Game 26: Rings of Power (Genesis) - Every Other Game Has Rings It Seems

Game 26

Title: Rings of Power
Released: 1991
Platform: Genesis
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: RPG
Exploration - Top-down (isometric)
Combat - Turn based (auto-target)
Series - Standalone



Rings of Power is one of the few games where I don't know what to expect. I haven't played many of the games on my list, but I've at least heard something about them. This one, however, has gone under the radar in such a way that all I really know is it is difficult, and it's easy to get lost. After reading the manual I'm looking forward to the challenge.

The in-game intro supplies most of the story

A battle between Nexus (bringer of a golden age) and Void (usurper and harbinger of the dark age) resulted in the Rod of Creation separating into 11 parts, known as the Rings of Power. That was 500 years ago. Rumors have surfaced that the black priests of Void seek the rings to recapture their power. Thalmus, headmaster of the Sorcery Academy, has put the task of collecting the rings to Buc, a young apprentice.

Rod of Power? What happened to the Rod of Creation?

The manual fed me enough intrigue that I could hardly wait to start playing, and now that I've sunk in some hours I'm eager to get back. I don't want to get too far ahead before writing something up though. Beyond basic controls the manual described each character, transportation methods (and how much food/water they consume), and some hints written from Thalmus' perspective. There's also a small walkthrough, which I've avoided so far.

Game menu screen, unfortunately there's only one save slot

While there's a lot of detail in the manual, the game has done a good job of covering the same information. Every character in the game has some talent for a discipline of magic. Knights have separation spells, which tear apart objects. Archers use force to propel objects. Necromancers' spells have to do with the body and including healing forces. Enchanters have the ability to transform reality. Conjurors summon power from different planes of existance. Sorcerers have control over the mind. Each discipline has a corresponding academy where I'm to seek out a specific individual to add to my party.

Let's get to it!

Detailed in Thalmus' hints are where to start looking for each ring. There's one ring for each discipline, an second ring for each magical discipline, and third ring for sorcery. The game also came with a glossy map of the world, called Ushka Bau, that shows the name of most towns and important locations. To reduce costs outside the US, you had to purchase the map separately (the manual also didn't receive a full color print in other countries).

I just realized I didn't explore that building behind me in this intro (*Plop*)

I noticed the manual available online cuts off at page 66, which misses most of the hints. Here's a quick summary of them all for anyone interested:

Characters
----------
Slash (Knight) - seek out Hack in the City of Division
Feather (Archer) - seek Guildmaster Arrow in the City of Speed
Alexi (Conjurer) - seek Guildmaster Haze in the City of Perfection
Mortimer (Necromancer) - seek Flemm in the City of Blood

Obliky (Enchanter) - seek Xylotyl of Kaos

Rings
--------
Division (1st Separation) - King of Doggania knows more, but has taken ill; don't trust the regent
Advancing (1st Archer) - Queen of Richi may know where it is
Thought (1st Sorcerer) - Red Priest Ak Thul in City of Mind knows of it
Intuition (2nd Sorcerer) - El Gripa, grounds keeper, at academy of sorcery may know of it
Will (3rd Sorcerer) - Keef the Thief, leader of the Thieves Guild in Thieves Haven, may have it
Bile (1st Necromancer) - located with Pain's body? Seek Curtis in City of Blood for more info
Blood (2nd Necromancer) - Motarin (evil necromancer) has it, seek guildmaster in city of blood
Variation (1st Enchanter) - in a tower on Eastern side of Great Desert, search Kaos for more info
Mutation (2nd Enchanter) - ring turned into a woman moving from city to city, start search in Kaos
Calling (1st Conjurer) - speak to old man behind a waterfall, Slice in Division might know more
Perfection (2ns Conjurer) - hidden in a "perfect place..." seek University Library expert on Perfection

Attempting to acclimate myself to the menu and controls

The display reminds me strongly of Populous, but I'd guess the real reason for such a small world view is a limitation of the Genesis. This game was originally made for the PC, and it's possible the developers needed to reduce the screen area to avoid slowdown. In any case, I've gotten used to it. Orienting myself, I found I was standing right next to the Academy of Sorcery.

The helpful controller displayed in the upper right can be toggled on and off

I met up with Thalmus inside. He taught me and five other students the spell of Stun. After class, he told me to speak to Ak Thul at the temple, and return once I'd finished there. From my notes I noticed Ak Thul was supposed to know something about the Ring of Thought; however, I spoke to the priest and learned nothing knew. I received a Tome of Nexus and nothing more.

Well, what does this have to do with anything?

One of the biggest difficulties I've had with the game is identifying which character I'm addressing. The game uses a menu of topics; however, unlike Ultima IV, there's no option to ask for a character's name. Many times the character will eventually identify themselves; that wasn't the case with Ak Thul... I'm still not sure I actually spoke to him.

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I get the feeling a twist is on the horizon

The town had general stores which either sold trade goods or food and water. Food and water are consumed constantly. The manual suggests different rates depending on the terrain and type of travel. A travel agent can sell dinos to help reduce food and water usage over land, or boats and ships that allow sea voyages. There are also dragons that allow flight, but consume a greater amount of food and water. I'm not sure what happens if I were to run out of either as the manual didn't go into that kind of detail.

Do you always leave your things on the floor?

The rest of the village consisted of houses with commoners, a city council office where a crazy man was behind bars, and taverns and inns where I could grab a drink or rest in a bed. It's possible to heal at the inns, but I noticed HP and MP replenish over time as well. I wonder if this is the first case of auto-regeneration in a console RPG. Eventually I returned to Thalmus, and he gave me a quest to retrieve the academy symbol from a hermit.

You mean kill him, don't you?

I've learned that dialogue isn't always unique to each character. Either an entire area/town or class of characters have a generic set of text. Characters with something unique to say offer it first before devolving into the more generic script. Many times though that script really doesn't fit the character at all.

Talk about an out of character experience

As expected from the developers of Keef the Thief, there's a lot humor injected into the game that doesn't fit the game world. The crazy man locked up seems to be a personification of one of the developers. He has a lot of dialogue about reprogramming the game, and is especially fearful of the Buc1.bc file.

I'm not sure if this is an in-joke, or if I should consider it a hint for the game

On my way to meet up with the hermit I ran into quite a number of random battles. I quickly learned one thing, I'm not ready to fight any of them. Combat actions occur either automatically or manually. I've set it to manual mode as it gives me the most control. Even then, I only control which spell to cast. Movement is automated, and I'm not sure how it is determined. There are four different general combat settings for the party that range from high powered attacks focused on one enemy at a time to low powered attacks that are used on the closest enemy.

This is a 6th level spell, cast by an enemy randomly encountered inside the first town

Another random battle I have no chance of beating

At least the hermit was a quick fight. I've had to avoid all fights aside from those directly involved in the main quest. I think things will continue like this until I get a couple more companions. When I returned with the eye Thalmus invited everyone to join him in the main hall to discuss the findings of his most recent research into the Rings of Power. As he explained that each of us should form a party, and to be wary of the black priests of Void also seeking the rings, two of the students (Darius and Fezzik) attacked Thalmus and killed him.

Is that a command?

If only there were some way we could have known! I mean if there were only some way we could have realized evil lurked in the hearts of these two students. I could have warned Thalmus.

Oh wait, I did...

I wonder if I could get away with attacking them early...

With Thalmus' last word I was transported outside the City of Division, home of the knights of separation. I was instructed to speak with Hack to recruit Slash. Instead of releasing his student from his studies, I was first tasked with finding a black priest, Scourge. This Scourage had a key that unlocked a chest with the knight's symbol. As soon as I showed this to Hack, Slash joined my party.

When I arrived in Division I earned enough experience to gain a level

Quests in this game aren't tracked in any sort of journal, and the triggers aren't always obvious. In fact, it seems possible to skip around some quest lines. For example, one of the knights in town told me I could find Scourge by asking a merchant named Rashiid; however, he told me this even before I spoke to Hack. Dialogue does change over time though, as I received new clues from some characters after recruiting Slash.

All options are available for any conversation, bribe gives 10 gold to the character, but the result is always unknown

Beyond the overworld map and indoor areas, it's possible to zoom into every square outside. This allows closer examination of the surrounding area. Most of the time there's nothing to see, but there are a few instances where closer examination reveals hidden passages. It was in one of these that Scourge was hiding. Lucky for me he was alone, as I'd randomly faced him outdoors while he was accompanied by other thugs.

'Show' automatically chooses an item they're interested in, or tells me they're not interested in anything

My next suggested stop was to recruit the archer character from the City of Speed; however, that's clear across the continent. The City of Blood, the next town over, seems much better to visit after Division. A necromancer that can assist in keeping me alive would be an excellent addition at this point. Unfortunately, getting to the headmaster is a bit difficult as he's too wrapped up in a private funeral.

The search command is very handy as it gives an overview of everything available while indoors, more games should have this

In order to gain entrance to speak with Flemm, I was asked by the doorman to help him out by acting as courier for the corpse upstairs. Turns out he's too busy getting ready for a date to take it out to the grave site of Tsalami. It's strange that even though the game tracks day and night, day-to-day activities are all the same. Flemm is always busy, and the guy guarding the door always has an upcoming date. I've learned the grave's location is up on some hill to the south of town, but I haven't located the grave.

Hints are very plentiful, I'm not sure how anyone could get lost

A lot of the hints I've been getting come along with coordinates that currently don't have any meaning. I learned of a sextant hidden behind a waterfall near the city of Cathedral, which is supposed to give me the coordinates of my current location, but the city is also on the other side of the continent. A casino at 21' 24' is supposed to have a clue about Ring of Blood, Curtis is near town at 16' 7" 16' 4" and is supposed to know of one of the rings, and lastly the grave I seek is at 15' 6" 18' 3". I'm torn between going out of my way for the sextant now, or continue searching all the graves until I stumble upon Tsalami's.

Beyond random combat, there are also encounters like this that request gold... refusal turns the "friendly" dialogue into combat

The time really flew while playing and exploring, but I think I have a handle on the game now. I should progress much faster going forward. A couple of random observations so far leave me with mixed feelings about the game. First, there's no equipment, only spells to purchase. At the same time I've been strapped for cash since I didn't invest in trade goods right away, and there's a constant need to purchase food and water (at least I think it's constant as I'm unsure what happens if I try to go without it). Second, I don't really see any stats beyond HP and MP. Supposedly spells will do more damage as I level, but I didn't notice a difference between 1st and 2nd.

I'm pretty sure this guy lies, as I just fought him and am hurt

I have many other clues and leads to go off for many more hours. There's a waterfall at 30' 1" 5' 4" where I'm to find a lead for the Ring of Calling. There's an expert on the Ring of Division at Cathedral. A sorcerer at the City of Mind will tell me more about one of the rings if I return with the Mirage spell (purchased at Magic B Us... I swear I've heard that joke before). I need to get a handle on the trade good situation to build up some of my funds though if I'm to get any further.

I wouldn't mind if the in-game map was the actual game world

Elapsed Time: 2h40m (Total Time: 2h40m)


Edit: Raifield noted that the images look a little blurry. This is probably due to my capture hardware upscaling all images to 720 x 480. If I choose any other resolution it doesn't detect the source unfortunately. First is the original, followed by a conversion to 320 x 224 (standard Genesis resolution).

Let me know which is preferred, and I can add in a step to convert the images if necessary. I don't think there's much difference when viewing them on the blog, but if you click on the image you get a full resolution display.

Game 25: Cadash (Genesis | TG-16 | Xbox) - Living on the Edge (Finished! + Final Rating)

Game 25

Title: Cadash
Released: 1989 (Arcade JP) - 1991 (TurboGrafx-16) - 1992 (Genesis)
Platform: Genesis | TG-16 | Xbox
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito (Working Designs [TG-16])
Genre: ACTION-rpg
Exploration - Side-scrolling (light platforming)
Combat - Real-time
Series - Standalone

Won!

As detailed in a previous cut turned accept post I decided to play Cadash, and blog about it. Well, I think my original decision to cut was the correct one after now playing it; however, I'll follow through and give it a full review. The turning point for inclusion was learning it's possible buy and sell equipment. Well it turns out there's only buying, and there aren't any item decisions (they're all used automatically as needed). The world on the other hand is a little more open than I thought, and it's possible to backtrack to revisit towns or grind out some levels.

Four characters available on TG-16 and Xbox (Genesis only has fighter and mage)

It's definitely an arcade style game where you're expected to feed quarters to win (with a high score). I played through the arcade version by way of Taito Legends 2 released for the Xbox. This version offered varying difficultly levels, including a custom mode to adjust enemy difficulty and play time. The game is timed in the arcade version. I played yesterday on easy, which adds 8 minutes at the start of every chapter. The console ports don't offer any difficulty setting, and time is removed from the equation.

*Plop*

The story goes that a princess was kidnapped, and our adventurers have come to answer the call. The party (or solo character) traverses a dungeon to find a black slime guarding a portal. Portals connect the game's seamless sprawling levels, of which there are five. On the TG-16, the levels are disconnected a bit as towns and dungeons are connected by a cave entrance, and on the Genesis some dungeons are broken down further and connected by doorways.

Grinding on early monsters in the first cave

The first cave on the Genesis

Comparable shot from the Xbox

As you can tell from the graphics (sorry for the blurry shots from the Xbox, they're taken from a console recording), the ports differ a bit. The Xbox version is as close to the original arcade as possible on console without playing in an arcade. This means they also left things in like credit feeding, of which I took advantage, but it was only about $3.00 to beat the game.

Part of the arcade's attract mode

Same screen on TG-16, there's no comparable screen on Genesis

Other changes include a revamp of the leveling system and values for each monster killed. Level layout was modified a bit to accommodate differences in screen transitions. Bosses and enemies remained mostly unchanged; however, the Genesis version cut out a giant plant boss that offered a mid-game elixir (full heal), and the TG-16 doesn't reveal the final boss as a dragon until the re-fight back at the castle.

Not available in the Genesis version

Oh, Working Designs and their translations... here we're back at the castle before the big reveal

I had fun with the game, but I don't think anyone should considered it an RPG, no matter how it scores below. It's a good action game, and more fun with a bunch of friends, but don't expect an epic adventure.

Xbox - Final Time: 1h15m
TG-16 - Final Time: 1h20m
Genesis - Final Time: 1h40m

Like saving you...

What about the important thing?

That's a very good reproduction of the original screen

Combatant
Combat is well balanced, and there's little opportunity to get overpowered. Even at max level the final areas pose a threat to the unprepared. There's no chance to heal during the lead up to the final boss all the way to the end. The only character I didn't play was the fighter since he had the least options. The ninja at least had projectile attacks that could fire in any of eight directions, and the priestess' flail covers nearly half the screen. The mage, of course, has his spells.

The final boss' form has two heads, but not in the TG-16 version

There's a good range of enemies, and there's hardly any overlap between the five areas. The bosses provide a good challenge. It is possible to over grind (although you need to watch that clock in the arcade version) and trivialize most of the game, but it's still fun to see all the different enemies. Another notable difference in the Genesis version is the lack of flying insect enemies that cause poison. This leaves spiders as the only threat that requires an antidote as poison quickly depletes HP.

I'm not sure two heads would fit on the screen

Rewards for defeating monsters are worth the effort (limited to gold and exp), and new levels come at a good pace. Most bosses have an AI pattern that's easy to decipher, but getting into that groove is harder on the Genesis version. Projectiles, especially those from the slime bosses, are sped up to at least double their speed in other ports. Luckily that version comes with 2 continues, and more lives available to purchase; TG-16 has no concept of lives or continues beyond the elixir items.
Rating: 6

This fight isn't as close as it seems... I had 4 lives and 2 elixirs left

Admirer
I suppose one of the main reasons this game falls under the RPG umbrella are levels and stats. Sure these increase through experience gained from defeating monsters. Sure stats play a large role in dishing out more damage and absorbing it. I'll even grant it the fantasy motif complete with rural towns that sell items, weapons, and lodging. In all respects it does well with the dressings of an RPG.

It even offers a mocking villain

Yet, most of the points this game scores in are deep in a few select areas, and missed out on customization. It was a nice surprise to see weapons and armor represented on the characters. In the above picture my ninja has a black suit complete with a separate mask and upgraded his projectile to a fireball. Yet, there really aren't any options that I had to decide. If I could afford the newest equipment, it was always better.

My mage dressed in red... also, this area changed in the Genesis to one moving platform from three

Lastly, as expected for an action game, the controls are spot on in all versions. Responsive and smooth, the movement doesn't drag on. I do wish they changed the magic system in the Genesis version. To select a spell, hold the attack button for half a second, and a display of the last spell cast is shown. Continue to hold and it cycles through all known spells. In both arcade and TG-16, there's a small pause at each spell accompanied by a chime. On Genesis, that audio cue is missing, and the delay is reduced, so selecting the correct spell is troublesome. The Genesis has three buttons though, and that third button could have been used to ready and cycle through the spell list while the attack button could cast it as normal. That's my biggest complaint.
Rating: 5

Thought I was exaggerating? That's about half the screen... the priest's shield spell is the best spell, although I never tried the time spell only available in the Xbox/arcade version

Puzzler
Yeah, no puzzles. This is really where the game starts to show off its unfinished side. The main quest to find the princess is sprinkled with short objectives like "go through that cave to the end." This mainly consists of going right, but there are a few times left is required.

There's a small maze at one point

No side quests, unless we're going to count the optional boss no one pointed us towards (and removed from the Genesis). Everything in the game is for the purpose of getting to the princess, and defeating the last boss. There aren't any mini-games to speak of, which isn't surprising, but I thought I'd point it out.

This doesn't quite do this part justice...

There's only one way to accomplish each goal, and they all have to be done in the correct order. At one point we backtrack to speak to an animal to find a hidden passage after getting a charm that allows the character to communicate. That passage only opens after we've spoken to that animal, it's not possible to skip it.
Rating: 1

The Genesis' take on the same screen is more impressive, but the flame jet still doesn't curve as it moves

Instigator
The names of people and places change, but the story remains the same. The princess of one kingdom is kidnapped by the big bad because he has plans to take over all kingdoms. He's either Baarogue or Balrog. In our adventures we save a young girl revealed to be a mermaid, become a gnome to enter tiny houses, and avenge a town hero killed by bandits. All throughout, NPCs offer a bit of back story to each continent, and at least a few identify where to go next.

Please don't say 'flesh'... please don't say 'flesh'

Missing is some general lore that gives a sense of immersion. Instead the focus is always on what the player needs to accomplish next. This doesn't feel like a thriving or dying world, but one in stasis. There aren't any decisions or consequences laid out for any of my actions either. Here we see the story really isn't the central point of the game.

This is all Working Designs, they were a cooky bunch that loved throwing in pop culture references

Just because I think it's interesting to point out the differences in names, here are a few more. The hero from the demolished town is always named Abel, but his faithful dog went from Ling Ling to Reen Tinn (Rin Tin Tin?) to Alex. The helpful gnome who suggested the alternate path to the herb which allowed the transformation to become a gnome was named Chovin for the arcade and TG-16, but changed to Jobim on the Genesis. In fact, the name of the herb is different as well: named Maiya originally, but called Lilliput (Gulliver's Travels?) on the Genesis. There are probably others, but I'll leave that to other articles and sites that point out all the differences between ports (if this isn't a thing, then it should be).
Rating: 2

Other versions didn't even consider the player going back to talk to other animals

Collector
For an arcade game I'm surprised that we're even talking about collecting items. Really equipment is the only thing tracked that isn't consumable, and there's no inventory screen to admire the items. It's unfortunate more wasn't done with this, but it doesn't surprise me it's so limited. There's no sense of collecting, and no difference between buying only the last set of equipment or iterating through them.

Most shops offer at least one item for each character... I think someone missed a 0, but this is also in the arcade version

Gold is always a valuable resource. It's used to buy equipment, herbs, antidotes, and other necessary items. I could spend it all on the 8 HP increment item if I didn't have to back track so far. Strangely, unlimited purchases were allowed for that item except in the Genesis version (you could only buy it four times). The arcade had an item to buy more time (something I took advantage of), the TG-16 had the HP sink, and the Genesis allowed me to buy extra lives (which I ended up never needing).

Strangely, the Genesis version's shop is limited to 4 items, and the final shop only has fighter equipment

There's nowhere to store items, and herbs and antidotes are limited to 8 or 4 depending on the version. There are treasure chests that offer up each, but if you're at max they won't do anything (not even heal). Hidden throughout the levels are invisible items you need to attack 4 or 5 times before they'll appear, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to know about these without randomly attacking all locations. Obviously the hoarder mentality hadn't quite hit the arcades at this point.
Rating: 2

The price of time increases with every purchase of it

Explorer
I found the graphics and music offered their own unique charm to each port, and on the whole they were all enjoyable. The world layout would have been more impressive if they managed the seamless transitions of the original, but I understand there were hardware limitations. The atmosphere was well formed, and each continent had a unique feel. Each was connected via a portal, which felt like stepping into another world.

One of the more unique areas

There weren't any special points of interest though, and the dungeons themselves were all similar in how they twisted along a single linear path (some exceptions such as the shortcut in level 2). The Genesis offered the most compact environments, and required some caves to be carved up into much smaller passages connected by doors.

The fiery underground of the fourth dungeon

One design decision I appreciated, which may have been a disguised limitation, was after defeating the fire demon--in both TG-16 and arcade--the player was forced to backtrack after the boss and know to use the flute to cross a fiery moat; however, the Genesis offered a bridge revealed by the flute over the fire that encircled the small island where the battle took place. The door used to get to the boss fight strangely no longer functioned, but instead the player is forced to learn what the flute does. It also eliminated the backtracking from the boss as the door on the other side exited near the graveyard above.
Rating: 4

The console version's environments are similar, but I wasn't able to capture screens as good as these

Final Rating: 20 [33%]

Overall, I'm glad I played it instead of discounting it entirely. I don't think it deserved a full post, but showing off the differences intrigued me enough to put in the effort. There is a speedrun on YouTube done with the ninja. It's split into three parts though due to the ancient limit of 10-minute videos. Going forward I'll try to include more details and actually play the games for a couple hours before I cut them. That means I'll postpone my cut of King's Bounty just in case, and get right into Rings of Power. I'm very excited about diving into that one as I just read through the 120 page manual (well, 80+ since the last 30 - 40 are actually a walkthrough).

Sweet! High score