Sword of Vermilion

"Why do people hate on this RPG?"

It's strange but back in the day, before the internet existed, this game was thought of as being a good RPG. It wasn't until all these years later when I began scrolling around miscellaneous gaming board that I saw all these bad things about this game. I really don't get it. Most of the complaints I heard point towards people having a problem with the difficulty. They were dying against bosses then having to go all the way through lengthy mazes to get there again. I think most of the complaints are from todays young gamers going back and playing old games. They're used to having save points every 3 feet. I don't think they have the perseverance in them to endure some of these older games. It's the instant gratification generation of gaming now. If they can't shoot somebody in the head in the first 30 seconds they go all A.D.D. on the game.

This game was quite unique from other RPG's at the time in that you'd actually physically fight your enemies. You didn't just click "fight", "run", "spell", or "item" like all the others. But you did still have spells you could use by use of the "A" button. I have mixed emotions about the battle system. There are things I like and don't like about it, but it was revolutionary. I give them credit for trying to go another way with it. The old way was becoming mundane, tired and bored. The graphics were great. About as good as the Genesis can get. The towns and castles look very nice, as do the bosses. The music is nice too, minus the repetitive battle music (but this can be said of almost EVERY RPG). And most importantly I had fun playing through this game. So now without further ado, I'll get into the fine detail:

Gameplay/Controls: 7/10

The gameplay is pretty similar to most RPG's. Go to town, get better equipment, go on mission, find new town, ect... Pretty normal stuff. Level grinding isn't too bad. I like "some" in my RPG's. The controls are hard to screw up considering only 3 buttons are needed. There is a map on the screen while in field and dungeon views to help you navigate. Your character does walk rather slow in towns, which can be irritating. People who have played Phantasy Star 3 know what I speak of.

Graphics: 9/10

The game is very visually appealing. When I judge graphics I always consider the limitations of the console. You can't expect more from the Genesis.

Music: 7/10

There is some very nice music. I think the castle music is great, as is the music in some of the towns. The dungeon and boss music's are decent. The only drawbacks are the music in the "field" and battles are repetitive and leave much to be desired. However I don't want to penalize it too bad because, again, the same can be said for pretty much all RPG's.

Fun Factor: 7/10

I thought the game was enjoyable. I wouldn't have played it all the way through if I thought otherwise. Not one of the best RPG's I've played but certainly worth playing.

Storyline: 6/10

It's not as bad as many people say, but again pretty standard, unimaginative stuff. I don't want to give anything away because I know people read these reviews to consider playing old games. To be fair most early RPG's (and games period) didn't have great storylines. Usually it involved rescuing a princess.

Challenge: 7/10

It gives you a decent challenge, but it's not overly difficult at all. Some of the boss battles will be trial and error, and a big challenge to some (and what deters them from wanting to play the game) is going through lengthy dungeons just to get back there again. As an oldschool game you cannot save just anywhere. Scorpions can be a real pain, and some of the enemies surround you and come at you fast. But if you are at appropriate levels, have good equipment, and the "Aerios" spell readied for battle... you should be able to handle most of what the game throws at you.

Replay Value: 4/10

RPG's generally don't have good replay value, and this is no exception. I mean it's the same thing from one playthrough to the next and some of the detail (leveling up) is tedious. Once you beat a game like this you don't really have a desire to do it again for quite some time (if ever). Some RPG's at least have decent replay value due to alternate storylines and multiple endings, but this one doesn't have those elements.

Overall: 7/10

I would recommend this game to anybody that is a fan of traditional RPG's, without any hesitation. I had fun playing it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/08

Game Release: Sword of Vermilion (US, 12/15/89)