Silhouette Mirage

"This game could have been great if Working Designs hadn't screwed it up."

I so wanted to like Silhouette Mirage. The 2D graphics are incredibly good, the character designs are really creative, and the main heroine is one of hte cutest to grace a video game. There's also the innovative play mechanics, large number of moves the character can do, a cool storyline, multiple paths, and a great soundtrack.

This game had everything to achieve greatness, but it didn't, thanks to Working Designs "fixing what wasn't broke." Working Designs made the prices of weapons and healing items way too high. This wouldn't be so bad if money was easier to come by, but it isn't. The way Working Designs set up the weapon pricing in Silhouette Mirage, you have to "cash bash" (literally beat the $$ out of enemies), just about every enemy just to even afford a healing potion. This made for frustrating levels of difficulty, and boredom, as new weapons are practically unattainable. The sheer number of enemies does not make for ample cash bashing opportunities. The ridiculous difficulty will surely put off the majority of gamers- even those who enjoy a challenge (as do I). Working Designs took this simple, fun little game and took all the fun out of it.

This is a shame, though, because this game is chock full of novel ideas. Your character, Shyna, has both silhouette and mirage attributes. If she faces one way, she's a silhouette and vice versa. Silhouette shots kill mirages, and vice versa. It seems a bit complicated and overwhelming at first, but this is a novel idea and really forces you to use strategy.

The graphics are really colorful and cartoony. The bosses are simply unbelievable. Many of them are also quite innovative. The music is really good, and the voices didn't get on my nerves.

Working Designs: Why did you "fix what wasn't broken?" Why couldn't you leave well enough alone? Why did you drag the name of Treasure through the mud with this abomination?

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/00, Updated 01/23/00