ActRaiser

"An addictive game for all the right reasons."

The first time I played Actraiser, I was at a Super Nintendo centered sleep over. Something about Actraiser hooked us and hooked us deep. We spent a good part of that night engrossed in the rich graphics, the sword-slashing action, and the innovation of town building. We each liked it for a different reason, and there is a lot to like about Actraiser.

Graphics: 8

Very good graphics for the time it was released. The characters are detailed and very ''clean'', the colors are bright, and the backgrounds for some of the stages (Kasandora I and II, Fillmore I, and Bloodpool I especially) are simply amazing! But all of the action sequences’ graphics set the perfect mood for the specific location. The graphics are equally as impressive for the town building scenes with detailed landscapes and buildings and little town citizens running around chasing dogs and horses.

Play control: 7

The play control takes a while, although a very short while, to get used to. I am a HUGE believer that you should be able to change your character's direction in mid-jump, even though it goes against all laws of physics. But I didn't take physics, so the mid-air movement and enemy hits took some learning. The side-to-side movement is responsive and quick so you don't have to jam down the directional in order to feel like you're moving and sword slashes come at a good enough clip to quickly dispose of any Hell-spawned minion. Play control is fully excellent in the town-building scenes as your arrow-wielding cupid darts around slaying enemies.

Music and Sound: 10

It's too bad that 10 is the highest that I can rate the music. If you haven't heard Actraiser Symphonic Suite, you owe it to yourself to partake of such a religious experience. Each piece in the game's soundtrack establishes the perfect mood at the perfect time. In fact, you might find yourself playing the game JUST to hear the music. Especially the Gift of Music theme that you get from Kasandora. Yuzo Koshiro, you have spoken to us. The sound effects are good, with deep pounding thunder and clanging metal on metal, but none are really especially impressive. But the music.... oh, that glorious music!

Story / Idea: 9

Kudos to Enix for being one of the best at creating innovative games. Combining Sim City-like town building with side-scrolling sword-slashing was a stroke of genius in itself, but the complete RPG-like package that it comes in is even more amazing. The story is believable, even though the dialogue is a tad cheesy at some parts, and the goals and items obtained throughout the game make sense, although it would have been cool to find items in the action sequences for use in the towns and not just the other way around. But helping citizens build towns by controlling the elements and sealing monster lairs uncovers bigger enemies that you must deal with in side-scrolling action sequences... Awesome!

Replay: 6

I guarantee that you will pull this game out of the closet and play it for nostalgic purposes often, but that's about it. Once you beat the game, you've seen all there is to see. However, going through it once more to max out your towns, collect all of the items, and listen to the music is highly recommended.

Overall: 9

When I first played this game, I thought, ''Wow!'' and when I play this game now, I still think, ''Wow!''. Any game that can do that is okay in my book. I would definitely snag a copy in a heartbeat. That is, if you're lucky enough to find it. But there's something else about Actraiser. You develop a certain addiction to it so much that when the time comes to clean out your closet and sell some old games, Actraiser is one that you'll be sure to keep for yourself.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/01, Updated 01/25/01