Soul Blazer

"The start of a great trilogy"

By now, we have all heard of the three games in this trilogy (Soul Blazer, Illusion Of Gaia, Terranigma) and such a series couldn't have gotten off to a better start than it did in Soul Blazer. In many ways, I think of Soul Blazer as one of the best games that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System has to offer. You've got a large selection of weapons and armors, each with their own strengths and added abilities, and you also have a large collection of items to aid you in your quest.

You're travel to over five distant cities, and enter a group of dungeons in each, often times having to return to a previous level with a new weapon to unlock all of the citizens of each cities. How do you unlock citizens you ask? Simple. You find Monster Shrines and kill all of the monsters it produces and step on it, and thus you unlock a person or a plant or whatnot. Since you're a disciple of God, you have the ability to speak to man, plant and animal. All living creatures.

The graphics are pretty good, or were pretty good for back in the day when this game originally came out. Obviously in the two future instalments, the graphics would be ten times better, but for what it was..this game was pretty good looking.

The play control is great, it makes the game extremely fun. I could just play certain parts of this game over and over again, and still enjoy it due to the unique system the game possesses.

The music, while not being the best that I've ever heard..some of the songs will remain in your memory for a long time to come. Some of the better sounding levels would have to be the many sections of the underwater city, which name escapes me at the moment.

Overall, the game is a good try..but it's slightly rare these days, so if you can find a copy of it, I suggest giving it a try..I think if you enjoy games like Zelda and such, you'll enjoy it. While not being the ''Zelda-Killer'', it's still much worth a try..and it should easily make it's way into your favorite games list.

If you do enjoy it, be sure to pick up Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. Each game has it's own distinct plot, and play mechanics..while having little ''mentions'' of previous games, wether it be a town used in one game, or a weapon or a character.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/02, Updated 09/06/02