Silhouette Mirage

"A nice rental, if nothing else."

This is one of those games that really depend on the gamer to rate it. Here are my views…

Pros:
Controls- If you have played any sidescrollers, this will not be hard. There is also a tutorial mode that allows you to learn the commands or just smash the enemy into the ground over and over again.

Graphics- The prerendered backgrounds aren’t bad, including some interesting building scenes. The characters are nicely done; the sprites are fun to look at and I personally can’t get over some of the moves you can pull off.

Challenge- Despite its look, Silhouette Mirage can offer a good amount of fun, but for a short time only. The weapons system (see below) adds another degree of challenge which makes you think about using certain attacks. Sometimes, though, it gets frustrating to try to fulfill a certain requirement for a path.

Cons:
Design- The overall cuteness of the game, from the cheery voices to the character designs (Look at Shyna, the main character of the game on the cover booklet, for example. I would not be caught dead in that hat.) may make many veteran video gamers turn away from the game. None of the enemies are the menacing foes that you typically face, and the story will probably make some people think twice before buying this game.

Replayability- There are certain “paths” which you can follow in order to unlock all of the endings. This is a good idea, but the differences between the paths are often determined by one battle and just aren’t worth playing through over and over again once you get a hang of the story. Sure, it’s cute, but too much of anything is always painful.

Money- You need a certain amount of the currency in order to buy and utilize Shyna’s weapons, which are a nice touch to the game, BUT it’s really a pain to get rid of the same enemies over and over again in a sidescrolling game. Once you buy those weapons, you think, “Hey! This game’ll be a breeze now!” The weapons do drain your meter which determines your attack power. This gets very annoying because of how everything was designed. Yes, I know that this makes the game more challenging, but Shyna depletes very quickly, causing you to end up in a tough situation with a bunch of weapons that you can’t use. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s my opinion.

Bottom line: It’s definitely a very nice rental game in my opinion. Silhouette Mirage will be a breath of fresh air or a nice way to appreciate older games. If you really need a game to own, try Klonoa.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/07/02, Updated 02/07/02