"A good game, but some flaws mar the experience."

Magic Knight Rayearth was the last game released for the Sega Saturn in the United States and was also an eagerly-awaited release from Working Designs. Despite the Japanese version of MKR being released near the beginning of the Saturn's life, it wasn't until the bitter end for American gamers to see it. Was the wait worth it? For the most part, yes. The game is solid and well-worth picking up, but some flaws can get really annoying during gameplay.

Graphics:
As a diehard 2D gamer and proud Saturn owner, these graphics bring a tear to my eye! The sprites are big and colorful, and the animation is very nice. Characters portraits are very well done, and the anime cutscenes also look great on the Saturn, although they may be a tad bit grainy. Spell animations look great, and there is a nice variety in the enemy character designs. Towns and dungeons also look wonderful. The only problem in this area is the slowdown which is present in some areas. This can really get annoying but is not a problem you will find in most areas of the game, thankfully. Overall, though, there's really not much to complain about here.

Score: 9/10

Sound:
Working Designs did not do its usual fine job dubbing this game into English. In fact, the voice acting here is pretty horrendous. The voices of the three Magic Knights aren't too bad, but some of the other voices, particularly Precia and Clef, are simply atrocious. Normally, bad voice acting in American games doesn't bother me because I expect it, but this actually made me cringe! I'm additionally disappointed because WD usually does a good job of dubbing, although nothing can ever replace the Japanese originals, of course. Otherwise, the sound is fine. The music is acceptable, and I really enjoyed listening to certain themes, including the world map music, Zagat's music, and the final boss music. Sound effects are also spot on.

Score: 6/10

Gameplay:
The gameplay is MKR is simple but, at times, extremely annoying. This is not a hard game by any means. The average gamer should have little trouble getting through it. However, I am disturbed with the developer's penchant for putting puzzles in this game. It's not that the puzzles are very hard; it's that there are so many of the darn things that it gets frustrating. There are several levels where every floor is a different puzzle or some type of platforming experience where you must make precision jumps. I don't mind puzzles or doing the platforming-type things, but when I have to do them every time I go to a new area, it gets ridiculous. It seems the developers did this to lengthen a game which is really not very long. The other flaw here is that Rayearth is just too easy. None of the normal enemies or bosses are really very difficult. You only get to carry one healing item and one magic-restoring item at a time, but I never had to use either one. Despite these flaws, this is a fun experience. Some of the puzzles are clever, despite being easy, and I really enjoyed playing the final area of the game, with the showdown with the final boss. I enjoyed playing the game and really wanted to keep playing until I was finished, which says something for it.

Score: 6/10

Storyline:
This is the strong point of Rayearth. Fans of the anime will be pleased with this one. The story is very cool and entertaining and will most likely be the driving force behind your finishing the game. For the uninitiated, Magic Knight Rayearth is the story of three fourteen-year-old Japanese schoolgirls who are on a field trip one day. Suddenly, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are summoned to the fantasy world of Cefiro and told that they have been given the mission to take up the reigns of the legendary Magic Knights, release the three Machines, rescue Princess Emerald, and save the world. Nice day for three teenagers, huh? Other interesting characters also weave themselves into the tale, creating a very nice cast of characters. A few plot twists also help move things along, and the confrontation at the end of the game produces a very surprising result! The ending movie is on the short side, but I was very satisfied with the story after finishing it, an important characteristic for an RPG.

Score: 10/10

Overall impressions:
I know I harped on several of the flaws I found with MKR, but I don't want to scare anyone away from this fine game. It's not the best game I have ever played, but I would recommend that Saturn owners pick this one up, since you can still find new copies of it at a reasonable price. It has virtually no replay value, but you may enjoy playing through the game a few times to experience the story, which is made easier by the game's short length. Working Designs may not have hit a homerun with the last American Saturn game, but it is definitely worth a look by any Saturn owner. Go out and pick up a copy of the game which sent the Saturn off with a bang in the United States!

Overall score (not an average): 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/02, Updated 12/27/02