The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang

"An action/RPG for a boring rainy day"

You know how, after eating fine dining for awhile, sometimes you just want a candy bar? Something that's good, won't take too long to eat, but you also won't be telling your friends about it later? Well, ''The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang'' is that candy bar. This action/RPG is nothing extraordinary, but it is pretty fun for the 5 or so hours that it lasts.

GRAPHICS: 8/10

This is actually one of the game's stronger suits. The game was published in 1994 and for a mid 90's SNES game it doesn't look half bad. Character animations are smooth and enemy attacks appear just as seamless. I even have to give some ''props'' to the various magic spells than can be cast throughout the game. However, the sad truth is that, although nothing looks bad, there isn't a whole lot there to look good. The game's short length and lack of real cut-scenes took away the chance for the game's developers to flex their real graphical muscles.

SOUND: 7/10

I think that there were only 5 different tracks in this entire game (there were only about 5 different areas, but that's not the point). The music wasn't bad, but it could get a little repetitive at times. Overall it was upbeat and fit the kiddy atmosphere of the rest of the game. This all goes the same for sound effects, too. Nothing exemplary but not too bad either.

CONTROL: 9/10

The controls for this game made it feel just like a platformer. Everything is basic jumping and attacking with a little magic thrown in for good measure, all of which is easily pulled off with an idle button to boot. Tricky controls were non-existent in this game.

GAMEPLAY: 7/10

Your character, Spike McFang, has a very vast repertoire of moves. Not really. All he can do is to spin around, throw his hat, and call the power of magical cards that can be bought at a few different shops. The game feels a lot like ''Secret of Mana'' in that it consists of wandering around various areas until a town appears to break up the monotony. The battles are all action/RPG style, and later in the game you get a partner to help you out. Your battles gain you experience that levels up your strength, endurance, and max hp (which is represented by a bar of tomatoes. Yes, that's right. A vampire's health is represented by tomatoes.) This, plus the few shops, are all that really make this game an RPG, but it would have been pretty bad as just a platformer.

STORY: 3/10

I am still not really sure what happened. Spike is prince of Batland and he helps out some other kingdoms from some random evil. Honestly, the story was kind of stupid and pointless. It wasn't cliched, but it was ridiculous enough to receive a low score with an original idea.

So should you buy this game? Good god no! There is zero replay value, mainly due to the fact that there are no secrets in this game. However, it also maxes out at under 7 hours of gameplay, so it seems that a purchase such as ''The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang'' would not be a wise one. Maybe if you are bored on a rainy day you could check it out. Otherwise don't bother.

Recap:

GRAPHICS: 8/10
SOUND: 7/10
CONTROL: 9/10
GAMEPLAY: 7/10
STORY: 3/10

TOTAL: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/03