Bahamut Lagoon

"One of the best Strategy-RPG you just can't miss."

Bahamut Lagoon is one of the best strategy-RPG in the SNES. It has a medium length with lots of chapters of battles and conquests. It has one of the best strategy-RPG story lines ever written. It has really great graphics and character designs. Its gameplay is quite unique. For such a good game, too bad it never came over the Pacific or else it will be a blaze.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10

The gameplay is really good for a game this old. Just like usual strategy-RPGs at that time, it is by rounds and the player will have a choice between sword battles or magic/technique attacks. However, the neat part is that you no longer fight single-handed. Instead, characters form a four men fighting squad that can be changed whatever way the player wants to. Each character has different jobs and also different contributions to the group. This is one of the best settings in the game and it gives a lot of freedom to the player. The controls are quite good. There are no so call tricky controls in this game. It is only one button and one result. The game can be really hard if the player does not know much about strategy games. However, to a RPG player this game can be mastered in a short period of time. I would say that this game has an average difficulty (except for the last boss).

Story ¡V 10/10

This game has a really deep storyline. The game starts by showing the fall of a kingdom that used dragons in battle. The princess is kidnapped by the Empire that destroyed both the kingdom and the king. Byuu, the leader of the dragon squad and the main character in the game, steps onto a quest to save the princess and prevents the world from a great destruction. The story has a twisty plot and is quite good. It is way better than Ogre Battle or Shining Force series.

Graphics and Sound ¡V 10/10

Since the game was made by Square, you should know that this game has amazing graphics. The battle scenes are very detailed and the special effects are just amazing. The characters in battle scenes looked like they¡¦re from Star Ocean (which has like the best graphic in the whole SNES). The music of this game is just great. Though I'm not a guy who loves music, I can still know that it is well done.

Replayability ¡V 10/10

Well, this game has lots and lots of hidden secrets and items. To collect them all require lots of re-playing and lots of searching too. (I would suggest for a turbo controller for this game, since you would want to use turbo buttons to find items that are hidden on the FLOORS!!!) This game even got Ex-Play installed in. This feature will allow players to start the game over with any saved files (similar to New Game + from Chrono Trigger, but better). Basically, you can start at the beginning with LV 99 characters with the strongest weapons.....etc.

I would suggest people to buy this game. It¡¦s just amazing. Too bad it is so hard to find the original cart. I would spend about $75 in order to buy the real cartridge. It should've been brought over to the American Market.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/19/01, Updated 07/19/01