celerystalker
05-27-2016, 02:50 AM
92839284928592869287928892909289
Today has been a crazy day for me, having not one, but two separate flat tires to go with a family situation for one of my siblings, so I needed to decompress with one of those video game comfort food games. Most players have some of those games that they've been playing for years and years, and they know like the back of their hands... those games where you just soak in the atmosphere and relax, turn off your brain, and let your hands do what they've had years of practice building muscle memory for... and for me, one of those games is Rygar on the NES.
I know I just recently did a post on the arcade Rygar, but this NES version is an utterly different game, not a port thereof. Gone are the stages and points of the arcade adventure, replaced with an open world and experience points called "Tone." Killing monsters now builds Rygar into a stronger warrior, enabling him to challenge the evil Ligar for peace in the land of Argool. His quest is now more akin to a Zelda/Zelda II hybrid, though just a tad shorter, and he must search the breadth and depth of the land in search of the treasures of the five Indora War Gods. These items allow him to access new areas, letting him discover new areas, bosses, and secrets.
I say Zelda/Zelda II hybrid because Rygar utilizes both overhead and horizontally scrolling perspective during the course of its game. Although the game begins at Gran Mountain, the Valley of Garloz serves as a sort of hub that connects the different regions of Argool. Rygar has the same move set regardless of perspective, using his Diskarmor to attack, jumping, using his items such as a grappling hook or pulley, and if he has saved up enough stars, special moves like a general temporary power-up, a whole screen attack called "Attack & Assail," or a total life bar recovery. He can also reduce damage taken with armor and gain the gods' Coat of Arms, which is a recovery potion.
Graphically, Rygar captures the spirit of its arcade predecessor well while effectively working within the system's limitations, and it looks very good for an NES game of its era. Backgrounds are colorful and detailed with even a few scrolling effects, sprites are detailed, and it avoids obvious tile appearance. It's only real weakness on that front is some pronounced flicker and minor slowdown at times when the screen gets cluttered. The music, though, is easily one of my favorite NES soundtracks. Everything has a sort of dark, yet intrepid flare, and really sets the mood for an adventure. Oddly, the Japanese soundtrack is very different, sharing only about half of the songs of the US game. I much prefer the US soundtrack, but both are interesting.
The NES Rygar is one of my favorites for the system, with an adventure that will probably last a first-time player a few hours, though an experienced player can do it in about an hour. It would have been nice if it had had a password system in order to continue later, but it does offer unlimited continues , sending Rygar back to the beginning of the area in which he died. It may not be the score-fest that is the arcade game, but it makes a great companion piece as a console adventure to supplement the arcade action. Which is better is subjective, but I personally am a sucker for these sorts of horizontal action adventures.
Played this one?
Today has been a crazy day for me, having not one, but two separate flat tires to go with a family situation for one of my siblings, so I needed to decompress with one of those video game comfort food games. Most players have some of those games that they've been playing for years and years, and they know like the back of their hands... those games where you just soak in the atmosphere and relax, turn off your brain, and let your hands do what they've had years of practice building muscle memory for... and for me, one of those games is Rygar on the NES.
I know I just recently did a post on the arcade Rygar, but this NES version is an utterly different game, not a port thereof. Gone are the stages and points of the arcade adventure, replaced with an open world and experience points called "Tone." Killing monsters now builds Rygar into a stronger warrior, enabling him to challenge the evil Ligar for peace in the land of Argool. His quest is now more akin to a Zelda/Zelda II hybrid, though just a tad shorter, and he must search the breadth and depth of the land in search of the treasures of the five Indora War Gods. These items allow him to access new areas, letting him discover new areas, bosses, and secrets.
I say Zelda/Zelda II hybrid because Rygar utilizes both overhead and horizontally scrolling perspective during the course of its game. Although the game begins at Gran Mountain, the Valley of Garloz serves as a sort of hub that connects the different regions of Argool. Rygar has the same move set regardless of perspective, using his Diskarmor to attack, jumping, using his items such as a grappling hook or pulley, and if he has saved up enough stars, special moves like a general temporary power-up, a whole screen attack called "Attack & Assail," or a total life bar recovery. He can also reduce damage taken with armor and gain the gods' Coat of Arms, which is a recovery potion.
Graphically, Rygar captures the spirit of its arcade predecessor well while effectively working within the system's limitations, and it looks very good for an NES game of its era. Backgrounds are colorful and detailed with even a few scrolling effects, sprites are detailed, and it avoids obvious tile appearance. It's only real weakness on that front is some pronounced flicker and minor slowdown at times when the screen gets cluttered. The music, though, is easily one of my favorite NES soundtracks. Everything has a sort of dark, yet intrepid flare, and really sets the mood for an adventure. Oddly, the Japanese soundtrack is very different, sharing only about half of the songs of the US game. I much prefer the US soundtrack, but both are interesting.
The NES Rygar is one of my favorites for the system, with an adventure that will probably last a first-time player a few hours, though an experienced player can do it in about an hour. It would have been nice if it had had a password system in order to continue later, but it does offer unlimited continues , sending Rygar back to the beginning of the area in which he died. It may not be the score-fest that is the arcade game, but it makes a great companion piece as a console adventure to supplement the arcade action. Which is better is subjective, but I personally am a sucker for these sorts of horizontal action adventures.
Played this one?