Solid as it may be, Soul Blazer feels like it retreads a lot of ActRaiser's ideas outside of the core gameplay loop - as a follower of the Master, you help populate wastelands by destroying monster lairs. The change from ActRaiser's platformer/sim genre hybrid to a standard top-down action RPG results in more polish but less ambition, and in my opinion, a little less charm. In addition to the reuse of some sound effects and HUD graphics, as well as a similarly structured ending sequence, it ends up feeling like this side story of sorts to ActRaiser.

Don't get it twisted, though. It's certainly the more accessible of the two if that makes sense, and by all means a good game whether or not you're judging it on its own two legs. I'd bet a lot of people actually prefer Soul Blazer, even - but I am not one of those people. It just feels a lot safer in its execution, and as a result has fewer pleasant surprises from my experiences playing both. Perhaps the biggest downgrade is the presentation, in which Soul Blazer just can't seem to keep up with ActRaiser's soundtrack and its gorgeous backgrounds and environments (and especially for its time as well, during the console's infancy.) This seems to be due to a shorter development cycle, with Soul Blazer only in development for 9 months according to friends.

I just think ActRaiser seems to hit a lot of the same notes with more grace. That being said, it certainly sets a high bar, and Soul Blazer is honestly not too far behind. I like both, but I think I would recommend this for something more accessible and ActRaiser for something more memorable. Don't trust anyone who has informed you of a direct sequel to ActRaiser. There is not a sequel to ActRaiser.