"Umm, waitaminuteguys, where's the inn?"

---Overview---
Silver is an 'rpg'. You are David, a headstrong and rather pompous lad set out to rescue your wife from the clutches of an evil emperor. You (as a player) control David as he wanders around and defeats hordes of various enemies. Along the way you learn special moves, and collect better weapons, shields and magical items. You may also get other fellows to join you in your quest (up to 2 others).

---What was Good---

Graphics:
The graphics are rather simple, about at the level of final fantasy VII. However, they work very well. Everything is 'far away' and there is no slippery camera confusing you with rapidly changing viewpoints. You are a little polygon man plopped onto a nicely rendered backdrop. You view the game 'zelda' style, and it is very easy to maneuver. If you have trouble identifying structures, just press the 'R' button and highlight all the objects you can interact with.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is also simple, and works very well. As the little polygon man runs around, push a button to slash. Push another button (well, two buttons actually) to thrust, or hack, or spin, or dash backwards. You battle in 'realtime' and have to run around dodging and skewering the enemies. The enemies also meander around dodging, blocking and occasionally hitting you. The menu system is well structured, allowing you to easily optimize your equipment for any given situation. In addition, the game pauses when you access the menu, so that you can change equipment in the midst of battle.

The only downside to the gameplay is the artificial-intelligence of your uncontrolled party members (artificial-stupidity would be more accurate). They don't defend themselves well, and have a hard time attacking efficiently. Many times you must reposition them to target the more dangerous enemies. In other occasions you need to act as an 'escort', and run around distracting the enemies to buy time.

---What was Bad---

Game Design:
At its core, Silver is NOT a true rpg. It is a resource-management beat'emup, much like Dynamite Cop, or Gauntlet Legends. In most rpg's, you can wander around in a nearby dungeon, fight some random monsters, get some gold, gain a level or two, and buy better items. It isn't a problem if you just barely win, since the enemies usually give you more than enough gold to cover the cost of resting at an inn. In most rpg's, there is a potentially infinite supply of gold, experience, HP, MP, items, etc. All you need to do is spend some extra time pummeling monsters, and you can build-up/restock at your leisure.

There is none of that in Silver. Every resource is limited. There are no random monsters. Once you clear a room of enemies, they are gone forever. There is no inn. To restore HP, you must use healing items (such as potions and food). You can only obtain these items by defeating enemies. Similarly, you must kill enemies to replace your arrows and broken shields. You must also kill enemies to recover lost magic points, and recharge magical items. The only way to find enemies is to progress the plot and find a new dungeon. The dungeons you've already been to are empty. If you are in bad shape (say, low on life and out of healing potions) you have no recourse. You cannot go back to the beginning and fight imps until you get enough gold for the inn.

To make things worse, you cannot run from the enemies. You enter a room in a dungeon. All the exits seal. Enemies pour in. You cannot escape until you destroy them all. This immediately lends itself to the 'hoard everything' mentality. You clear out a room, check your hit points and think: 'rats... Now I have to use a healing potion. I could probably beat them all without taking so much damage...'. So you reset, and try again.

Oh yeah, the save points are also limited. After clearing out 2 or 3 rooms, a save point will pop up. Once you use it (to save), it will disappear. This isn't actually that much of a problem, since you only want to save after you clear out a series of rooms 'efficiently'.

Another problem is the game's enforced linearity. There is no experience. The only ways to become more powerful are to 'gain a level', or find better items. The only way to gain a level is to complete a dungeon. Naturally, all the monsters in the next dungeon are one level higher as well, so the power balance (between you and the monsters) remains pretty much constant. The only way to find better items is to explore the dungeons. All the items have fixed (relatively obvious) positions. There is no way to discover a powerful item before you are required to have it (in order to kill the next set of enemies). There is no way to invest time (ie, train) and become more powerful than the monsters you are currently pitted against. To make things worse, the dungeons can only be completed in a predetermined sequence. You go from dungeon A, to dungeon B, to dungeon C ... etc. There is a bit of sparse plot in between, but no opportunities to build up your party.

So the entire game boils down to resource-management. Can you beat the next set of monsters without taking lots of damage and/or using lots of arrows? If so, you are in good shape, and should save afterwards. If not, you should keep trying until you waste a minimum of resources. Imagine Gauntlet Legends with a save point after every batch of enemies. Or think 'survival horror' with a finite amount of enemies, and without the horror part...

---Bottom Line---
So Silver isn't an rpg. It's a hack'nslash-beat'emup. But is it a good beat'emup? Well, no. The graphics are mediocre. The combat system is too simplistic. The recurring 'clear the room of enemies' objective gets old real fast. The only real rpg element is the inclusion of a party. However, the other members of your party offer up more agravation than assistance, due to their amazing tendency to stand still and soak damage.

I strongly suggest you rent this game before buying it. Don't expect a classic rpg.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/00, Updated 07/10/00