Dahna Megami Tanjou for MD

Image: MobyGames

Dahna Megami Tanjou

Lady Ghouls 'n Ghosts

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: Information Global Service

Year: 1991

System: MD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Plays like Valis or some of the other Wolfteam titles. That is movement is stilted and awkward, and hit detection is terrible. Pressing down makes you crouch and again make you prone on the ground. This feels very strange, as you can't move while crouched and you'll remain there if you let go of the d-pad. It's a state that you're in until you press up to exit. Also, why you would want to go prone is beyond me. While crouching you can't attack, and you can while jumping but the combination of terrible hit detection and weird and varied movement speed make this a risky venture. It's safest to wait for enemies to come to you while you remain stationary and mash the attack button. However, some enemies have a slightly longer reach than you so it's hard to time things just right. Also, enemies may be on a platform and won't come to you until you're near them, so it can be difficult to get the drop on them. Ultimately, it doesn't feel great. I really wish the controls were tighter. Oh, and health pickups are rare and you don't get health back between stages. This game is hard!

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

I really like the levels and wish I could see more! The game is just so hard. The first two levels start with you riding a monster and a horse, respectively. Level one is in a burning village - first outside, then inside - and level two is racing down and then across a mountainside. The designs are nothing to write home about, but I like the locales and the potential.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

It's Ghouls 'n Ghosts starring a warrior lady instead of a knight. A guy is kidnapped and you're off to rescue the dude in distress. Pretty generic, but the fantasy setting is always good. Static cutscenes between levels tell the brief story.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Very small sprites with minimal animation, but the backgrounds look very nice. No parallax scrolling or interesting effects, but again, it looks the part.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

My favorite aspect of this game. The music is well composed and suits the setting extremely well. However, the sound effects drag down the experience, especially since the music stops each time a sound effect plays! This would be a 4 if not for this terrible bug. Play this just for the music test.

Overall Score: 49

Review ID: 6013