so, Legendary?
are we better than Golden?
the "axe" wars begin
Additional Comments:
While drowning in a murky pool of unfinished Beat All Games video game playthroughs - mostly due to crazy game lengths, absurd collectable statuses, or just having to tackle subsequent difficulty levels, I decided to try my hand at something completely fresh - something I've never seen before. What better system to find such a game than the TurboGrafx-16, I thought. And so we have Legendary Axe. Upon first glance, as I made my way through Zone 1, it made me think of Castlevania or perhaps even Super Ghouls n' Ghosts, yet really, neither comparison truly holds any water. Let's just say it's your typical slay-some-demons-with-your-axe-and-save-the-scantily-clad-girl-at-the-end. Fair enough.
It's not that bad of a game, really, but it's definitely not great either. It's just one of those mediocre titles that you play, sort of enjoy at the time and quickly forget about thereafter since there's no positives or negatives that can leave a lasting impression. Other than it's quirky power system, it's hellish maze that is the Pits of Madness and the initial encounter with a quintet of Aqua Lungs, the game is pretty rudimentary. I will say though that the game is pretty solid in its design, in that (and this includes the aforementioned level and boss) the game doesn't stray into any scenarios modeled after cheap difficulty or needless aggravation, like pixel-perfect platforming with knockback, that often accompanies platformers of this style. And for that, despite my rather tepid reception, I actually enjoyed playing through the game.
Even my gripes regarding the Pits of Madness are fairly unnecessary, although a maze of 20 sublevels is a bit over the top. Honestly, outside of Room L, the Pits of Madness is pretty easy going as long as you take it slow. Which really, that seems to be the underlying theme of the game: patience. Seriously, if you rush this game, you're going to die, but if you take it slow, you can probably manage the whole game without taking a single hit. Now I'm sure that's true for any game, but I don't think it's as apparent as it is here. Everything has such a clearly defined pattern that the game basically becomes a test of memory with each individual sprite movement, sort of reminding me of 8 Eyes in that respect, but far less annoying. And while on the theme of patience, oh man, you have got to have some serious patience when you face the Aqua Lung boss. I think I squatted in the corner of the screen waiting for the perfect chance to strike longer than I spent trying to figure out the solution to the Pits of Madness.
Being a TurboGrafx game, it's always interesting to see something that isn't produced by the usual suspects. Although, I think because of my limited knowledge when it comes to NEC games, I'm blindly promoting them to pedestal status - especially after my run-in with Magical Chase, despite my opinions regarding Bonk's Adventure. Ah well, unfortunately this game didn't quite live up to the unrealistic standards I seem to be imposing on these game. But at the same time, it hasn't exactly tarnished NEC's reputation that I have somehow fabricated out of nothingness either. So...huzzah!
Before I close, I should mention the music. Surprisingly, despite the game's mediocrity, I rather enjoyed the music, especially Zone 1 and Zone 5A, aka the Pits of Madness. If anything, I think the music was the real highlight of the game.
Nano-Rant:
I have to renege on my previous statement regarding a no-hit scenario, because seriously, is it even possible to destroy the two Boulders without taking multiple hits? There is absolutely no way to dodge those things, at least none that I can find. What kind of boss is that anyways? I see rolling boulders, I expect them to act similarly to those found in Disney's Aladdin; not as a boss who's one attack is to fill the entire passageway and roll back and forth as if they're fitted with some sort of homing mechanism. Ugh.
Rating: 2.5 bear-shaped Demon Giants out of 5
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