tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post2533349685691327307..comments2024-01-29T18:11:40.469-08:00Comments on The RPG Consoler: Game 10: Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord (SMS) - Final RatingZenic Reveriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-8359446600966146462020-11-24T19:48:33.275-08:002020-11-24T19:48:33.275-08:00I started playing this game at the beginning of lo...I started playing this game at the beginning of lockdown (late march) I'd actually played this game once in 2010 got quite far then never played it again, so it was kind of unfinished business for me.<br />First of all, I was really impressed with the music, for it's time it is pretty top notch, the game was very dated and simple as i'd remembered, but the last RPG i'd played through before this was Dragon Warrior for NES so this was actually a huge step up, even the graphics seemed fresh in comparison. I spent months on this game, probably about 6 months in total, I didn't play it often as the constant grinding and being stuck got to be a drag sometimes, but i understand that's how older RPG's work, they had to make games artificially longer back then, so constant grinding and cryptic puzzles was always a given. It would be worse if you shelled out $70 for a game and breezed through it in a weekend! I was stuck so many times, there were no indicators really, you can't enter a certain cave without a character having the right armor etc..I recall being stuck for a month and then backtracking, checking all the old dungeons for something you may have missed then 'OMG I FOUND IT!' a chest I passed early in the game! That feeling of relief that you're no longer stuck, only to become confused as what to do next about 15 minutes later! There was a patch of desert, a single square in some mountains, I knew to check this and lo and behold you could enter, great. But finding the last monuments was a chore, I never understood the scroll, waay to cryptic, but I had to complete this game, so I started in the desert and pressed the button on every single square from right to left until I found them, the enemies being difficult here made it more frustrating as you'd end up having to run back to town to heal and buy all the herbs again, being repeatedly put to sleep by a giant worm just dragging this out further, when I finally found the final dungeon I was so so relieved. I went in there full health and maxed out with every magic item, I was determined to get this over with, i didn't hesitate anywhere, no mapping, I just rushed through as fast as possible looking for stairs/final boss. I found the chest of herbs to my relief as I was running low, I got everyone up to 2/3rds full and then randomly met the boss. She seemed way to strong, my calculations had me thinking this was hopeless and i'd have to level up and come back again which could take sevral hours, but I stuck it out anyway, just to see how far off I was, I used every magical item, I thought of those ressurection potions I had hoarded up, i let my main character die and tried to ressurect him...and was horrified to see this didn't work! I ended up just having Guy left, and those potions got him back to full health where I was able to deafeat her and finish the game, this was such a relief! I didn't know about those false stairs until I read this review here of yours, so i'm also very lucky to have not found them! <br />Overall, I think had I played this in 1988 I would have thought it was amazing, but yes, Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star came out round the same time, Zelda was out by now, and the bar had been raised for RPG's by this point, so it was obviously quickly forgotten. Also being a very early console RPG it has many elements that later RPGs learnt not to do (IE - one party member attacking at a time etc) and because of this it often felt like playing was a chore. The animated screen with your party was a nice idea but offered little, I don't think I worked out what its purpose was (or the fairy that follow you) but most likely probably to make the screen look much more attractive than it would have been with just a grid and a cursor. Still a nice looking fun game for its time, with a great soundtrack, and i'm glad i played through it and finally got closure, but I probably won't pick this up and play it again.Jaimie Rainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522990858956618650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-68559386524265663682012-06-13T23:23:00.358-07:002012-06-13T23:23:00.358-07:00More or less the scoring has been inline with my e...More or less the scoring has been inline with my enjoyment; my only reservation being that the scores are currently all clumped together. I'm hoping in a couple of game years that we'll see an upward movement.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-81403318501512159032012-06-13T19:42:58.159-07:002012-06-13T19:42:58.159-07:00I'd give it two ratings then: How much of an R...I'd give it two ratings then: How much of an RPG is it, and how much did you enjoy it. Since you seem to have a system that describes if it is an RPG well, it seems a shame to abandon it.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-41180284908971355182012-06-11T22:51:39.430-07:002012-06-11T22:51:39.430-07:00Honestly, I'm not sure the scoring system is w...Honestly, I'm not sure the scoring system is working out. I'm getting most of the games clumping around the 20s. It's less how much I enjoyed the game, and more how well it meets an ideal for an RPG. See <a href="http://allconsolerpgs.blogspot.com/2012/01/rules-and-ratings.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> for the post. I adjust +/-1 based on personal enjoyment, but largely it's determined by those areas.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-26645360371666637692012-06-11T21:14:27.052-07:002012-06-11T21:14:27.052-07:00I've got a question: Why did you give 3s in so...I've got a question: Why did you give 3s in so many categories when the text trashes them? For example, puzzler? (I normally ignore the numbers and just read the text, so I will admit, I've not paid much attention to your scoring system).Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-57370381567786946932012-06-11T19:01:48.658-07:002012-06-11T19:01:48.658-07:00I'll keep it mind, thanks.I'll keep it mind, thanks.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-68441327151413606492012-06-11T18:40:53.949-07:002012-06-11T18:40:53.949-07:00Chronsega volume 4 along with phantasy star.Chronsega volume 4 along with phantasy star.Sean697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-19698075126677958742012-06-11T17:48:34.859-07:002012-06-11T17:48:34.859-07:00Was this in an RPG retrospective, or part of the C...Was this in an RPG retrospective, or part of the Chronsega series?Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-28445114438757104152012-06-11T17:44:40.910-07:002012-06-11T17:44:40.910-07:00IIRC, he basically gave a quick mention of the oht...IIRC, he basically gave a quick mention of the ohter versions and gave a rather short look to the SMS port.killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-22409814524306850752012-06-11T17:30:57.679-07:002012-06-11T17:30:57.679-07:00I really need to take some time to go through Chro...I really need to take some time to go through Chrontendo again, especially since I've been playing games he's already reviewed. I'm interested to see what he has to say.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-18229074044929633992012-06-11T08:37:35.233-07:002012-06-11T08:37:35.233-07:00That was interesting. Other than Chrontendo's...That was interesting. Other than Chrontendo's short look at the game (I'm pretty sure he actually looked at a couple versions, but that this was the best...?), I've never even heard of it. Although I enjoy reading about games I've played, learning about obscure games is, perhaps, my primary draw to this.killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.com