Artifact Adventure Gaiden

Played through the entire game, not a single achievement unlocked. Bugged. So upset.

I don't know how I haven't written a review of this by now, but this is an excellent game that invokes memeories of the old "tales of" RPG series back when it was in its prime. The side scrolling combat is a joy and the broken combinations of powers and weapons can give you a true feeling of accomplishment if you know how to break them. I wont delve into the graphics or anything of the sort, because that is to taste and I like the oldschool gameboy look. As for the story it is interesting enough and there is a time skip mechanic that makes the game feel like it actually has stakes as a result of your actions, for 10$ you cant go wrong.

I mean, I both do, and yet don't recommend this game. On the one hand, it is a decent RPG with an excellent DMG vibe. On the other, it feels sort of like Half Minute Hero with the combat. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but to me it is. I like Bump Combat, love Ys. I love the OG FFL games and still play through them regularly, super nice having those on my Switch. I am giving it a thumbs up, because everything is fine, I just personally do not intend to finish the game or the DX version, basically leaving this same review on both. Shame really, had I played this several years ago, I likely would have absorbed it. It's not you, it's me.

Really fun gameplay that manages to feel unique even though its mostly just a mash up of a few classic genres. Interestingly, the game begins with a forecast of doom, and asks the player to engage with this doomed world, making many consequential pseudo-ethical decisions along the way, some of which are particular to any given playthrough. This gimmick, combined with the occasional reference to some sort of universal architecture give the player the feeling of uncovering a larger ongoing mystery... But unfortunately the game's ending is its weakest point, where most of the intrigue generated throughout the game falls through. There is no satisfying final reveal, only a mess of disjointed, arbitrary outcomes that suggest nothing cohesive. The result is on one hand what feels like a complete narrative failure, while on the other an eerie mirror of our own uncertainties and fears about the future.

I was very surprised with how this little game hooked me, the choice mechanics work very well.

Don't be misled by the old school colorless graphics, it is actually a simple story but what you can do ends up pretty deep. You'll have to make many simple decisions that will actually end up changing the world and then the ending. Battle system is pretty basic and repetitive, reminding somewhat to the controversial Zelda 2 but the amount of customisation you can do before the battle make it up for it. Different weapons type, equipment, accessories, active and passive skill allow you to make the battles more involved and more to your liking. Do you want to evade enemies while casting spells? Do you want to be a tank and face rush into everything? Do you want to be agile with hit and run? There is a surprisingly high amount of equipment and abilities. It is open world and it has a new game + so don't worry about missing something, trying other battle strategies or wanting to try other choices. The first run will take a while after that you'll have a bunch of equipment and abilities to try in your next run. If the graphics and lack of color are bothering you, there is the DX version available that is pretty much the same game.

[h1] おっさんならこっち [/h1] 一応カラーや設定を少し変えれるDX版が出てるけど せっかくのゲームボーイライクなのでこちらをオススメ。 両作とも完全なGB音源ではないが全体的にこっちはキャッチー。 フィールド曲等、極メロなのでぜひ。 戦闘は初期イースやGBならSD戦国伝に近い。 今の時代には単調かもだが装備毎に付け替えスキルがあり 多段HITに属性効果を乗せたり、一撃重視とその隙を補うサブ攻撃など、 昔を意識しつつも、現代でも遊びやすい作り。エフェクトや効果音も心地よい。 選択肢も多くストーリーの３年後にどれも影響するのでリプレイ性も◎ 間違いなく今やっても面白い作品。

Much like Artifact Adventure this game is extremely fun. The gameplay is a little different from the previous but its still completely worth it.

Short review: It's good. Think Zelda II

https://youtu.be/KGK2kT84EJU Opening with a strong basic hook of preparing for an apocalyptic event the basic elements of player end up lack luster as combat and progress are exceptionally slowly paced.