My Played Video Games Review: ActRaiser for the Super Nintendo
ActRaiser is a platform and city-building game for the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom developed by Japanese developers Quintet and published by Enix in 1990. It was combining a traditional side-scroller with urban planning god game sections.
This was a great game back then. The god game elements were particularly addicting. I am glad there is a remaster of it released last year.
The Story
Your peaceful world has been taken over and inhabited by the evil Tanzra and his demonic Guardians. Your lovely land has become a breeding ground for monsters, Injured, you have retreated to your Sky Palace and have fallen into a deep slumber. Now, decades have passed and you have recovered from your injuries. You must punish Tanzra and restore the world to your people or their faith will be lost forever.
The Graphics and Sound
ActRasier has 2 styles of visuals to watch. The first of these is the overworld view, in which you can create a world of sorts, with the world itself being rather detailed, even by 16-bit standards. The second set of visuals includes a side-scrolling action game, complete with swords and monsters, magic, and well-detailed stages for the player to venture through. Bright colors, detailed backgrounds, and decent special effects are here for your pleasure.
A strange compilation of music that is both soothing and there are adrenaline-pumping tracks during the action stages as well as the overworld stages. You are given a well-thought-out and well-created music track to keep you interested. Sound effects include various explosions, which sound halfway decent, and your general assortment of swishes and swipes along with magic effects. Gamers will be pleased with the amount of work that went into the making of the game's music and sound effects.
The Gameplay
It is an action and creation game built into one. You are given god-like powers to create a world of sorts, and then take on various fantasy enemies that are happy to destroy you. Taking you through different stages, you will find that there are a handful of different things that you can do to make the game progress the way that you want it to.
The controls are responsive and tight. However, some of the action stages could have used some control tweaking with the jumping and moving part. With that aside, beginning gamers as well as veterans will find that the game is easy enough to control and the learning curve is easy to get used to.
The replay value is decent. You may want to get or achieve everything on the second playthrough.
My Verdict
Actraiser is a game that reminds you that gaming consoles/PCs don't have to be beastly powerful with gazillion colors and super sound to be thoroughly enjoyable. This gaming gem will be called great for ages to come.
Play it on the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom or play it on some damn good emulator.
Let's keep on gaming in the free world!
