So recently, I was hanging out with my friend and decided to show him Crusader of Centy. Since we both strongly prefer retro games and he's never played... I bought the game a few years back (2005 I think?) but realized, I forgot 99% of the game! So I decided to give it a quick replay...
Not sure how many people here have played Crusader of Centy, but it's basically SEGA's (and Gau/Nextech's, of Ranger-X fame) answer to Link to the Past. The game is set up very similar to LttP but with a Mario-style overworld instead of one large seamless overworld. You collect golden apples to raise your maximum health, and buy a few powerups with gold coins. But the main difference is in Crusader of Centy, you get animal helpers which have different powerups (like, the ability to make your sword reflect off a wall, or the ability to run really fast)... since, soon after the game begins, you are cursed and only able to speak to flora and fauna... There's also a bit more emphasis on top-down platforming in this game, and it moves at a brisker pace than LttP (though not quite Ys level).
It's a very charming game, although it's easy and short (took me 2 days to breeze through the whole game). The story picks up towards the end of the game
. There's even a Sonic cameo in it!
Screens:
Brain Lord I remember seeing the ads for in EGM back in the day, it always sounded really cool (I love that "ITS DO OR DIE TIME" in the ad), and since I've always been a fan of Enix and action RPGs, I'm surprised I never picked up a copy. It's made by the same developers as the much-maligned 7th Saga, and shares some similarities in art style. Instead of having a more anime/SD look, the characters look big and bulky. I almost thought this was some weird western developed game when I first saw it.
Anyways, NeoGAF-legend demi namedropped this game to me so I picked up a CIB copy relatively recently. The game is also an action RPG, but with more of a focus on equipment than LttP and Crusader, there are various helms/armors/weapons to find with different stats. But, you still find max life powerups instead of building experience levels. You have a group of spirits that do stuff like shoot fire at enemies, and they build experience levels... you can deploy these spirits at will (as long as you've purchased the requisite item powerup associated with these spirits).
The dungeons are very sprawling, filled with puzzles (mostly of the push-block variety), deadly enemies, traps galore, and multiple lock-and-key items to find. There are some platforming elements (like jumping on moving platforms) which doesn't work as well as the developer intended. I think the level design is pretty good for a game of this era, it's no Alundra but it's interesting enough for those who are nostalgic for the days of classic top-down action RPGs like me.
The main problem with Brain Lord is terrible slowdown when your spirits are deployed. This is probably why the game is pretty divisive (Gamefaqs reviews are everywhere from 3 to 9) at least to my knowledge. Also, the hit detection on the platforming is pretty poor, and there were several times when I missed a moving platform I had to jump on.
Screens:
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I never really hear either of these games get discussed on here often, if ever... both come recommended (Crusader of Centy more-so than Brain Lord) for fans of 16 bit action RPGs.
Not sure how many people here have played Crusader of Centy, but it's basically SEGA's (and Gau/Nextech's, of Ranger-X fame) answer to Link to the Past. The game is set up very similar to LttP but with a Mario-style overworld instead of one large seamless overworld. You collect golden apples to raise your maximum health, and buy a few powerups with gold coins. But the main difference is in Crusader of Centy, you get animal helpers which have different powerups (like, the ability to make your sword reflect off a wall, or the ability to run really fast)... since, soon after the game begins, you are cursed and only able to speak to flora and fauna... There's also a bit more emphasis on top-down platforming in this game, and it moves at a brisker pace than LttP (though not quite Ys level).
It's a very charming game, although it's easy and short (took me 2 days to breeze through the whole game). The story picks up towards the end of the game
and has a plot of humanity being at war with a mostly benign group of monsters... it makes you feel bad when you defeat some monsters, like a giant pulsating heart that doesn't fight back, or monsters that question "why do the humans attack us so much"?
Screens:
Brain Lord I remember seeing the ads for in EGM back in the day, it always sounded really cool (I love that "ITS DO OR DIE TIME" in the ad), and since I've always been a fan of Enix and action RPGs, I'm surprised I never picked up a copy. It's made by the same developers as the much-maligned 7th Saga, and shares some similarities in art style. Instead of having a more anime/SD look, the characters look big and bulky. I almost thought this was some weird western developed game when I first saw it.
Anyways, NeoGAF-legend demi namedropped this game to me so I picked up a CIB copy relatively recently. The game is also an action RPG, but with more of a focus on equipment than LttP and Crusader, there are various helms/armors/weapons to find with different stats. But, you still find max life powerups instead of building experience levels. You have a group of spirits that do stuff like shoot fire at enemies, and they build experience levels... you can deploy these spirits at will (as long as you've purchased the requisite item powerup associated with these spirits).
The dungeons are very sprawling, filled with puzzles (mostly of the push-block variety), deadly enemies, traps galore, and multiple lock-and-key items to find. There are some platforming elements (like jumping on moving platforms) which doesn't work as well as the developer intended. I think the level design is pretty good for a game of this era, it's no Alundra but it's interesting enough for those who are nostalgic for the days of classic top-down action RPGs like me.
The main problem with Brain Lord is terrible slowdown when your spirits are deployed. This is probably why the game is pretty divisive (Gamefaqs reviews are everywhere from 3 to 9) at least to my knowledge. Also, the hit detection on the platforming is pretty poor, and there were several times when I missed a moving platform I had to jump on.
Screens:
I never really hear either of these games get discussed on here often, if ever... both come recommended (Crusader of Centy more-so than Brain Lord) for fans of 16 bit action RPGs.
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