Neutopia

"A very nice Zelda rip-off."

Introduction
You've got to admit, this game is nothing but Zelda with the exception that it's on the TurboGrafx-16, the character's names are different, and the names of areas are changed. Not that it's a bad thing; Considering Zelda was an excellent game, I can see why companies would want to imitate it (or in this case, duplicate it.) If you've played The Legend of Zelda on the NES, you will find nothing new here. The storyline is the same, the mechanics are the same, and frankly, I'm surprised Hudson got away with releasing this game.

Story: 9/10
Let's see, you're a hero named Jazeta who must rescue the princess named Aurora and defeat the evil demon Dirth who stole the 8 medallions of Neutopia. Sound familiar? In The Legend of Zelda you were a hero named Link who had to rescue a princess named Zelda and defeat the evil boss Gannondorf who stole the 8 pieces of the triforce of Hyrule. Similarities or downright thievery? You decide; Either way, the story is rather well-written.

Graphics: 7/10
Nothing special here, your standard NES graphics, almost identical to the graphics in The Legend of Zelda. You walk through the land one screen at a time (with a pause in between each screen,) the graphics aren't very detailed, but they'll do for such an old system. The enemies and bosses caught my eye, other than that, nothing worth mentioning. Typical plain graphics with bright colors.

Sound: 8/10
The sound effects here can get very annoying very fast. Every time you scroll down in dialogues, you'll hear a loud beeping noise. The background music is probably the only thing that wasn't ripped from Nintendo, as it's totally different, but nothing special. Not much going on here; nothing good nor bad, so I gave the sound an eight.

Gameplay: 10/10
Hudson succeeded in making this game longer than Zelda, but nevertheless, it was still forgotten about while Zelda still remains the #1 NES game. Basically, you go from sphere to sphere collecting the 8 medallions in each crypt. There are four spheres, each with 2 labyrinths within. After going through a labyrinth, you'll find the crypt with a boss and the medallion in the next room. Basically, there are four worlds and 8 dungeons to go through with boss fights and puzzles in each dungeon to complete. Very nice and addictive gameplay.

Replay Value: 7/10
Once is enough for me, but opinions vary. There are far better games out there to keep you occupied, but if you insist on beating this one time and time again, that's your choice. If you are looking for another game of this type, check out Neutopia II, the sequel or any of the 6 Zelda titles, which are basically the same. The most you'll get out of this game is 4 or 5 plays at the maximum. Once is usually enough for most gamers.

Overall: 8/10
Naturally, I don't like the fact that Hudson made this game in a cheap attempt to gross some quick profits after seeing how well Zelda did, but I'll disprove that fact for this review, because while the game may be ripped-off, it's a very good and enjoyable game. The TurboGrafx-16 isn't a very popular console, but if you happen to get hold of one, make sure you give this game a try. It's probably one of the best games ever made for the TG-16.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/09/00, Updated 06/13/01