Bio-active Solstice
A blog where the author talks about video games only
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
A look back at: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
A look back at: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
RPG Ranks: Up to 190
You know I nearly forgot that I had to do one of these considering both how long it's been since I did one and the fact that The Magic of Scheherazade, the last game I played, was so short and I almost forgot I did it as my 190th RPG. Anyways, let's go ahead and do another one of these rankings, including the rest of the ones from beforehand.
189. Golvellius: Valley of Doom (#21)
188. Hydlide: (#53)
187. Deep Dungeon (#112)
186. Startropics (#12)
185. The Guardian Legend (#15)
184. Deep Dungeon 2 (#113)
183. Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu (#118)
182. Shining Wisdom (#52)
181. Popful Mail (#103)
180. Deep Dungeon 4 (#124)
179. Ys. (#96)
178. Secret of the Stars (#107)
177. Dragon Quest (#76)
176. Dual Orb II (#86)
175. Ys. III (#123)
174. Ys II (#102)
173. Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna (#144)
172. Majin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden (#19)
171. Dragon Quest II (#79)
169. Crusader of Centy (#8)
168. Orphen: Scion of Sorcery (#131)
166. Digimon World 4 (#174)
164. The 7th Saga (#77)
163. Final Fantasy Legend II (#46)
162. Final Fantasy Legend III (#54)
161. Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger! (#17)
160. Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Red Cat Gang (#121)
159. Grandia III (#133)
158. Final Fantasy (#2)
157. Final Fantasy Legend (#43)
156. Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn (#143)
155. Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds (#142)
154. Lunar: Walking School (#44)
153. Silva Saga (#119)
152. Great Greed (#47)
151. Tenchi Muyo! Game Hen (#93)
150. Phantasy Star II (#16)
149. Silva Saga II (#122)
148. Lufia & The Fortress of Doom (#6)
147. Robotrek (#101)
146. Final Fantasy Adventure (#105)
145. Warsong (#56)
144. Final Fantasy II (#135)
143. Dragon Quest IV (#94)
142. Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (#129)
141. Shining Force (#106)
140. Shining in the Darkness (#82)
138. Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom: (#146)
137. Wild ARMs 4 (#136)
136. Phantasy Star III (#71)
135. Romancing SaGa (#61)
134. Dragon Quest III (#89)
133. Princess Crown (#126)
132. Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum (#153)
131. Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (#147)
130. Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World (#154)
129. Breath of Fire (#9)
128. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (#75)
127. Wizardry: Proving Grounds for the Mad Overlord (#141)
126. Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (#157)
125. Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (#158)
124. Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen (#159)
123. Phantasy Star (#3)
122. Dragon Quest V (#104)
121. Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (#84)
120. Earthbound ZERO (#88)
119. Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (#161)
118. Realms of Arkania: Star Trail (#164)
117. Digimon World (#171)
116. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon (#145)
115. Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (#165)
114. Jade Cocoon (#58)
113. Koudelka (#163)
112. Vandal Hearts II (#162)
111. Digimon World 3 (#173)
110. Tales of Destiny 2 (#176)
109. Digimon World 2 (#172)
108. Wild ARMs (#22)
106. Star Ocean: Blue Sphere (#109)
105. SaGa Frontier 2 (#132)
103. Sailor Moon: Another Story (#37)
102. Star Ocean (#67)
101. Final Fantasy III (#55)
100. Tales of Eternia (#136)
99. Xenogears (#30)
98. Odin Sphere (#34)
97. Spectrobes (#152)
96. Illusion of Gaia (#51)
94. Langrisser II (#73)
93. The Legend of Dragoon (#60)
92. Final Fantasy IV (#4)
91. Kartia: The Word of Fate (#63)
90. Lufia: The Ruins of Lore (#139)
89. Final Fantasy V (#65)
88. Romancing SaGa 3 (#83)
87. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (#140)
86. Mystic Ark (#137)
84. Dragon Quest VII (#127)
83. Wild ARMs 2 (#24)
82. Vandal Hearts (#160)
81. Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land (#156)
80. Dragon Quest VIII (#138)
79. Thousand Arms (#69)
78. La Pucelle: Tactics (#117)
77. Threads of Fate (#1)
76. Tales of Destiny (#39)
75. Suikoden IV (#66)
74. Wild ARMs: Alter Code F (#29)
73. Sword of Mana (#14)
72. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (#62)
71. Legend of Legaia (#80)
70. Lufia: The Legend Returns (#36)
69. Star Ocean: The Second Story (#98)
68. Secret of Evermore (#10)
67. Secret of Mana (#110)
66. Seiken Densetsu 3 (#120)
65. Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (#148)
64. Soul Blazer (#42)
62. Arc the Lad III (#179)
61. Arc the Lad (#177)
60. Arc the Lad II (#178)
59. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (#7)
58. Tales of Phantasia (#18)
57. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (#26)
56. Breath of Fire III (#13)
55. Brave Fencer Musashi (#59)
54. Breath of Fire IV (#28)
53. Paper Mario (#64)
52. Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness (#74)
51. Suikoden Tactics (#81)
50. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (#31)
49. Romancing SaGa 2 (#78)
48. Suikoden III (#38)
47. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (#128)
46. Suikoden V (#108)
45. Grandia (#32)
44. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (#175)
43. Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice (#57)
42. SaGa Frontier (#97)
41. Might and Magic IX: The Writ of Fate (#169)
39. Pokemon Yellow (#151)
38. Pokemon Red/Blue (#150)
35. Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (#168)
34. Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (#166)
33. Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (#167)
32. The Magic of Scheherazade (#190)
I've played hidden gems and I've played hidden gems and The Magic of Scheherazade is a hidden gem. It's a "little of everything" RPG, action RPG combat with Zelda-like navigation, Dragon Quest-style turn-based combat, regular HP, MP, experience, money gaining, weird party members, chapter-based plot progression, class changes at a temple, and heck, even price haggling for discounts! And all for an Arabian-themed game on the NES.
31. Crystalis (#5)
30. Final Fantasy VIII (#85)
29. Final Fantasy IX (#115)
28. Tales of Symphonia (#180)
27. Earthbound (#99)
26. Skies of Arcadia (#90)
25. Treasure of the Rudras (#87)
24. Phantasy Star IV (#92)
23. Chrono Cross (#40)
22. Final Fantasy VII (#50)
21. Terranigma (#68)
20. Grandia II (#41)
19. Makai Kingdom (#170)
18. Final Fantasy X (#155)
17. Vagrant Story (#70)
16. Final Fantasy Tactics (#95)
15. Suikoden (#27)
14. Suikoden II (#33)
13. Breath of Fire II (#11)
12. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (#130)
11. Bahamut Lagoon (#125)
10. MOTHER 3 (#111)
9. Live-A-Live (#49)
8. Wild ARMs 3 (#35)
7. Final Fantasy VI (#45)
6. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (#23)
5. Phantom Brave (#91)
4. The World Ends With You (#100)
3. Chrono Trigger (#20)
2. Valkyrie Profile (#25)
1. Soul Nomad & The World Eaters (#72)
A look back at: The Magic of Scheherazade
So it's been only three days since I last made a post and already I finished a game. Technically, two days were spent on The Magic of Scheherazade; this game is an NES game that has a password system (no saving) and Legend of Zelda-style movement. And yet aside from action RPG combat, they also went ahead and gave us Dragon Quest-style turn-based stuff too. Along with jobs that impact stats like Final Fantasy 3, time travel like Chrono Trigger and many others, a weird solar eclipse that comes by which reminded me of Castlevania 2's day/night system, different tools and magic to use like many other action RPGs. All of this, Culture Brain, somehow you managed to do all of these before the more famous ones did, and yet you get barely even a mention even among other RPG gurus!
So yeah, The Magic of Scheherazade is a game I recommend everyone to look at at least once. It's got that "little of everything" spice to it which means it doesn't actually hit a stride anywhere, but it provides consistent enjoyment. At least, when it's enjoyable. Money isn't a problem usually. Experience is usually not a problem. Filling up HP and MP with the items is unorthodox and took me a while to figure out. Some enemies just spawn in annoying places. Some spells are overpowering like the "change forms" spell, both me and some of the opposing bosses can utilize this and it reminded me of Duke Nukem 3D's shrink ray in that it renders the target helpless and easily killable. For the bosses that had this change form spell, I really just had to spam magic at them, and for the record, the Magician class is the most recommended class, but others are necessary for certain plot-related things.
The two things I personally didn't like are the lack of a save system (obviously) and the turn-based battles. While it seemed innovative at the time to incorporate random turn-based battles upon screen transitions and such, it lends itself to a number of problems. First, fighting alone is totally not recommended, you die much easier that way. Second the magic your main character has isn't enough compared to what they can use on the field, your allies can use some of this though which doesn't make sense. Oh yeah, the allies? What the heck are their stats supposed to increase, when I increase? I guess that makes some sense. Often times I had to rely on them, some interesting formation attacks, or the recruitable troopers to get by some of these surprisingly tough turn-based battles. And then I said screw it. I would escape these things. Because ultimately the biggest issue with turn-based battles is that they are a total pace-killer. You gain experience much faster and easier in the action RPG battles, and while I appreciate using strategy in turn-based battles, it's also how these battles are shown up, enemies already in a formation where they TOO can use a group attack to soften up or straight up instakill in the case of the Mondiburn spell, and the recipes for frustration are more than enough for me to just escape or use loads of troopers to get through them.
Still, the fact I beat the game in two days shows just how dedicated I am to the fabric of this kind of stuff. And this really is the last game for my summer break, the rest will be much slower to come by.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
A look back at: Brain Lord
Hey look, Google finally fixed image uploads, yeah. I still hate them for that. Anyways, this game didn't take me a week to beat. However, it's been somewhat of a while since I last made a lookback, so let's blame ALTTP Randomizer. I was having just too much fun with that game so much that I played other stuff simultaneously with it, including some Doom stuff as well as eventually this game, which I got to once I was finished documenting some more map secrets.
So yeah, this didn't last long, which I am quite thankful for as I wasn't really feeling like playing a long game at the moment, but they really didn't call it Brain Lord for nothing. You will have puzzles, the game has special rooms that require a ton of knowledge on how to push certain objects to fit for certain switches, or do other stuff outside the box. Other than that, the game's combat is super wonky, enemies are actually not too concerning considering how dumb their AI is, and how you have multiple tools at your disposal. I mean, the sword range is great, the ranged weapons have infinite ammo, the magic spells are just a charge without any MP consumption, and the morning stars were fun to use. Plus, the jades helped out in battles a lot, though ultimately I didn't rely on them, which mind you is a GREAT THING. You don't really need them, but they make things easier for combat. You can grind them to good levels so they are of more help, but again, not really necessary. I appreciate it when helpful game mechanics aren't required, after all.
Overall though, the difficulty is all about the puzzle-solving, as well as figuring out where you need to go. Five dungeons, and yet they are all memorable. The Tower of Light sets the stage, it's huge to go through but has basic puzzles. The ancient civilization and its tech spice things up a lot, as it's even bigger and has more things to it like dark rooms and floating platforms. The ice palace, well I don't need to go into detail with those ice floors, but I will say the game trolls you with poisonous springs and even poison signs. The Droog volcano is my least favorite owing entirely to those rock mazes that shift and really don't have a good pattern to how they work at all. And the Platinum Shrine is appropriate for a final dungeon, backtracking to make things longer, crazy statues that attack, but those damn dark rooms (which the light jade can't even illuminate) end up being the biggest trial and error show with where the walls are. I won't forget these.
Thursday, August 8, 2024
A look back at: Alundra 2
GREAT JOB GOOGLE YOU ROGUE COMPANY YOU RUINED THE ABILITY TO POST IMAGES ON BLOGSPOT NOW I AM USING A URL.
Monday, July 29, 2024
A look back at: Alundra
Three in one month, let's go! And I do plan on doing the sequel game next.
This game is one that certainly has been on the backburner, and its strongest quality has to be its sensational music track. I'm familiar with Dust to Dust, the somber theme, Coastal Cave, as well as Kline's Nightmare from playing Doom wads for a while, so to actually hear them in the original orchestration was great. Better yet, the tracks can all be listened to in one room! Though you do have to progress in-game to get to some of this stuff eventually, that's fine.
On to the gameplay, and it's basically a Playstation version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. A fine game in and of itself, so that's a hurdle that can't be crossed. But at least this game has plenty of hallmarks to coincide with its attempt at a similar yet different premise. Sword-swinging, arrows and bombs (here you get infinite ammo), medicines to heal, seven crests to pick up (like the seven crystals), life vessels (the heart containers), a religious sanctuary with a cemetery next to it, a swamp, lake, desert, and mountain, boss fights with strategy, just one village, upgrading weaponry, and plenty, and I mean PLENTY of annoying dungeon puzzles. What makes it even moreso here than in ALTTP is that you do have platforming and puzzles combined, and many dungeons actually feel way longer than they should because of these puzzle moments. If the music wasn't so good, I would have hated this.
I was hoping for a truly perfect playthrough of this, but unfortunately I capped out at 49 hit points and 49 Gilded Falcons. Three of each can be done in the casino section, and I got two, but for some reason, the roulette section was unfortunately completely bugged and I was in a dead-end room with no way out other than reloading, so that was the only one I couldn't get to. Also sometimes some textures end up disappearing when I try to save and load and speaking of loading, those loading times are quite annoying. So would I consider this a true action RPG? It's really complicated. There's significantly more immersion in this plot in my opinion, and the upgrades to weapons are certainly a thing. So I really could care less. This one does feel RPG enough to me.