Rygar (ARC, 1986)
Graphics-7 Sound-6.5 Control-7 Challenge-9
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-9 Fun-6.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-6
+ Controllable jumps, bounce off of enemies, attack upgrades, limited invincibility and smart bombs, mini-bosses, pretty fast paced and intense, decent length (27 levels), forgiving checkpoints (though you lose all power ups after dying), bonuses for killing certain enemy formations all at once, difficulty options (easy mode is still very hard though), start with up to 5 lives, some large sprites, level map in the GUI (shows which point you're at in a level), unintentionally funny ending (Markus! Markus!)
+/- Time limit (after it runs out you can still survive but you're being chased by a huge creature), quickly respawning enemies, somewhat random enemy placements (see Ghosts 'n Goblins, Ninja Gaiden), can't move while crouching, sometimes forgiving hit detection (centaurs when being carried, final boss, dinosaurs)
- Repetitive, no continues after level 20 (!), no jump height control, trial & error (enemy invincibility during some animations, enemies spawning/attacking quickly while you're jumping, it's usually best to keep moving or you'll be overwhelmed by enemies from both sides), so-so art direction and fairly non-distinct sprite work, some sfx cut each other off, mostly lacking FM sfx and Rygar's grunting gets annoying after a while, limited controls when climbing a rope, somewhat uneven difficulty, unskippable transition between levels, upwards attack replaces the l+r spin attack, poor final boss
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-9 Fun-6.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-6
+ Controllable jumps, bounce off of enemies, attack upgrades, limited invincibility and smart bombs, mini-bosses, pretty fast paced and intense, decent length (27 levels), forgiving checkpoints (though you lose all power ups after dying), bonuses for killing certain enemy formations all at once, difficulty options (easy mode is still very hard though), start with up to 5 lives, some large sprites, level map in the GUI (shows which point you're at in a level), unintentionally funny ending (Markus! Markus!)
+/- Time limit (after it runs out you can still survive but you're being chased by a huge creature), quickly respawning enemies, somewhat random enemy placements (see Ghosts 'n Goblins, Ninja Gaiden), can't move while crouching, sometimes forgiving hit detection (centaurs when being carried, final boss, dinosaurs)
- Repetitive, no continues after level 20 (!), no jump height control, trial & error (enemy invincibility during some animations, enemies spawning/attacking quickly while you're jumping, it's usually best to keep moving or you'll be overwhelmed by enemies from both sides), so-so art direction and fairly non-distinct sprite work, some sfx cut each other off, mostly lacking FM sfx and Rygar's grunting gets annoying after a while, limited controls when climbing a rope, somewhat uneven difficulty, unskippable transition between levels, upwards attack replaces the l+r spin attack, poor final boss
