"Repetitive and simple, but fun."

At the beginning Lufia (Stepolis is the original Japanese name) simply rocks, the playable introduction is excellent and makes you think you are going to experience a very deep story. But sadly its gets very repetitive as you progress, oh... but well, the game is also very fun, don`t know exactly why but that is the truth.

Plot 6,5/10:
The story is about a boy (you have to give him a name, but he`s originally called Maxim) who meets the typical sweet and happy orphan girl (Lufia) and together have to beat the baddies with some friends to save the world. Sound interesting?, actually no, but the game have a few interesting moments and some nice interaction between characters that somehow save this otherwise too classical and cliched story.

Graphics (8/10):
The graphics are not going to blow you away, but they are solid and very well done, very big, very detailed, and with nice character designs. The monster are also big and detailed, the only thing that game lacks is more A LOT MORE variety, which may not be a graphical problem but that for sure is what makes this game`s graphics solid but not nearly as good as they could have been.

Music (5/10):
I didn`t liked the music. It gets very annoying sometimes, it`s repetitive, and there aren`t as many tracks as there should be. I have to say that sometimes the music is very good, but in general is kinda annoying.

Gameplay (7/10):
This game has a very classical gameplay, there is nothing new here when compared with most rpgs out there, but everything very well done when it comes to interface and combats. The battle system is simple but fast and fun and the only problem with the encounters is that they tend to happen too often (the typical Japanese rpg flaw), something that, together with the monotonous development, hurt the game A LOT.

And so this is Lufia`s big problem, the enormously monotonous development, the beginning is cool as hell, but after that everything is so average that is a total let down, after the cool first part the game basically ends, of course as I said before there are a few cool moments, but only a few here and there, and they are dull for someone who has already played absolute masterpieces like Dragon Quest V or Final Fantasy IV and V, games that were released before or more or less at the same time than this game.

Replay Value:
The difficulty is quite low, it has some hard enemies true, but in general is rather easy. The replay value is low, it only has two side-quests (the Old Cave and the Dragon Eggs) and after beating the game if you begin again you`ll earn more experience and money, but I think that`s not enough to play again.

Overall:
So, this is a good game, with nice characters and a few good moments, but these good points cover only about 30% of the game, the remaining 70% is just monotony. A nice and promising but very simplistic and straightforward rpg, that is what Lufia is.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/03, Updated 07/19/04