"A decent Manga/Anime-based hack 'n slash with a couple of issues."

I'm not really familiar with Go Nagai's Mazinger Z (the basis of this game), although I much adore the later project he created - Violence Jack. Since I have no knowledge of the storyline or characters - I'll just dive straight into the review.

Graphics 7/10

You'll notice that the majority of the game features rather small sprites, that while decently detailed - look rather dated. The quality of animation is above average - although the fluid movement of the blob enemy is pretty impressive. Fortunately, there are quite a few enemy designs and it is nice to be able to venture to the later levels and still come across new types of opponents. The background environments are better than the norm for that time, featuring interesting locations like ruined cities half-submerged in sand that shimmer in the intense heat. There are objects (like pillars or translucent walls) that appear in the foreground of stages as you battle - and while I appreciate the designers trying to immerse the player into the level, your view of the action can sometimes be obscured by these barriers. The visuals increase in quality as you switch from the beat 'em up game-play to the versus fighting boss battles - increasing the size of the characters and giving the involved parties more detail. Overall, I think Mazin Saga has decent graphics that would have impressed me more if the game had been created a few years earlier.

Sound 7/10

I like the soundtrack, although it - along with the enemy death cries - come off as somewhat fuzzy. The battle noise is about average or so, although I was pleased that different enemies had designated grunts and groans when they were dispatched.

Control 8/10

The beat 'em up portions of the game controlled pretty well, although a larger roster of moves and abilities would have been appreciated. The versus fighting sections weren't quite as smooth, as you often had to use cheap tactics to overcome the opponents - who became quite difficult toward the end of the game. The only major complaint lies in the execution of a couple of levels - like the auto-scrolling stage where you had to absolutely memorize the layout of the platforms and when to jump. Another annoying part was the swamp level where a single attack from an enemy could send you skidding off the edge of a giant Lilly-pad to your death.

Game-play 7/10

The game-play is divided into three sections: the hack 'n slash portions that make up the majority of the action, boss battle that pit your character's robotic suit against a giant monster, and a couple of automatically scrolling levels where you have to outrun something or rapidly run and jump across platforms. The brawling was my favorite part (obviously), with Mazinger Z fighting against everything from armored soldiers with flamethrowers to giant insects and even the colossal foot of the stage's boss. The versus fighting, as I mentioned before, wasn't as good that mostly consisted of jumping around and trying to edge in enough damage to compensate for whatever super-moves the opponent constantly dishes. I didn't like the auto-scrolling stages very much, but they weren't bad enough to break the game and the designers were kind enough to place 1-ups at the start of these stages to counteract all the lives you're likely going to lose. Unlike a growing number of console beat 'em ups by the year 1993 - there wasn't any 2-play co-op included. Overall, Mazin Saga is an above average game that could have used further polish and perhaps less styles of game-play packaged together.

Replay value 3/10

Mazinger Z is limited to a single-player campaign, meaning no co-op brawling, versus mode, or anything additional of that nature. While the game is fun most of the time, it doesn't have a tremendous attraction to draw me back into it after I have beaten it. I'm sure fans of the Anime and Manga might get more mileage out of Mazin Saga - but I would need at least a month between sessions to regain any interest for this title.

Overall 7/10

Mazin Saga is a decent hack 'n slash that will interest even people not familiar with the source material. Just try to remain patient for some of the weaker portions - specifically the auto-scrolling stages. I think it is worth a purchase for fans of both the Anime/Manga and beat 'em ups in general. Spending $5 to $7 for a copy wouldn't be a waste of money in my opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/07