I just recently found out about this little gem of a game. I can’t believe I missed this on Dreamcast! The protagonist is discovered in a ancient ruin and has been asleep for over 5000 years. He is discovered in a mobile robotic suit of armor called an Elemental Gimmick Gear.
Over the course of 100 years while the protagonist is still sleeping, the scientists that found you have been trying to replicate the armor. They eventually succeed and the prototype is mass produced. During this time another ruin is activated and sends out endless amounts of tentacles, overtaking the land. The main character is thus awakened by this event with no memory of his past; setting out on his adventure. It parallels Panzer Dragoon in many ways!
The game is a nice mix of action adventure/rpg and light puzzle solving. It has gorgeous hand painted backgrounds that come alive with subtle movement. While the environments are entirely 2d the boss battles take place in 3d! The music is pretty good as well.
Check out this video to get a better look at the game:
Skip to 2:21
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRkzW-ayoTc)
Is it that good ?
I got it very early in and just couldn’t get into it at all . May have to try it again
I’m nearing the end of the game and have found it quite enjoyable. While the story isn’t very deep (some translation issues) it gets the job done considering it’s small surroundings; which feel quite large in fact when viewing the map from various locations! There really is a strong “Panzer” vibe to this game!
The ruins seem to all interconnect opening up different locations and areas as you progress. The puzzles are simple for the most part, taking into account a couple that stumped me.
The battle system I will say is very simple and to the point. You can punch enemies, use an extended chain punch, block their attacks, roll into them and use various elemental attacks. Said attacks are found as you progress. While fun, it has its flaws.
The punch is extremely short ranged (you have to be right in front of the enemy to land a hit). The ranged punch takes a second and a half to charge. The elemental attacks take about 2 and a half sec. to charge and fire (which will leave you open to attack if you aren’t careful with your placement in relation to the enemy). Also, turning into a ball takes about 3 sec. as well, so you have to position yourself accordingly to avoid enemy interference. And lastly, you can’t run. You move in a constant jog…Aside from these minor hindrances, it’s still enjoyable for what it is. It’s especially enjoyable spinning into a ball and ramming into enemies!
The 3d boss battles are a nice change of pace and can be challenging learning the different patterns.
I really need to give props to the art design though. The hand painted backgrounds really come to life and are very vibrant. They remind me of the ones in Legend of Mana. As far as things are going, I’d probably give the game a 7.5 to a solid 8 depending on how you deal with the flaws. It’s an overlooked game I’m glad I discovered!
It’s pretty decent but if you want a really good hack n slash for DC then you can’t go wrong with Record of Lodoss War.
