Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand for SFC
Review #2438
Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand
Zelda clone #62
Gameplay
Falcom finally ditched the awful bump-based combat from the previous games, but the combat here is still a bit awkward. The chief problem is that, while you can move in eight directions, you can only attack in four. This, combined with a sword that only hits directly in front of you, makes combat a struggle to line yourself up just right. You eventually gain magic projectiles, but this only introduces further problems because you must hold down on R to keep your magic meter full. This will give you carpal tunnel after a few minutes.
Much better than a lot of games in the genre, but with only a couple of tweaks this game could've been amazing.
Level Design
Pretty standard stuff for games at the top end of this genre, however it's easy to miss required items, plus the mostly-linear areas don't give you a lot of visual clues about where to go. I recommend a walkthrough.
Theme
Again, pretty standard stuff. You're a "chosen one" silent protagonist who's arrival has been foretold for generations, blah blah blah. Still, the NPCs have unique personalities and plotlines. I got about three hours in and didn't really connect with anything, but it's decent enough.
Art Style
Lovely backgrounds and ok sprites. A lot of nice touches, including transparencies and foreground elements. The color pallete is a bit drab, however. It looks a bit like a Genesis game. It's not far off from the best games in the genre, like Zelda or Terranigma, but it lacks something. It's nice, but boring.
Audio
A lot of nice songs, although nothing you'll be humming afterward. There's a "battle area" song that plays way too much, though. Again, it's good, but not amazing.
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