A look back at: Silva Saga II

It seems really strange for a JRPG, but to really beat the crap out of this game you have to abuse the petrify spell. So Silva Saga II, it's quite an interesting game in its own right if you don't count the other two games in the franchise, but for someone like me that plays franchises from the ground up, I took easy notice of what I saw. The game in turn has the exact same world, town, and dungeon layouts of the original Silva Saga for the NES. The storyline is adapted slightly differently in that you start somewhere different and you play a different character, but also completely retcons the original hero of the first Silva Saga. Don't know why they would do that, but whatever. The improvements to the mercenary and idol systems are noticeable, but you can just full-on Dragon Quest-style the gameplay with your normal characters. The swaps still exist, and you do have to go through basically all the same places that the previous game did, fight the same bosses, all of that. They just look nicer in the SNES for some reason.

But my first sentence for this look back is that the petrify spell flat out destroys this game. They didn't have that spell or status effect in the previous game, but your spellcasters get it early, and most enemies are not immune to it. Hit them with it and you essentially win since they are completely defenseless. You'll only have trouble if they are immune to that magic, OR if they can cast it too, since the Relax item is a rare find in certain nooks in towns until the very last town of the game, luckily the Meta Mahal spell exists to fully resist all magic including the status ones. Crazy how the petrify spell makes the game a cakewalk so long as you know what you're up against (so it doesn't work on bosses for instance).

What other things to look back on? Those damn crystals that float around are basically annoying bonus bosses that have way too much health and are absolutely insane to challenge. Compared to the final boss, who even in three phases wasn't as hard as those crystals. And for the towns, you basically want to look at everything, windmills, bridges, signs, tables, beds, flowerpots, fireplaces, firewood, liquor barrels, pantries, cupboards, all to get those items you may or may not need. There was a bit of grinding for money, but I bet low-level players can still go through this without that much in trouble. I say it's a little better than the NES game overall, and there's a map you can use, something I'm definitely glad to have.

A look back at: Silva Saga

Yikes, I'm on a role this Valentines day with two posts in a row. After just finishing the second game in Silva Saga, just titled Silva Saga, what do I look back on? Well, let's see here.

I look back on just how easy this game was. For an NES RPG, that's astounding. For an NES RPG that feels very Dragon Quest-y, its easiness is quite a shock.
I look back at just how linear this game was. Compared to the last game, which was linear but had lots of fetching back and forth between revisited locations, this one was extremely linear, just get a clue from an NPC, do a thing in a dungeon, bam, you're moving on.
I look back at how lame the enemies were, and the lack of challenge in them. Also the level ups and money weren't a problem. The only real problem combat-wise is figuring out if spells will ever be effective against some enemies, which I always hate when there's no effect to using the best spells.
I look back at the weirdness of watching either my fighter or mage party member swap with someone who basically inherits all the stats of the previous. What's the real point? I guess it's a tad cooler than having a party member that sticks with you since the beginning of the game, having a different guy every time. Problem is, character development doesn't really happen in these cases.
I look back at the lack of a plot besides "defeat evil" and the mini plots which are just fetch quests, and how easy they were in comparison to the last game.

Yeah, this is probably a game I don't want to look back to again, although it's because the stuff I look back on doesn't really spark any interest. This game really could have been a good sequel, and it ended up being easy.

A look back at: Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu

RPGs in general follow a basic adventure formula, you start out as a lowly hero, usually eventually having a chosen one vibe, then it goes to finding certain key items and passages to get through the entire game from start to finish. And it's the NES games that fit this to a tee, having players go back to previous locales after getting the means to which others need them, and so forth.

Minelvaton Saga feels like an ultimate fetch quest which frankly creates more boredom than excitement. Vague hints from NPCs are vague, they simply say rumors, but like any other RPG cliches, rumors end up true eventually. The lengths to getting those rumors to be true however was quite nasty when it came to this game. Your first quest is simple enough, prove you're the prince. Then go to the next town. And the next, find clues, go through dungeons, go back, go through the same dungeons again, ah! See the problem? It becomes monotonous really quickly. The big issue that combines itself with this is the encounter rate and battle system. Encounter rate follows simple, potentially annoying formula, and battle system is a weird action RPG style thing reminiscent of Hydlide's system, where you run into enemies and damage is given to whomever. Bad!

Yet interestingly enough, you'll likely run into a dungeon you're not supposed to reach yet early on, likely getting your butt kicked in short order. Or you can prevail and get a lot of levels from it. In fact, leveling up in this game becomes an afterthought as you gain levels quickly. Too bad stat gains and armor that you get don't really equal a whole lot of invulnerability though. The game includes separate characters to substitute for a party, which I guess works in a pinch? Plus two extra party members are nice, although they have AI that tries to get away as much as possible for their long range abilities. By the time someone is ready for endgame they have 99 antidotes (for nothing but poison status anyways in this game) 99 medicines, 99 keys (yes, you NEED keys and there are too many locked doors here), and likely 99 of most attack items. And why do you need all this? Cause the game is gonna be an outright marathon during the endgame parts. The entirety of Rabant Castle is a huge maze, then ANOTHER maze with the aptly-named Gorgon's Maze after it, then FOUR tower tours each with a boss and fixed encounters and lots of key doors and dead ends before the naturally confusing final dungeon of the game.

Do yourself a favor and if you wish to play this game by any means use the guides, or you're not gonna even come close. Or just flat out don't play it at all.