Lagoon

"A great game for its time"

Though Lagoon might lack the 3D graphics and quality sound that more modern platforms have, I think it is definitely worth playing once you get over how difficult it can be to hit things. You get used to it, really...

Graphics (8)- Like I said, the graphics are okay considering when the game was made. The bosses were very well done, and the sprites didn't look too cartoon-ish. From what I remember, the game used different formats for the houses in every town, as well as for dungeons and for scenery. The only thing I didn't like was the repetition of the dungeons, as the walls all look the same and you just have to navigate using your sense of direction (I had a strategy guide). Also, it doesn't use the traditional ''two-frames-while-walking-with-one-frame-for-standing-and-one-for-taking-a-step''. And even FF3 did that. Another think I thought was really interesting was whenever you get new equipment, the appearance of your character changes accordingly. I have seen no other RPG which does that.

Gameplay (7)- Lagoon, being an adventure RPG, uses a combat system where you can actually control the character and his attacks. It was nice to stray from the overly-used concept of ''fight'', ''magic'', ''item'', and ''run away''.
I thought Lagoon's magic system was a good idea. There were four staffs and four crystals and you could match up any staff and any crystal to create a unique spell. With the main character's sword (aka toothpick), however, I found that it was difficult to use at first. It seems to only hit for a fraction of a second and doesn't extend very far. Also, the jump feature was an interesting addition which most adventure RPGs don't include, although it didn't help very much with avoiding enemy attacks. Overall, the gameplay was not much above average.

Plot (6)- This is where it was a bit disappointing. The character that the player controls is Nasir, the child of light. Lakeland, Nasir's home country, is having its water polluted/poisoned by some unknown person. Nasir embarks on a quest to make Lakeland's water clean again. On the way, he learns of how he is actually a child of the gods, the child of light, and that there is also a child of darkness. Unfortunately, the way this idea is presented is very unoriginal. We have our hero, and he has to save the Princess. Whee. Only through saving her does he realize his destiny and whatnot, and the ultimate goal of the game is to continually rescue her from being kidnapped.

Sound (7)- There was nothing bad about the sound effects, but then again, not very many sound effects were used in the game. The sword made a clinking noise, which I did not have a problem with. The fireballs in the Dwarf Cave appropriately made burning noises. Etc, etc. All the sound effects that were used did serve their purpose.

Music (10)- There is no way I could give Lagoon's music any less than a 10. Every composition was perfectly suited to when it was used. The ones I thought were the best were at the opening scene and at Voloh. The game never recycled music from other dungeons and used them over again; each dungeon had its own specific style (not many RPGs do that). Even areas that you would visit only for 15 seconds had their own music.

Overall score - 9
Okay, I know that's not an average. But I think that the games music and unique gameplay make up for its flaws. I know most people right now would rather play an RPG with better graphics (like Ogre Battle 64), but I don't think Lagoon should be overlooked.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/08/01, Updated 07/08/01