Game 700!
Kind of weird that a game with so much emphasis in platforming has no shadow when a similarly isometric game like Light Crusader on the same system didn't have that much emphasis in jumping around yet it did have shadows, it makes difficult to judge perspectives gameplay-wise and graphically wise it can make things look odd, like an amateurish landscape painting with no shading.
While it can become a little reiterative compared to Light Crusader because of its large lenght, the game features a charming script and more thought out locales, so I think it balances out with the short but sweet adventure of Treasure's posterior game
Thanks Gsar for the recommendation!
Kind of weird that a game with so much emphasis in platforming has no shadow when a similarly isometric game like Light Crusader on the same system didn't have that much emphasis in jumping around yet it did have shadows, it makes difficult to judge perspectives gameplay-wise and graphically wise it can make things look odd, like an amateurish landscape painting with no shading.
While it can become a little reiterative compared to Light Crusader because of its large lenght, the game features a charming script and more thought out locales, so I think it balances out with the short but sweet adventure of Treasure's posterior game
Thanks Gsar for the recommendation!
i turn the game on and immediately get ptsd upon seeing it is an isometric sega genesis game
The isometric perspective, strange controls (you basically can only walk forward or backward and have to stop and turn if you want to move east/west instead of north/south) and focus on platforming hold the game back, but it's still worth checking out.
I'd caught the start of a blind playthrough by one of my favorite Twitch Retro streamers. Seeing the experience of someone new to the game (and the distraction of chat) spurred on the urge to replay it again. That said, there's a lot to delay progress or items to outright miss in the game. That could be by not talking to NPCs (and again as you clear an area), realizing what you can interact with, or revisiting some past areas.
My in game time was roughly 7h 40m. Oracle Stone said 98% complete. Full equipment and found / purchased every Life Stock outside of repeats in the final shop.
If you want my thoughts on the game, it's one of my favorites. The art and music is great (with strange sound effects). The platforming is overly complicated without being unfair - there's very little that's obtuse. Don't over think it. It's a rewarding adventure with plenty of little secrets.
My in game time was roughly 7h 40m. Oracle Stone said 98% complete. Full equipment and found / purchased every Life Stock outside of repeats in the final shop.
If you want my thoughts on the game, it's one of my favorites. The art and music is great (with strange sound effects). The platforming is overly complicated without being unfair - there's very little that's obtuse. Don't over think it. It's a rewarding adventure with plenty of little secrets.
I can't believe critics panned Light Crusader when it came out for the isometric angle being harder to manage than in this. Bloody Nigel doesn't even have a shadow!
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole is a three-dimensional isometric role-playing game exclusive for the Sega Genesis. Players navigate in gorgeous sprite-based 3D environments in a gigantic action RPG lasting well over 12 hours, the content in this game includes multiple sidequests, dungeons with puzzle and enemies The series was evidently inspired by the Zelda series with its action RPG elements, made evident from its Japan-only spinoff: "Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past". In Tolkien-esque fashion, the plot resolves around a quest to obtain the treasure of a dead King and guarded by an immortal dragon named Gola. Throghout his quest the player encounters recurring characters, including the Duke and a wizard named Mir, none of which are particularly memorable. The story is wholesome nonetheless and environments are fun to navigate, exploration is the key word here.
It lulls you into a false sense of security with an excellent opening act and set on dungeons, only to punish you with a dense, nightmarish mess of convoluted puzzles and difficult platforming. It's like if Zelda was angry.....at you.
Too bad this series didn't caught on. Great ideas and world building.
I'll be the first to admit this game's for masochists with its extremely difficult platforming and confusing dungeon design, but man it has such a lovable spirit. It captures this adventurous vibe that puts me in the best mood, in part from its creative mix of vertically-focused dungeon exploration, playful writing and the stellar Takenouchi OST. It's a shame that its spiritual successors didn't carry the same atmosphere, and that the 3D remake on PSP never made it past testing - being able to rotate your view would automatically bump this up a half-star.
This was the first isometric action game I'd played back when it came out. It was a brilliantly designed game then, and revisiting it with a new perspective only made it shine brighter.
Landstalker is an isometric action-RPG that strikes a perfect balance of exploration, action, platforming and puzzle solving, with a great story and set of characters. It's not afraid to be quite difficult at times, and to use its isometric viewpoint to up the challenge: hidden paths, difficulty aligning platforms, many a secret right at your feet if only you could see them. It's also unafraid to punish missteps with backtracking, sending you past a missed platform an onto the level below for the hajillionth time. But a zippy pace mean another shot at that jump is just a few moments away, and the tight controls with full air control are never at fault. Patience and perseverance are required, and this type of challenge may frustrate some.
The only notable flaw is in the sound: I do wish the enemies had at least a few more sound effects for getting hurt and defeated; the same few over and over is unfortunate. But repetitive yelps aside, the other effects are solid and the OST is very strong and catchy.
Landstalker's dungeons are a good illustration of how to leverage a handful of tools in an array of creative ways. Nigel can jump, swing his sword, carry objects and chuck them across a room. The steadily increasing complexity and creativity in how you have to deploy these abilities ramps up throughout the game in ways that constantly surprise and challenge, in dungeons that are sprawling and varied.
This is a masterclass of an isometric action-RPG.
Played on Genesis Mini.
Landstalker is an isometric action-RPG that strikes a perfect balance of exploration, action, platforming and puzzle solving, with a great story and set of characters. It's not afraid to be quite difficult at times, and to use its isometric viewpoint to up the challenge: hidden paths, difficulty aligning platforms, many a secret right at your feet if only you could see them. It's also unafraid to punish missteps with backtracking, sending you past a missed platform an onto the level below for the hajillionth time. But a zippy pace mean another shot at that jump is just a few moments away, and the tight controls with full air control are never at fault. Patience and perseverance are required, and this type of challenge may frustrate some.
The only notable flaw is in the sound: I do wish the enemies had at least a few more sound effects for getting hurt and defeated; the same few over and over is unfortunate. But repetitive yelps aside, the other effects are solid and the OST is very strong and catchy.
Landstalker's dungeons are a good illustration of how to leverage a handful of tools in an array of creative ways. Nigel can jump, swing his sword, carry objects and chuck them across a room. The steadily increasing complexity and creativity in how you have to deploy these abilities ramps up throughout the game in ways that constantly surprise and challenge, in dungeons that are sprawling and varied.
This is a masterclass of an isometric action-RPG.
Played on Genesis Mini.
Neat lil game fo sho. It's like an isometric action platformer with RPG elements thrown in occasionally. Movement is locked into diagonals so a controller with comfortable diagonals is absolutely recommended. Game felt very shining-adjacent in tone, with adventurous music, charming characters, and a fun lighthearted plot. The game is absolutely huge with a large overworld and tons of dungeons. Some of the platforming in the dungeons can be a little difficult due to the control but the layouts are always forgiving enough in not hurting you too much if you mess up. The combat however, I felt was a bit annoying. It was rather basic with enemies that took just a few too many hits to kill in most times so you just kinda push em up against a corner and mash away to kill em. Dying is pretty punishing, so sometimes getting ass blasted by an enemy feels like a cheap death and can be frustrating. I would def rec this to anyone who wants a big fun adventure on the mega drive, but i'd also suggest using an emulator or something to mitigate the various BS that the game throws at ya.
(sega mega drive & genesis classics 57/58)
I liked this a lot more than I expected to. It's not really fun, like, at all, but it's carried pretty hard by just being charming and engaging (much unlike what I was expecting from a game called "Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole").
From a gameplay perspective I think Light Crusader nailed just about everything better (plus it's only half as long as this), but that game is admittedly shockingly lacking in personality for a Treasure game, meanwhile this game has it in spades. This gives it an advantage because it makes me much more likely to reminisce on it than Light Crusader, despite being a more frustrating experience overall.
A lot of the time I found this one really confusing to navigate because of the isometric perspective. A lot of puzzles rely solely on that, and more than anything it's just tedious and annoying. This is mainly in the second half though, while the first half is generally more sober.
Of particular mention is the fucking awful two-hour labyrinth towards the end. Nothing will prepare you for that. It is a pure hellscape of ugly blues and greens. I probably would have this a point higher if not for that section alone.
Between this and Light Crusader, I'm not sure which I would recommend. Probably neither, despite not being bad games. If you can stomach the perspective bullshit, though, then maybe both. Maybe to see which one is more to your liking.
I liked this a lot more than I expected to. It's not really fun, like, at all, but it's carried pretty hard by just being charming and engaging (much unlike what I was expecting from a game called "Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole").
From a gameplay perspective I think Light Crusader nailed just about everything better (plus it's only half as long as this), but that game is admittedly shockingly lacking in personality for a Treasure game, meanwhile this game has it in spades. This gives it an advantage because it makes me much more likely to reminisce on it than Light Crusader, despite being a more frustrating experience overall.
A lot of the time I found this one really confusing to navigate because of the isometric perspective. A lot of puzzles rely solely on that, and more than anything it's just tedious and annoying. This is mainly in the second half though, while the first half is generally more sober.
Of particular mention is the fucking awful two-hour labyrinth towards the end. Nothing will prepare you for that. It is a pure hellscape of ugly blues and greens. I probably would have this a point higher if not for that section alone.
Between this and Light Crusader, I'm not sure which I would recommend. Probably neither, despite not being bad games. If you can stomach the perspective bullshit, though, then maybe both. Maybe to see which one is more to your liking.
Landstalker has a great vibe and colorful, appealing characters. It doesn't play well, unfortunately, so I quit after the first couple of dungeons. It is also pretty hard not to compare this game to Link to the Past (which came out around the same time), and the comparison is not favorable.
There is a unique isometric perspective that gives it a cool look, but lacks shadows and environmental depth, so navigation is more difficult than it should be.
Combined with imprecise and squirrelly controls, the visuals make it pretty painful to play.
Combat is extremely simplified. You have a single sword swing and enemies simply walk towards you. There isn't much strategy here beyond waiting for them to come into range and slashing them. The strange isometric control also makes it easy to accidentally walk into enemies, which feels pretty bad.
It is an interesting take on a Zelda-like, with with a cool aesthetic and style, but the gameplay falls short. There just isn't a ton here to recommend beyond the novelty of an attempt at an isometric, grid-based Zelda game.
There is a unique isometric perspective that gives it a cool look, but lacks shadows and environmental depth, so navigation is more difficult than it should be.
Combined with imprecise and squirrelly controls, the visuals make it pretty painful to play.
Combat is extremely simplified. You have a single sword swing and enemies simply walk towards you. There isn't much strategy here beyond waiting for them to come into range and slashing them. The strange isometric control also makes it easy to accidentally walk into enemies, which feels pretty bad.
It is an interesting take on a Zelda-like, with with a cool aesthetic and style, but the gameplay falls short. There just isn't a ton here to recommend beyond the novelty of an attempt at an isometric, grid-based Zelda game.
It has a nice little story with a likeable antihero and charm to spare. If only that likeable antihero didn’t control like a tank made out of dogshit and molasses
best game
Doesn't take long before the cartoonish colorful artstyle and cheerful story of Landstalker reveal a ruthless and frustrating experience underneath it. The isometric point of view makes for a very unique maquette looking game on the megadrive, but man does it turn into a mess when you add grid movement based combat and platforming into the mix.
Oddly enough, in the gameplay department Landstalker feels like a proper sequel to the NES Zelda games, sometimes more so than Link to the Past was, with enemies that gank you and hit like a truck if they manage to ambush you into a corner and dungeons that go on forever with enemies to dispatch and moderately cryptic puzzles to solve. The problem is of course that isometric angle.
While the stiff movement based combat and platforming would be fine in a 2D plane, it becomes a problem when you have to be guessing your perspective in relation to everything else while the enemies are all making a b-line to you and the platforms are impossible to discern from the floor and the background. The game even had the bright idea of making your sword hit the walls, fun!
Still, despite the concept not fully working out in the game's favor, I did still have fun with its relentless pushback and the massive labyrinthian dungeons filled with annoying ass platforming time based puzzles and room corner combat tactics. Make use of that save state button, don't feel ashamed by it, and you might enjoy yourself with this one. Just don't expect to find an overlooked classic here.
Oddly enough, in the gameplay department Landstalker feels like a proper sequel to the NES Zelda games, sometimes more so than Link to the Past was, with enemies that gank you and hit like a truck if they manage to ambush you into a corner and dungeons that go on forever with enemies to dispatch and moderately cryptic puzzles to solve. The problem is of course that isometric angle.
While the stiff movement based combat and platforming would be fine in a 2D plane, it becomes a problem when you have to be guessing your perspective in relation to everything else while the enemies are all making a b-line to you and the platforms are impossible to discern from the floor and the background. The game even had the bright idea of making your sword hit the walls, fun!
Still, despite the concept not fully working out in the game's favor, I did still have fun with its relentless pushback and the massive labyrinthian dungeons filled with annoying ass platforming time based puzzles and room corner combat tactics. Make use of that save state button, don't feel ashamed by it, and you might enjoy yourself with this one. Just don't expect to find an overlooked classic here.
Enough interesting game-likers I follow love this game that I decided to give it a shot, and uh...eh. I like the look of it, and I love the jaunty "let's go on an adventure" vibe it has. It feels like a game made to be binged when you're 13 years old and awake early on a Saturday morning. If I'd played it back in the mid-90s I might've loved it. But I just don't like playing it in 2020--the controls feel sticky (and it's borderline unplayable with the Switch joycons; I had to buy a HORI Split Pad Pro just to get a functional D-pad), and its attempt at creating a three-dimensional space with 2D graphics, while ambitious and commendable, doesn't really work. Way too many platforming puzzles are reliant on figuring out through trial and error where exactly a platform is in relation to you, and while that might be fun for some people it is emphatically not for me. And while I like that the dungeons don't require anything of you that you aren't given at the start of the game, the dungeon design feels extremely messy and occasionally borderline thoughtless. I dunno. It's a cool thing that isn't much fun to play.