New Completion - ActRaiser (Super Nintendo)

What do you get when you combine Final Fantasy, SimCity, and a clunky platformer?

ActRaiser is one of those games that I hear about every now and then when people talk about Enix (now SquareEnix) and old Final Fantasy games on the Super Nintendo. Usually it goes, "Man! Final Fantasy games were so much better before Enix merged with Square! And remember ActRaiser? It was so innovative!"

Often times when people call an obscure game 'innovative' it's usually a back-handed complement, short for "Not great, but at least you tried something new!" For ActRaiser, however, 'innovative' suits it perfectly. Essentially, what you get is a fairly short, average difficulty mash-up of three different game genres. As you start the game you are immediately dropped into a platforming sequence.

Fillmore - Act 1

Right away you notice just how beautiful the art is. Enix was on top of it's game, and there is no lack in quality here. The music (done by Yuzo Koshiro, who also composed the soundtracks for Streets of Rage, Beyond Oasis, and Shenmue) is equally inspired, though it isn't quite as memorable as the soundtracks for other Enix games'  (which is more a compliment to Enix, than a knock on ActRaiser).

"Fillmore" by Yuzo Koshiro, 1991

The controls are simple, but in comparison to other platformers on the Super Nintendo, I felt they were quite clunky. This is largely due to an inability to control your movement mid-jump. Realistic? Yes. Fun? Not really. Once you commit to an arc, that's it.

This becomes especially frustrating when you are jumping down to a lower level, where you can't see where the next platform is. That last little adjustment you need to avoid losing a life is not possible in ActRaiser, and you will have to simply memorize where the platform is and try it again.

As per SNES law, flying enemy's are EXTREMELY annoying. And with the fact that you can't change direction mid-jump, they become even more of a pain, always seeming to show up at the worst possible time and knock you into an instant-death pit.

As you play through you will also get magic spells which have a limited use per session, but are re-filled if you game over, which is nice. Magic spells, especially the Star power, are really useful and can get you out of most tricky situations, often helping to finish off a boss fight when your down to your last gasp.

All in all, the platforming is functional, the atmosphere is great, but I probably wouldn't rank ActRaiser in the top 10 of the genre. Fortunately, platforming is only half the equation.

Makin' it RAIN!

Once you complete a stage, you will be brought out to a top down view of the region you were just fighting in. By completing Act-1 (for every region there are two 'acts') you allow people to settle down, and begin building their town. As their God, you tell them where to build, and help protect them from monsters that constantly spawn and fly around the map wreaking havoc.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward: in real-time you control an angel that can shoot arrows. You fly around the map, find the enemies' spawn points, and direct your townsfolk towards it to seal it for good, thus making your job easier. Repeat.

In addition to monsters, your townsfolk will have to fight the elements.

While the concept is simple, it is oddly satisfying to fend off the monsters and slowly make progress towards closing off enemy lairs for good. The townsfolk construct buildings pretty quick, cycling through a 15-second timer shown on screen, and the maps aren't terribly big. The action chugs along, keeping the experience short and sweet. If you had to really grind for hours the game wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable, but luckily it finds the right balance and throws in some mini-puzzles for variety.

The best part is that as your town grows, your people will also find artifacts that they can offer you. These artifacts, such as magic spells, can then be utilized during the platforming segments of the game. In addition, as the total population grows you become stronger (more health) as well. Thus the simulation phase of the game directly feeds back into the platforming phase. This is absolutely brilliant, as it gives the player freedom to choose how to approach either section, while maintaining a sense of continuity throughout.

BOSS RUSH!!!

If the player feels they aren't strong enough to finish Act-2 in Bloodpool, then that's fine. They can easily move on to the next region, try Act-1 there, build up its population, level up, and then return in a stronger state. The order in which you visit each region is only consequential for maximizing your overall population. Thankfully, there is plenty of leeway given for you to get your self buffed-up to make most levels approachable.

All in all, this creative pacing of the game is what really makes the experience worth while. The platforming may not be the best, and the simulation isn't very deep, but the way the two are interwoven is incredibly satisfying and continues to pull the player along wanting more. This is what people mean when they call ActRaiser innovative. The game's design is so well done, that one can over look its other shortcomings and accept it for what it is. A damn fun time.