Good things come to those who look in the discount bins of the local
K-Mart electronics section, and I got lucky last January: a brand-new
Saturn copy of the hard-to-find 1996 action RPG "Legend of Oasis" (relased
as "Thor" in Japan) for $15. After playing through the game's eight HUGE
dungeons (which have to be played in a linear fashion but allow freedom to
go and do anything within each), almost breaking in half all of my Saturn
controllers and finally surrendering to the cheaters tool that are
internet FAQ's, I can testify to the fact that this sleeper game was
Sega's answer to the incredible level design of the Nintendo "Zelda"
games... only it came out for the Saturn looking like a slightly-upgraded
16-bit title a handful of years too late to make an impact in a market
that was going gaga at the time for "Super Mario 64" and "NiGHTS" (summer
of '96).
Yuzo Koshiro was the programmer/musician that developed this game's
prequel for the Sega Genesis, "Beyond Oasis", a short but well-designed
game that got swept by the early hype of the '95 arrivals of the 32-bit
systems. He and developer Ancient have returned to the Saturn to finish
what they didn't achieve in the first game, a lengthier quest because
"Beyond Oasis", if you didn't play it, was very short and linear but was
oozing with brain-busting puzzles and sword action. Although it doesn't
take advantage of the Saturn 32-bit processors, "Legend of Oasis" packs
its CD with decent audio effects and music, a lot of animation frames for
the main character Leon, the puzzles are more vexing and better integrated
into the game, the action segments are hard but not overwhelming, and the
fun of playing comes from solving this bitch on your own (good luck!). The
backstory behind this game recalls Climax's efforts to upgrade their
Genesis action RPG "Landstalkers" into the Saturn game "Dark Savior"; and,
like Climax and "Dark Savior", Ancient makes the trip from Genesis to
Saturn development with mixed results.
GRAPHICS / VISUALS: B- (80)
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I'm not being a pervert when I say it, but you have to see Leon's pants
move in this game... it's as if they have a life of their own (ahem!) with
the smooth animation that has been given to Leon by Ancient animators;
there is a slight pause when Leon switches weapons though, probably to
allow the machine to access the new set of frames required to keep our
leading man looking good. Shame that all other characters he has to slay
or interact with aren't animated as well as he is, giving the game's
central character a lot of personality at the expense of the supporting
cast (which isn't that interesting to begin with... who really cares about
looking at smoothly-animated sewer rats? Eeuuu!).
The biggest drawback in the animation deparment is that Ancient used a
scaling technique to make small enemies look bigger (instead of making new
frames of animation, which takes time and space), which results in some of
the most unattractive and pixelated characters in the Saturn since "Doom"
was ported over. The FMV intro and the cut-scenes in the game are all
hand-drawn stills with a weird style that turned me off completely, but
might interest other discriminating otakus that can find the game; the
storyline is advanced through these stills though, so there is an
interesting quest advanced through them if you care to put attention to
them (or can stand even looking at them).
The colors of the game are fine but could have used a little more
variety from the slightly drab and lifeless hues on display in "Legend of
Oasis". Most of the walls and structures are fairly bland in design, but
there are enough colorful textures and variety in the eight dungeons (lots
and lots of blue on display here, since water is to be found everywhere
Leon travels). Think of a lower-resolution renditions of the 2D worlds of
"Albert Odyssey" and "Magic Knight Rayearth" (or higher-resolution
versions of the worlds in Nintendo's 16-bit "Zelda" games), and you will
get a clear idea of what "Oasis" looks like; needless to say, people
looking for flashy effects and polygon power should keep walking toward
"Powerslave" and "Burning Rangers".
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: C+ (79)
---------------------
Sound effects are exceptionally clear and lack the muffled tones we've
come to expect from Saturn games; everything from the clash of Leon's
sword against foe/item to the splash of the water as it surrounds the
dungeons (among dozens of other smaller sound pleasures sparkled
throughout the lengthy quest). Yuzo Koshiro took time away from designing
the dungeons and actually sat down and wrote the tunes of the game and,
IMHO, failed miserably in creating music that fits the Indiana
Jones-meets-"The 11th Hour" gameplay that can be found in "Oasis". It's OK
and somewhat ambient, but the tunes are just too uninvolving and 16-bit
for my taste (which isn't a slant against MIDI music: "Yoshi's Island" on
SNES and "Sonic the Hedgehog" on Genesis have some of the best videogame
music I've ever heard).
GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: B- (84)
---------------------
The balance of the world is thrown into chaos when the Gold and Silver
Armbands appear in Oasis simultaneously; the Gold Armband belongs to a
hero named Reharl and the Silver Armband belonged to a demon named Agito.
The Gold Armband is found by Ordan, who eventually passes it to his
apprentice Leon (you) who must then embark on the game's quest in order to
collect six elements (all related to key elements like Wind, Earth, Fire,
Water, Sound and Darkness) that will be needed to fight the menace of the
carrier of the Silver Armband... guess who? I ain't saying, because that
is the only interesting plot element in an otherwise cliche and
predictable storyline that is typical videogame scenario (you saving the
world, again? Woo!).The real stars of the game's visuals are the dungeons
and backgrounds that Leon has to study carefully and analyze if he wants
to advance to the next room, or pick the power-up that the many
hard-to-reach platforms are tempting you with. The 3/4 overhead
perspective gives the game a pseudo-3D viewpoint that can confuse the hell
out of you and play tricks with your eyes; to the designer's credit, never
does the solving of a puzzle fail to make sense once you've figured out
how to activate the switch/button at certain end of a level, which will
activate an item or floating platform elsewhere. Lots of backtracking
through previously cleared levels, leaps of logic and fits of fury and
frustration are in order when playing "Legend of Oasis", so be prepared
and start stocking up on Saturn " controllers (they'll be tossed), cement
(walls will be hit by tossed controllers) and buckets of paint (walls that
were fixed from the damage by tossed controllers have to look neat again).
Although most of the puzzle is of the 'throw a switch to open/activate
something elsewhere' variety (which Eidos successfully took into 3D with
"Tomb Raider" that same year), "Legend of Oasis" shines on the videogame
scene the same way an outdated antique stands out in a room full of new
products: looks outdated and out of place, but holds plenty of sentimental
value for the few who take their videogaming habit seriously. Think
"Zelda" and/or "Prince of Persia", but subdued and under the calming
influence of a relaxed pace until the next stumper gets you angry again.
OVERALL: B- (82)
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Worth tracking down and finding if you're a sentimental fool who shouts
and loudly proclaims his/her affection toward the good old days of gaming
when 'it was all about gameplay... without emphasis on... flashy
graphics...', "The Legend of Oasis" is the closest thing to an action RPG
on the domestic Sega Saturn that challenges the IQ with the Þtype of
brain-busters hardcore gamers crave ("Alundra" anyone?). Recommended, if
you can find a Caldor store closing out their unsold videogame inventory
(which is the only likely location that might still have copies of the
game, since it's as hard to find as the chances of Argentina ever winning
another FIFA World Cup... right? :).
-
J.M.Vargas
