Light Crusader

"One of Treasure's Better Efforts"

When most people think of Treasure, they tend to think of games such as Guardian Heroes or Gunstar Heroes. They generally don't tend to think of games like Light Crusader...unless it's to reminisce on Treasure's apparent failures. My opinions on Treasure's projects deviate drastically from those of the vast majority of other gamers, however, as Light Crusader ranks among some of my all-time favorite games. That isn't to say that it's perfect, but it's far from being the steaming pile of crap that a lot of people make it out to be.

In Light Crusader, you play as David Lander, a swordsman who is summoned to Green Row to recover some missing villagers. Along the way, the plot gets a bit more daunting, as David eventually finds that he'll be tasked with defeating the fearsome Ramiah, a demon whom a mage known as Bloodroke is bent on resurrecting. Along the way, you'll find plenty of weapons and items to help you along the way, and you'll encounter all sorts of interesting (and uninteresting) enemies and NPC's. No, the story isn't anything special, but it gives you a reason to do what you're doing.

Graphics (7/10)

Graphically, it's hard to fault Light Crusader. The backgrounds and enemies are, for the most part, simply incredible-looking. While they look great, they're somewhat devoid of personality or anything that would make them even the least bit engaging. There are exceptions to this, of course, as save rooms and restore rooms look absolutely breath-taking, and bosses really show off the Genesis' power. David and his enemies are well-detailed, but the animation can be a bit lacking at times, even awkward. David's idle animation makes it look as though he's breathing heavily, while jump attacks look more comical than threatening. Casting spells tends to result in what would appear to be a pelvic thrust on David's part, although the spells, themselves, look quite nice.

The action takes place from an isometric perspective. Many elements have a pre-rendered 3D appearance. As such, you'll predominantly find yourself using the diagonal directions on the d-pad. There are still plenty of wide-open areas, however, that allow you to use all eight directions effectively. What I can't understand, though, is why the scrolling is so jerky when not traveling diagonally. It's a shame, because the game runs quite well, otherwise, ultimately only slowing down if some of the more impressive special effects are taking place.

Music & Sound (6/10)

Light Crusader's audio is definitely a mixed bag. Musically, it's pretty weak. Yes, you'll find yourself humming along at times, but the music in Light Crusader generally isn't something that you'll be humming after you're done playing the game. There are some stand-out tracks, namely during boss battles, but - overall - the music is average at best.

In terms of sound effects, you'll find some pretty standard attack sounds, as well as some unoriginal enemy death screams. Oddly, among these uninspired audio elements, you'll find a few incredible ones, namely the sound of secret entrances appearing. The game even features voiceovers at times, and they're pretty well-done when you consider Genesis' usual limitations in this respect. Really, the only complaint that I have in regard to the voiceovers is the Julia Child-esque "Answer the riddle!" voiceover that I could really, really do without. The voiceovers add to the intensity of some of the enemy encounters, as well, since some enemies (and bosses) will taunt you as you fight them.

Controls & Game Play (8/10)

You'll generally find yourself either fighting enemies or solving puzzles in Light Crusader. There's a healthy dose of each, and there's actually a considerable amount of variety, even right from the start. Melee combat is nothing special. In fact, melee combat is somewhat flawed in that battles tend to revolve around trading hits with enemies until one of you dies. You'll take a lot of damage in melee combat, so much so that the developers saw fit to include an option that allows you to auto-use healing items after taking enough damage. Needless to say, melee isn't the way to go.

Another thing that keeps me away from excess melee combat is the variety (or lack thereof) in the weapons. You basically get eight different swords. Yes, some of them have elemental properties, but they're ultimately still just swords. You'll also find armor and gloves. Again, nothing terribly interesting in this respect, although there's at least one item that - to this day - has yet to be found by players.

I absolutely love the magic system in Light Crusader, although I do feel that it isn't as deep as it could've been. Basically, you have four elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. You have access to all three right from the start, as long as you keep your eyes peeled for elemental capsules that litter the various dungeon areas, usually in the form of enemy drops. You can cast spells by using individual elements or by combining them. For example, you can cast a simple Fire spell if you simply use a fire capsule, but you can cast Meteor (a far more effective spell) by combining an earth capsule and a fire capsule. You have access to fifteen different spells, as a result. The spells that you can cast are adequate for what the game entails, but it definitely would've been nice to see the developers take this even further. As is, the spells are somewhat uninspired.

The puzzles range from very, very easy to very, very frustrating. They tend to revolve around various puzzle elements (i.e. bombs, boulders, clocks, crates, ice blocks, lamps, etc.), and some of them can be quick challenging. Some puzzles even require a bit of exploration to solve. Still, I never found myself feeling lost, as the game definitely gives you all of the direction that you need. It's more a matter of finding out how each puzzle element will react to the other elements around it.

One last thing about the game play: The isometric viewpoint can sometimes make platforming difficult, as it's hard to judge the distance or elevation at which some platforms reside. Also, while not quite as problematic as the platforming snags, you'll also find that the viewpoint causes some on-screen elements to obscure others.

Replay Value (9/10)

There's plenty of replay value to be had in Light Crusader. There are plenty of original items to find and use, even hidden ones. You're constantly rewarded for the progress that you make, and you can approach various scenarios in the game in numerous (and often humorous) ways. The game really keeps you guessing in terms of who or what you'll encounter, as well.

Overall, Light Crusader is quite solid. If you haven't played the game all the way through, then don't dismiss it based on what other people tend to say about. The game is actually quite original and throws some nice twists at you from time to time. You can usually pick it up at little cost, so definitely check this out out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/03, Updated 02/27/09

Game Release: Light Crusader (US, 05/25/95)