Fazermint's Juicy Soul Blazer Review

[Fazermint]

Introduction:
I'm Fazermint. This is my Soul Blazer review. And it's juicy!
Just to make it clear, I have yet to play the sequels to this game, so this review does not contain any comparison. I started out with the first game of the series, as it appeared logical to me. I also didn't scale the different categories in scores, because that seems pointless to me. What's an 8 for one is a 6 for another.
And as much as I'd like to make a video of myself talking about it while walking to random destinations (like Jason did ), I don't have a camera. Anyway, let's get started.

Gameplay:
My first impression of Soul Blazer was that it was... weird. The monsters spawned from tiles on the ground, one by one, and all you had to do was find a spot where you could stand still and kill them off. But the concept of releasing souls in order to rebuild the world kept me interested, so I kept playing the game. After a while I got used to the combat system, and I didn't mind it anymore. The game became more and more interesting as the plot developed. Not that the plot was not very intriguing, though. As any good RPG, soon the secret items popped up. I spent time looking for the Emblems and Red-Hot items. The emblems were really obscure, requiring me to walk on a certain tile to randomly pick it up. As I like to complete games 100%, even on my first playthrough, I used a FAQ to find them. Anyway, my final impression of this game is that it's a good game to add to the collection. It's different than most RPG's, which gives you something new to chew on. Once you get used to the combat system, it's an entertaining game.

Plot:
You're an avatar/deity/something, taking orders from the Master (AKA Gaia). Your mission is to save the world. And that's pretty much it. There is some consistency in the plot with Dr. Leo, but it seems to have been made up in less than one workday. I'm gonna have to bash Soul Blazer at this point, because I really love the intriguing story lines in RPG's. Take Final Fantasy VII, for example. Best story ever! The intensity of the story kept me coming back to replay it. I play through it at least once a year. No joke. It's become a tradition.

Boss fights:
Yes, boss fights have their own section. That's because boss fights are just about the coolest part of the game. And the boss fights in Soul Blazer did not disappoint. At first they seem hard, some times impossible, but it's all about figuring out their pattern and exploiting that pattern. That makes you have to use your brain for a minute, and I like that much better than mindless attack button spamming. The only beef I have with the boss fights is that you lose all your gems when you die. And die, I did.

Graphics:
Ok, we're talking about a SNES game from 1992 here. The graphics can't be expected to be all that great. The graphics were not below average, the walking animation is neatly done. Since it's a bird-view game, we can't expect the backgrounds to be awesome, simply because there is no opportunity for it. Graphics are all right, nothing special but not bad either.

Sound:
As much as I like catchy SNES tunes, Soul Blazer did not spellbind me with its music. This is simply because now, when I've finished the game, I remember very little of the music, while the tunes usually stick to my head for a while after finishing a game. The sound effects weren't too shabby, but I certainly won't remember Soul Blazer for its sound features.

Final words:
Soul Blazer is an entertaining game, and it's worth your time. However, Soul Blazer did not become one of my favorite games. That's because there are so many great RPG's out there, functioning as hard competition. As much as I enjoyed the game, I think playing the sequels will quench my thirst, and I probably won't play the game again any time soon. I also don't have the nostalgia value that this game holds for the ones that played it in their youth, this is my first time playing it. I hope you enjoyed reading my review, feel free to comment if you agree or disagree.

[tay120n64]

Good review, but here's a few opinions of my own...

First off, don't approach Soul Blazer as if its an RPG. Approach it like an action game, you'll appreciate it more. It fits in more with the likes of Zelda, Castlevania, TMNT, etc. Especially Zelda.

Also, as good as FFVII was, its story is among the worst in history. While its true that SB's story was rather underdeveloped, at least its straightforward. FFVII's story is quite intense, I'll give you that, but good it is not.

[Fazermint]

Good review, but here's a few opinions of my own...

First off, don't approach Soul Blazer as if its an RPG. Approach it like an action game, you'll appreciate it more. It fits in more with the likes of Zelda, Castlevania, TMNT, etc. Especially Zelda.

Also, as good as FFVII was, its story is among the worst in history. While its true that SB's story was rather underdeveloped, at least its straightforward. FFVII's story is quite intense, I'll give you that, but good it is not.

I agree, it reminded me of A Link To The Past XD I guess it's an action rpg, as it has concepts from both genres.

That's the first time I've heard someone saying FFVII's story isn't good :O Ah well, I usually talk about FFVII with fellow fans. You're an interesting person, tay
FFVII's story was confusing in my first playthrough back when I was about 12, but later it became my favorite game of all time

[tay120n64]

I've never really been a fan of Final Fantasy. I enjoyed FFVII, and Advent Children is one of my favorite movies, but like all of Tetsuya Nomura's work, the story is convoluted and hard to follow. Kingdom Hearts is another example of this. Though its one of my favorite games, I'll be the first in line to admit that its method of delivering a story needs SERIOUS work.

For the sake of contrast, here are some examples of RPGs I believe have truly GREAT stories: Chrono Trigger, Lufia II (if you can forgive poor grammatical translation), Lunar: Silver Star, and Final Fantasy VI.

[SoulBlazerFan]

I played Soul Blazer religiously in my youth, and it holds a certain place in my heart. (My forum name hould prove that)

That said, I agree with most of your review, but like Tay said, this is more action/adventure with hints of RPG gameplay, rather than the other way around. And while the games story is underdevolped for the most part, there are some intriguing and thought-proviking moments, mostly the games conceit that technology, even created for the good of mankind, can be used for darkness. There's alot of themes and undertones that can easily be missed through a first playthrough.

Also, I'm one of the very few gamers to say this: I absolutely hated FFVII. I had played VIII first, and I fell in love with that game. Probaby the main reason is the huge contrast between the games designs. I did give FFVII a fair shake (I played for just over ten hours) and it just didn't appeal to me. On the other hand, Ive played through 8 more times than I can count, and sames goes for SB. I might go back one day and actually finish VII, but for now VIII remains my favorite.

[EverPhoenix]

Nice review. I have to say i had very similar opinions of it. Only song that i remembered from the game at all was Deathtoll's theme. the rest were somewhat boring.

i liked the storyline of FF7, although it is my least favourite story out of the playstation FF games. 10 takes the cake for worst storytelling, but 7 for overall story.

games with awesome stories (imo) Lufia II (snes version, play the ds one only after you know what is MEANT to happen), Terranigma, Grandia II. the music in these games is amazing, too.

[Fazermint]

With this in mind, I'm approaching Illusion of Gaia as more of an action game.

@SoulBlazerFan, The first ten hours of FFVII are about the most boring ones. After that it only gets better, imo. But different people dig different games, eh?

[Shiva Indis]

Master (AKA Gaia)

Nitpick: Not Gaia. God. Maybe the same god as in Actraiser. People get over-invested in the idea that the game is part of a trilogy, and they start retroactively applying ideas from Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

I think this game's plot is really neat, but in a way that only a non-character-driven game can achieve. It's a parade of cool concepts, and no one worried about lacing them together. Attempting to do so probably wouldn't have worked anyway.

[NoZKeY]

The only beef I have with the boss fights is that you lose all your gems when you die. And die, I did.

That's why you have the strange bottles The trick and challenge was to use the herbs in time when you are low in HP, and once you are low in HP again, equip the bottle.

I always thought Soul Blazer and IoG have a poor story. But as tay said, it's an action-adventure game more than an RPG. And i haven't completed FF VII... (ok kill me xD)


I can not agree about the music.. there are some songs i like a lot and others i don't even remember, the ones i like are:
Sad Town/Lively Town (towns theme)
SOUTHERA!
Dr. Leo's Lab (i often randomly remember that song xD)
Lisa's song

Nice review, i hope to see another one when you beat IoG (you are going to, right?)

[tay120n64]

Dr. Leo's Lab

One of my favorite VG tunes, actually.

Someone make a metal remix of it NAO! I DEMANDS IT!