Time Stalkers

"Another RPG gone bad"

Time Stalkers is one of the first RPGs for the Dreamcast. A somewhat hyped game ends up turning out bad.

Gameplay
The gameplay of this game is very unique. You chose from one of the six main characters you meet along the way, and are joined by up to two monsters that you capture and raise. The dungeons floors are all random, so each time you enter a dungeon, its different than before. Different worlds of different times make the dungeons interesting, and characters of the different worlds interact with each other. A truly unique idea is scarred from the rest of the gameplay. You can only enter a dungeon with only a small number of items, around four, and each time you exit a dungeon, you lose your exp. and are dropped down to level 1 again. Those features I belive that is to make the game harder, but fails any ways since the game is very easy in my opinion. The overworld is unique, and beautiful, but still small.

Graphics
The Graphics are of high quality. A lovely variety of color and sight pleases the senses, although the dungeons can be bland and repetitive at times.

Sound/Music
The Music in this game is average. Some of the the tracks are decent, but other are pretty bad. Same goes for the sound effects.

Story
Ok, now for one the of the biggest factor for any RPG, Story. The story is decent, but standard at first. Sword, the main character, travels to an unknown world, meeting new people, some high attributes in magic, others in strength, while yourself a mix of the two. You find yourself seemingly sucked into a book, were you end up finding yourself in a world where there is a bunch of strange lands around. The story is basically nothing, with bad development of the characters, and is just plain boring, without very many story pushes.

Replay
This game does have some replay value to it, but still doesn't make up for the rest of the game. You can play Mini-games with your captured monsters on your VMU. Also, although you only have to clear a dungeon once, if you talk to Mr. Noiman, a screwed up little rabbit, you can embark on quest for new weapons, treasures and key items. This can be fun for a while, but lacks meaning since the game is already very easy.

Buy/Rent
Unless you have played it somewhere, and enjoyed it a lot, don't buy it. If you like a new twist to an RPG, and want something different than Final Fantasy, then give it a rent. But to all thoughts who want action, and/or a good story, stay away.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/01, Updated 07/14/01