Dreamcast Marathon -
E.G.G. should be a miracle: a 2D Zelda-like on the Dreamcast with almost impeccable atmospherics is a rare treat on a console packed with, for lack of a better term, more brawny than brainy experiences; I think of games like Crazy Taxi and batsh*t fighters and beat-em ups in the Power Stone and Dynamite Cop category, or breakneck fast 3D platformers in the Sonic Adventure category.
Not that the aforementioned games don't require any strategy or thinking, but they are almost tiring in their hyperactive insistence on frantic showcases of (at-the-time) pyrotechnic visual wizardry. I never thought of the Dreamcast as a inherently 'relaxing' console, not even as one for relaxing action games. Not that it's particularly starved for such a thing (Shenmue, for example) but it doesn't exactly shine in this category of games.
E.G.G. fulfilled that specific niche for me as a Zelda-lover and a Dreamcast owner, as well as relaxing game enjoyer. If I were rating it on vibes alone, it would be 4 stars, easy. However, the gameplay is quite tiring - and not easily overlookable. For one, the combat is very clunky.
The knockback from enemies is extraordinarily irksome. For some of the enemies move extremely fast, to where it's impossible to get a good vantage point to hit them; and really, they are more likely to hit you (even if you sneak up to them) with how fast their response is. This means your HP can drain from like 200 to 0 really fast, and I'm not kidding.
Also, there is really only a few dungeons in this game, and only 1 main one named Fogna. This is pretty cool in concept, but I'll be danged if it doesn't lead to some ultimately painful backtracking. I would have enjoyed more interesting variety in the setting, even just artistically. Although it is stunningly beautiful, it wears thin, because the games setting never really varies that much. The areas seemed to blend into each other a little too much. We have weird little desert/shrubbery areas, and some mechanical sci-fi areas, but not much more.
By far my least favorite part was how is every time you select to continue - it doesn't start you off at the HP you were at on the room before, but bumps it down to not even half of your full HP. So you can die at a boss, select continue and well, too bad, you're back at like 55 out of 200 HP.
There is a lot of positives to this one - but I'm going to shelve it and give it another chance. It's biggest merit is it's spectacular art style and music - and being a unique game for this system. However, it took a lot of patience, at least for me.
(My total play time was about 5 hours 40 minutes)
E.G.G. should be a miracle: a 2D Zelda-like on the Dreamcast with almost impeccable atmospherics is a rare treat on a console packed with, for lack of a better term, more brawny than brainy experiences; I think of games like Crazy Taxi and batsh*t fighters and beat-em ups in the Power Stone and Dynamite Cop category, or breakneck fast 3D platformers in the Sonic Adventure category.
Not that the aforementioned games don't require any strategy or thinking, but they are almost tiring in their hyperactive insistence on frantic showcases of (at-the-time) pyrotechnic visual wizardry. I never thought of the Dreamcast as a inherently 'relaxing' console, not even as one for relaxing action games. Not that it's particularly starved for such a thing (Shenmue, for example) but it doesn't exactly shine in this category of games.
E.G.G. fulfilled that specific niche for me as a Zelda-lover and a Dreamcast owner, as well as relaxing game enjoyer. If I were rating it on vibes alone, it would be 4 stars, easy. However, the gameplay is quite tiring - and not easily overlookable. For one, the combat is very clunky.
The knockback from enemies is extraordinarily irksome. For some of the enemies move extremely fast, to where it's impossible to get a good vantage point to hit them; and really, they are more likely to hit you (even if you sneak up to them) with how fast their response is. This means your HP can drain from like 200 to 0 really fast, and I'm not kidding.
Also, there is really only a few dungeons in this game, and only 1 main one named Fogna. This is pretty cool in concept, but I'll be danged if it doesn't lead to some ultimately painful backtracking. I would have enjoyed more interesting variety in the setting, even just artistically. Although it is stunningly beautiful, it wears thin, because the games setting never really varies that much. The areas seemed to blend into each other a little too much. We have weird little desert/shrubbery areas, and some mechanical sci-fi areas, but not much more.
By far my least favorite part was how is every time you select to continue - it doesn't start you off at the HP you were at on the room before, but bumps it down to not even half of your full HP. So you can die at a boss, select continue and well, too bad, you're back at like 55 out of 200 HP.
There is a lot of positives to this one - but I'm going to shelve it and give it another chance. It's biggest merit is it's spectacular art style and music - and being a unique game for this system. However, it took a lot of patience, at least for me.
(My total play time was about 5 hours 40 minutes)