Below the Cut: Ninja Taro (Game Boy)

(Source: GameFAQs)

Ninja Taro - Rating(7 RPP)
1) 0 - Character Advancement: practice/experience based advancement, stat or level increases, multiple classes or characters, customize characters
2) 0 - Combat: character stats used for combat, additional combat options, turn based
3) 0 - Items and Equipment: store to buy and sell, equipment decisions, item decisions
4) 0 - Story: main story at the forefront; world full of hints and lore; descriptions for objects, people, and places
5) 0 - Exploration: open world from the beginning, visited locations remain open
6) 0 - Quests and Puzzles: side quests not related to the main quest, puzzles and riddles to solve

Rather than bank everything on the next installment of Rolan's Curse, NMK leveraged their Game Boy engine of the first game with their Ninja-kun franchise. Judging by the front cover though, it seems the localization team thought the American audience wouldn't be interested in cutesy ninjas. In kind, Sammy marketed this one as an RPG as well. I'm going to guess that it wasn't well known as it's not even in MobyGames' database. I might add it myself, but dislike having to write up the description.

There are stat increases, but they're found in chests, so no experience or gold. Combat is action based with monsters running around a top-down world map. There is a selection of weapons to choose from, but I couldn't determine if items ever came into play. The story is minimal, but there are towns and NPCs. As for everything else, it's non-existent. I give this a very generous C for effort.

I appreciate what Sammy tried, and as a publisher for games that pushed boundaries I'm glad they took chances like this. However, this and Rolan's Curse definitely fall more into the realm of action-adventure. With Might and Magic done, we actually don't see the name Sammy again until Rolan's Curse 2. No other RPGs were published by them in the US as far as I can tell.

Below the Cut: Rolan's Curse (Game Boy)

(Source: The Game Boy Database)

Rolan's Curse - Rating(6 RPP)
1) 1 - Character Advancement: practice/experience based advancement, stat or level increases, multiple classes or characters, customize characters
2) 3 - Combat: character stats used for combat, additional combat options, turn based
3) 1 - Items and Equipment: store to buy and sell, equipment decisions, item decisions
4) 0 - Story: main story at the forefront; world full of hints and lore; descriptions for objects, people, and places
5) 1 - Exploration: open world from the beginning, visited locations remain open
6) 0 - Quests and Puzzles: side quests not related to the main quest, puzzles and riddles to solve

It's hard to credit this as an RPG. It's even harder to credit it as a Zelda clone. It's a very simple game, on par with Double Dungeons quite frankly. You are "soldier" and you need to kill some demon called Barius that has cursed the land of Rolan. All this is uncovered through epilogues after each boss is killed, before starting the next stage. There aren't any character levels, and health is represented by hearts. The character also has a sword, and that's where the comparison to Zelda stops (well, there is the top-down view as well).

There are towns with NPCs that only have a 4 or 5 words to say, and usually limited to "thou art awesome!" or something similar. No experience or levels. There is an attack stat, but it gets reset at the beginning of each stage. There are four stages in all, each with a boss to fight and treasure to collect. The equipment is mildly interesting. There's a choice between sword or projectile magic for the main attack and a sub-weapon in the form of a rock crushing pick-axe, chameleon ring (turns your character into a tree or rock, but you can still be hurt so what's the point), power crystal orb (by far the best weapon), and a few others I'm failing to recall because they aren't worth it. Attack power increases, invincibility cloaks, and life point increases are also available from killing monsters or discovering chests.

It does have an open world going for it. At least in the individual stages, you're free to roam and get lost, but there's rarely anything interesting to find. It's a short game, I completed it in less than two hours while trying it out (seemed short so I finished). I feel sorry for anyone that bought this game, it seems bargain bin priced at best, but I have the feeling it cost at least $30 on store shelves. I see no reason anyone should play this game. Maybe the sequel will prove a better experience.