The dawn of time. The inception of man. The evolution of the species.
That's the heart of this very unique Role-Playing Game from Enix (the KING of
R.P.G.'s before Squaresoft came along)...one of my personal favorites. From
your origin as a fish, your quest is to...yep, evolve, evolve, and keep
evolving until the end of the game when you finally become human. But you're
not alone, the gods will be watching down on you from above as you fight to
survive...and only the strong survive. Who am I kidding? EVERYONE
survives...the game is setup so you can never actually DIE...but that does
NOT mean it's an easy game...far from it.
Graphics [8.5/10]:
Excellent...while some levels appear no more advanced than most SNES RPG's of
the time, you'll know what I mean when you enter others. Encounter the King
Shark at the end of the aquatic levels and you'll agree. Superb animation
there and in various other levels...Enix never skimps and this game is no
exception. The early levels in the sea are breathtaking and the game doesn't
slow down once you get on land, either. In fact, the game seems to get
BETTER looking as it progresses, if that's possible.
Music and Sound [9/10]:
Close to SNES perfection. Not quite up to the levels of superiority found in
"Actraiser" or "Super Adventure Island," but....like I said...close. I don't
know who Enix assigns to write the scores for their games, but whoever it is,
they should be in Hollywood working on feature films. That's how good they
are. Not many film scores have such an awe-inspiring effect on me as the
music in games such as this. From the rousing orchestra-inspired pieces to
the quieter tunes...you won't be able to get them out of your head. If
you're like me, you'll find yourself humming them long after the game has
been shut off.
Gameplay [9/10]:
Another side-scrolling R.P.G. from the makers of that SNES classic,
"Actraiser." You begin the game, like I said, as a small fish...and slowly
have to work your way up to a large Swordfish, before abandoning the water
altogether. From there work your way up to Wooly Mammoth to dinosaur and
beyond... Sure, every level is basically eating, eating, eating in order to
evolve...but isn't that what most R.P.G.'s are about? Well, except for the
eating part. What other game is there, though, where the object is literally
"dog-eat-dog"? Obtain evolution points in order to grow...stronger jaws,
faster fins, longer legs, a bigger body... You'll be dying to know what your
character would look like if you just just stick around long enough to get
that new horn.
Challenge and Replay [9.5/10]:
To me, this game never loses it's appeal. No matter how many times I
complete the evolutionary process, it's still fun to start over from scratch
and climb right back up the scale. Like all R.P.G.'s, this is no
cakewalk...nor is it over in a few hours. This is a long process, but what
did you expect? Creatures don't evolve overnight, you know??? Seriously,
though, the payoff is sweet...and MORE than half the fun is getting there.
So sit back and enjoy the ride...or growth. Whichever it is...
Conclusion/Overall [9.5/10]:
I must admit that this game is most likely not for all tastes. Fighting game
freaks, perhaps, should steer clear. Ditto racer addicts. But...if you
loved the classic SNES Action R.P.G.'s the way I did - "Actraiser," not to
mention "Soulblazer" and it's DE-facto sequel "Illusion of Gaia", this is the
perfect addition to your game library. And yet, it's a totally different
kind of game altogether and one of the most interesting games you'll probably
come across.
