LandStalker

"A challenge in controls and a lot of fun"

This game, in my opinion, is the best RPG I found on the Genesis. Everything was well placed and I don’t know of anything that they could of improved on. It even offered the biggest challenge, to me, that I had in awhile. It has a wonderful look and story. But anyway, to the divisions.

Gameplay: The gameplay is sort of hard. Though using the simple things like attacking are simple button presses, moving and jumping in the environment is very difficult. Making some of the jumps around objects in the 3D environment is sometimes nearly impossible. The directional pad is very hard to use because you can only go in two directions at once such as up-down and left-right. This means you have to press the diagonal in the direction you want to change it to. Talking is done by pressing the attack button when you’re near a person. Attacking is simple. Just swing your sword at the monster when you’re close to it and you’ll hit it. You can change that though. You can get magic swords that power up and when you swing them cause a different effect to the monsters, such as causing an earthquake or an ice tornado. You change equipment and use items by going to the menu, which you get to by simply pressing Start. Most of it is simple, except the maneuverability. 7.7/10

Sound: They went to a big extent to make this sound real, which it does. The music goes with the place you are currently located, be it dungeon or village. I especially like the travel music in this one. It’s so energetic and makes you want to go on with your task. The battle sounds are great, though they could have made a little better dying sound for the monsters I think. It really sounds like a sword is being slashed when Nigel swings. Though, if they could have made the monsters roar or something, then it would have been much better. 8.5/10

Graphics: They did great here too. The monsters look terrifying enough, the allies look friendly (mostly), and the backgrounds are beautiful. The items are very illustrated and when Nigel changes his equipment in the menu, it changes his appearance in the open. The backgrounds are beautiful and full of lush color. Making it 3-D made the game even better, though sometimes you can’t see what you are aiming for, like a button or platform. All of these factors tie in to provide a very wonderful and imaginative world to explore and battle in. 10/10

Story: The story begins with Nigel, a Forest Elf, getting a treasure for some loot. But when he is giving it to the buyer of this treasure, a wood nymph flies into his backpack. She is called Friday and she claims to know where the famed treasure of King Nole is. So, thinking of the wealth he could receive, Nigel agrees to go with her to an island called Mercator. This is where all the trouble begins. On his travels, Nigel faces everything from Drakkonians to magicians. Also along his travels, Nigel makes friends with the people of villages because he helps them somehow. What I mean by helping is that he solves their problems (Which it seems every village in the land has). He must do these things to get important items or information to continue on his journey for the big treasures. Will Nigel and Friday survive the troubles ahead? 10/10

Fun Factor/Difficulty: This game is fun, unless you don’t like puzzles. Though it is an adventure game, there are some pretty hard puzzles scattered about for you to figure out. Some of the enemies are also fun to kill. The only thing to ruin the fun is the monotonous gathering of money to buy something that is very over priced. The puzzles are very difficult. Some took me a few hours to figure out. Killing the enemies while staying alive is very difficult (especially against the bosses near the end). Finding everything in the game the first time around is impossible, but that adds to the replayability. Mostly, the difficulty is what makes this game fun. 9/10

Replayability: You could replay this and it would still be exciting. Though, after a few more times, it starts to get monotonous and loses its shine. Though, for those who have to find everything in a game (Like me), it may take you a few games to get it all. There are plenty secrets to find, such as Lifestocks and secret items. I still enjoy it every time I play it, but others might not be like that. 7/10

I gave this a 10 because it was one of the greatest games I had ever played. In fact, I still do play it now. It’s so addictive. I suggest that those looking for a good challenge or love adventure games get this one. It’s worth buying, even if it is hard to find since it’s has been out for a long time now.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/00, Updated 08/07/00