against edges all you want. Thank goodness! The game also scrolls quite slow in a lot of areas, and has a sort of chill soundtrack, so even with all the crazy action, it somehow feels a bit more... well, I won't say relaxing, but less stressful, I guess.
Also, discovering the alternate fire for weapons was great. The multi-directional shot is pretty good in that you can lock your direction of fire, but I went with the old standby in most cases, the laser. Ah, good ol' number 2. It spreads out like in some of Compile's games, but the alternate fire changes to the homing version. Also, the (1) shot is pretty good, too, as you can change between a forward spread, back-firing, or all directions. Pretty sweet.
I don't quite know what to score this. Part of me wants to give it a higher score than Blazing Lazers, just because I actually finished this legit, but in my heart I think it's about that level. So a 7.5 it is. Not a bad way to spend 1h14m.
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Post by Ex on Aug 16, 2020 20:40:02 GMT -5
a timer that continually ticks down That's why I never bothered finishing Nosferatu personally. I found that timer tighter and way more annoying than PoP's. However Nosferatu does manage to capture a strong spooky atmosphere, and punching werewolves to death is cool I guess.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 16, 2020 20:44:23 GMT -5
Thankfully if you get to the next section, you get a new timer, and a new continue point (although again, gotta watch using those if you want the good ending).
It definitely could have used passwords, though. However, I did find out it has a stage select code, so that's probably good enough. I do wonder what that does for your life meter, though. Those later stages would be rough without some extra hits to take. (I think there's a life max code as well.)
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Post by Ex on Aug 16, 2020 20:46:31 GMT -5
Thankfully if you get to the next section, you get a new timer, and a new continue point (although again, gotta watch using those if you want the good ending). Have you ever played through this though?: It's one of my top 5 SNES platformers. Freaking awesome game, and unique compared to all the other ports... my favorite version of PoP1.
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