Sword of Vermilion for Genesis

Image: MobyGames

Sword of Vermilion

Zelda 2 with overhead combat

Genre: adventure - overhead

Publisher: Sega

Year: 1991

System: Genesis

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Three distinct modes - in town, overworld/dungeon, and combat. Battles are random encounters. Roaming the world is an interesting experience. You do it from a first person point-of view like in a dungeon crawler. When a random battle appears you switch to an overhead point of view. Only one type of monster will attack you in any encounter. Most encounters will feature up to 8 of them at once. You attack with a sword that has horrible reach and bad hit detection. Earn exp points and level up like an RPG. Controls are responsive (not in the first person segments) but the gameplay is not compelling.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Go to a dungeon, get the ring, go to the next dungeon and repeat.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

It's a mix of Willow, Conan, The Last Kingdom, and Tangled. Yeah you heard me. As a baby your kingdom was conquered and you were take to grow up elsewhere without knowing your true identity. Now it's time to take back your throne. Not sure exciting but it'll do.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Grainy graphics on par with Lagoon for the SNES.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Not so good. The battle song is jazzy and does not fit the fantasy setting. You'll hear it a lot so yeah, the soundtrack is awful.

Overall Score: 46

Review ID: 1296