Aretha the Super Famicom
...that's a weird subtitleGenre: rpg - japanese
Publisher: Yanoman
Year: 1993
System: SFC
Gameplay Score: 3
Gameplay Notes:
Plays a bit like Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Very streamlined RPG experience. My main complaint is something that the dev added as a QoL feature. Movement is in 4 directions but when you run into a boundary your character begins moving lateral to the initial movement. So, walk into a wall and you'll turn to one side and continue moving. This is convenient every now and then but maddening the rest of the time. It's most annoying when trying to talk to shopkeepers behind their counter or when walking around in a town. Another complaint is how frequently attacks fail. Only about half of attacks (yours and those of your enemies) actually hit. This makes fights far longer than they need to be. There's a modern inventory system but buying and equipping gear is so, so bad.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
I'm being generous here, but after having played a ton of obtuse RPGs it's nice to find one that is linear and straightforward. Again, Final Fantasy Music Quest is a decent comparison. The world is small, so there's no opportunity to get lost, and there's a Consult menu item to tell you your next objective.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
Not many JRPGs have a young girl as the main protagonist. This feels fresh and different. It also feels small and low stakes, which is both good and bad.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
The overhead sections look great - the backgrounds anyway. Some even have parallax scrolling, transparencies, and other effects. The sprites are nothing to get excited about. However, the sprites during battle look amazing! It's a first person view so you never see your party, but the enemies are fantastic.
Audio Score: 2
Audio Notes:
The music gets annoying rather quickly. Subpar for the genre. The sound during battles is quite bizarre. Everything sounds like an echo, as of the sounds are bring played far away. This is true for the music but even moreso of the sound effects. I've never heard anything quite like it.
Overall Score: 66
Review ID: 1533
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