"A game worth playing on your free time."

Neugier is a fun little action RPG. Unlike most other titles of the genre, it gives a lot more emphasis on the ''action'' part of the game rather than on roleplaying elements. It is originally available only to Japanese gamers, but you can now play it in english with the help of emulation and a translation patch.

The Good...
Story : 7 The game is about a young man, Duke, who was banished by his father, Count Wein of Neugier. He journeys back to his homeland after hearing news that the land is under constant attacks from pirates. Throughout the game Duke slowly discovers the man behind all of the troubles, and resolves to do everything in his power to stop him and his plans.
Gameplay : 9 The beauty of Neugier comes from its simplicity. The controls are fairly simple and easy to master. It works like your standard action game. There are basically only two types of attacks, a jumping attack and an attack while standing on the ground. The power and range of both attacks increase as you hit more and more enemies. However, they upgrade independently from one another. There are also some crates and boxes in the game that contain some items, such as hearts which increase the length of your life bar and fills it up completely, and some life replenishing items. The game is divided into six levels, with each level ending with a boss battle. When your life bar is depleted, you are sent back to the beginning of the stage, but you get to keep all the heart power-ups and attack levels you've gotten so far.
Sound : 7 The music in Neugier is fairly average. Nothing remarkable, you either like it, or you don't. You'll be too busy slashing foes to take note of the music anyway.
Graphics : 8 The graphics in this game are good. The character and monster sprites are
well drawn. The bosses especially, look very nice.
Play Time/Replayability : 7 The game is only a couple of hours long, spanning only six stages. However, once you beat the game, it rates you according to how long it took you in beating the game. The challenge of trying to get the best time possible gives the game some much needed replay value.

The Bad...
It's a bit hard to navigate around some of the multi-level maps. You'll often find yourself
going around in circles.
You only have one weapon. The sword you have in the beginning of the game will be the only weapon you'll ever get to use.
There are only a handful of items in the game - A couple of healing items, some heart power-ups, 2 status items, and 3 pieces of armor.
With its emphasis on the ''action'' part of ''action-RPG'', most battles sometimes turn into an all out mash-fest on the controller.
There are separate levels for jump attacks and standing attacks. It would have been a lot better if they were together. On the other hand, it really doesn't help that much to level up those attacks.

The Ugly...
There might be some bugs in the game. Some enemies get stuck on walls, some enemies you can't ever seem to hit.
The game is way too short, and way too easy. With a little practice, you can finish it in an hour or so, maybe even less. Even the boss fights are disappointing. For a game this short, they should have increased the difficulty a lot more.

The Final Verdict...
Story : 7
Gameplay : 9
Sound : 7
Graphics : 8
Play Time/Replayability : 7
Overall Rating : 7.6

It might be lacking in difficulty and length, but Neugier still provides great fun. If you've got a couple of hours to spare with nothing to do, why not try it? Who knows, you just might like it...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/03, Updated 06/06/03