King Colossus (MD, 1992)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-7.5 Story-6.5
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Lots of different magic & weapons (bow, morning star, spear, fire staff which can stunlock some enemies / smart bomb spell, enemy freeze spell - works even on bosses, dash move spell although you can't use it to cross pits since it also goes back to where you started, etc)
The gladiator fights (some are a bit too easy)
Lots of different enemy types
Some funny characters
Good dialogue overall
You can choose where to go right away from 3 areas
Gets right into the action (no slow clichéd RPG intro)
Some simple puzzles (spatial awareness, switches, movable blocks/statues)
You can jump (various platforming sequences; Crystalis)
3 save slots (save anywhere outside of boss fights)
Hidden items
New gear shows on your avatar
Some large sprites and cool visual effects
+/-
Unusually grim story
Some movement delay when attacking unless you jump attack
Starts out fairly hard (expensive spells, you have to clear rooms to get bombs/keys)
-
Dungeon rooms are often too large
Pretty simple dungeon designs
Can't use bombs as weapons
Some weapons suck (most swords and axes) and ball & chain ones are overpowered
Pretty linear throughout
Some trial & error (dead ends, cheap hits)
No dungeon maps
Uneven difficulty curve
Your character's melee attack is very slow despite the quick animation
Somewhat sloppy hit detection (the snakes)
You'll auto-use herbs if you already have one (can only hold one at a time)
No MP restoratives?
Somewhat archaic menu system (accessories have to be equipped in a separate menu called "other items", spells are hidden 3 levels down in the equipment menu)
No second quest (Zelda 1)
Some annoying enemies (bats and spiders)
Plot holes (the hero not becoming suspicious of his adoptive father having a "mark of a believer" or a generic soldier telling him his destiny)
Some slowdown (second boss, 7+ enemies on screen)
You lose the death scythe after the gladiator fights (but keep the other weapons so what gives?)
Kinda repetitive dungeon music and some enemies are repeated several times
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
+
Lots of different magic & weapons (bow, morning star, spear, fire staff which can stunlock some enemies / smart bomb spell, enemy freeze spell - works even on bosses, dash move spell although you can't use it to cross pits since it also goes back to where you started, etc)
The gladiator fights (some are a bit too easy)
Lots of different enemy types
Some funny characters
Good dialogue overall
You can choose where to go right away from 3 areas
Gets right into the action (no slow clichéd RPG intro)
Some simple puzzles (spatial awareness, switches, movable blocks/statues)
You can jump (various platforming sequences; Crystalis)
3 save slots (save anywhere outside of boss fights)
Hidden items
New gear shows on your avatar
Some large sprites and cool visual effects
+/-
Unusually grim story
Some movement delay when attacking unless you jump attack
Starts out fairly hard (expensive spells, you have to clear rooms to get bombs/keys)
-
Dungeon rooms are often too large
Pretty simple dungeon designs
Can't use bombs as weapons
Some weapons suck (most swords and axes) and ball & chain ones are overpowered
Pretty linear throughout
Some trial & error (dead ends, cheap hits)
No dungeon maps
Uneven difficulty curve
Your character's melee attack is very slow despite the quick animation
Somewhat sloppy hit detection (the snakes)
You'll auto-use herbs if you already have one (can only hold one at a time)
No MP restoratives?
Somewhat archaic menu system (accessories have to be equipped in a separate menu called "other items", spells are hidden 3 levels down in the equipment menu)
No second quest (Zelda 1)
Some annoying enemies (bats and spiders)
Plot holes (the hero not becoming suspicious of his adoptive father having a "mark of a believer" or a generic soldier telling him his destiny)
Some slowdown (second boss, 7+ enemies on screen)
You lose the death scythe after the gladiator fights (but keep the other weapons so what gives?)
Kinda repetitive dungeon music and some enemies are repeated several times
