Radia Senki: Reimeihen

"An RPG years ahead of its time. Yet, no one knows about it."

Radia Senki, or the Chronicles of Radia in English, was one of the last RPGs for the NES. Developed in 1991, Radia Senki was very innovative for its time. It carried innovations in gameplay which no RPGs were able to do until later in the SNES days. It is unfortunate that Tecmo, in their rush to flock to the SNES, did not bother to translate the game. US gamers missed out on this title, but through the magic of emulation, some can play it for the first time in years.

The graphics are really amazing for an NES game. Especially an RPG, at that. The backgrounds are very colorful and beautifully done. While quite large, they make sure to still keep them proportional so it doesn't seem like the sprites are simply dots wandering on the screen.

Another interesting aspect is the style itself. Each town you visit seems to have its own unique little theme. So while some towns look normal, others may seem to have more of a medevil feel, or other things like that. An obvious take from Tecmo's most popular series, Ninja Gaiden, Radia Senki also has some anime type cutscenes. The character sprites themselves don't look too bad, but some more variety would have been nice. They suffer from a bland ''palette'', as some other reviewers put it. Some characters are simply the same sprite only a different color, which is a tad annoying.

The story seems interesting enough. The main character wakes up in a forest, not knowing who he is. He is encountered by a traveler who calls him a bandit, but calls a temporary truce when a group of monsters attack. As the game progresses the main character finds his purpose. It's your basic struggle between good and evil, and prevent ultimate destruction, etc. Unfortunately, my game had the problem of erasing its saves once I left it alone for a while (how does the lithium battery run out on a ROM, anyway!?!). So, I was never quite able to get all the way through it.

The gameplay is the truly innovative part of the game. It combines rpg with a more free-roaming active time battle system, with a bit of strategy involved. Hearing this sounds totally weird, but the system works very well. Basically, you will see a monster and then wander into a battle zone. There are usually several monsters in the zone. You can approach whichever ones you like, and then you may press one button to attack. In that sense it works like an action RPG.

However, during the battle you can also perform magic spells, as well as the other basic RPG commands. You get new spells by finding ''scrolls'', which let you learn them. Aside from that, you can use items during battle, and you may also ''play dead''. Playing dead is pretty much Radia's counterpart to running away. The monsters can choose to believe you are dead and leave, or continue attacking, so you'll have to keep defending. The battle system is interactive enough to be interesting, but strategic enough to still require some skill.

One of the biggest innovations is the party system. Since this is an action rpg, you would think that you wouldn't be able to have party members. But, like Secret of Mana, your characters have AI. You can even give them special commands! You can issue them to stick together and take on enemies as a group, all go for one certain enemy, or just attack freely. You can also ask them to cast spells or use items. It is a very interesting system and still is one of the most unique and innovative around. Unfortunately, it could use some improvements. The AI, while good for the time, is often annoying since they will sometimes stop in front of the enemy for many seconds before attacking. So, you sometimes have to save your friend's ass to keep him alive. Nonetheless, they are still very helpful.

The sound is good for the game. I mean, sometimes all you have to rely on is the sound. When you cast a spell you don't see the spell, only the sound and then the damage done to the enemy. The sounds are not bad, and quite fitting. The music is good. The main overworld theme is catchy without being frustrating. And, the other themes are well done. While nothing is too memorable, it is fitting.

Overall, this is a forgotten RPG. Many RPGs however, owe some great developments to it. Even today it still holds its own as a great game. When it was released, it must've been even better. While it is unlikely you can find this game, if you can it is a must-have. Any RPG fan will love to have it. After playing it, games like Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana seem less innovative.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/03, Updated 02/10/03