PixlBit

This fantasy-themed game jumps into several genres and does them all well

Light Crusader was released for the Sega Genesis in 1995; it was developed by Treasure and published by Sega. At first I thought this game was an action RPG, but it's actually a hybrid of several genres; it's part Action RPG, part platformer, and part puzzle game. You play as Sir David, a knight from another town who has come to Green Row to help find many of the townspeople who have disappeared.

You start the game at the castle and the town. The town will act as the main hub throughout the game; you can always go back and stock up on supplies (items, magic, and armor). The game is in an isometric perspective, which is neat, but this makes jumping on platforms a little tricky. The protagonist, David, can attack with his sword, jump, and use magic. One neat thing this game allows is for you to set your items to auto use (which is very helpful); if your life gets really low, David will automatically use a potion or some food to regain health points.

The main part of the game is the dungeon, which is huge and maze-like and has six floors. Luckily, there's a map you can refer to in order to see where you are. There are plenty of environmental puzzles inside the dungeon which involves hitting switches, pushing objects, blowing up doors, or turning lasers to face a certain direction. You can also rescue people trapped in the dungeon, and they will give a hearty "thank you." That "thank you" is not words to read, but a real voice; that's right, this game also has voice acting, which is impressive, although there are a few phrases I couldn't understand.

Within the dungeon, you will find save rooms to save your progress and teleport rooms which can teleport you to any floor you've previously been to, or to the castle. Some rooms in the dungeon contain no enemies but a puzzle you must figure out before you can proceed; other rooms have a handful of enemies which you must beat before a door will open. I appreciated some of the little details in the game, such as the green enemies' heads coming off or their body being chopped in half when you hack on them with your sword. Some enemies will drop itmes or even magic. In order to use magic, you can go to the menu screen and choose which magic (fire, wind, etc.) to use and set it to the A button. Your magic is limited to a certain number of uses, but boy, is it valuable, especially for bosses!

This is really a game of exploration, and in that sense it feels a little bit like Castlevania. You'll fight ghouls, wizards, and zombies along the way too. However, backtracking can be a pain due to the fact that you have to re-open doors that you had previously opened. This means doing a puzzle over again, which sometimes can take awhile. The bosses in the game are pretty awesome; they include a dragon, a giant spider, a giant scorpion, a huge tank, balls of goo that jump around, and a fire-breathing blob that flies. This game has some weird stuff in it; for example, Level 5 of the dungeon takes on a western setting as you fight cowboys, then changes to an urban setting with zombies. Cowboys and zombies? In the same game as knights and wizards? Whatever.

The graphics must have been impressive for the time. Doors and many of the objects were rendered in that early polygon form (such as is seen in Star Fox). The music is also pretty good for the most part. There's one theme I especially like that reminds me of Castlevania (I'll post it below for you to listen to). LC offers quite a bit of variety; for example, in level 3 you get an item that turns David into a bad guy, allowing him to talk to other bad guys and access doors. Puzzles throughout the game can be complex and really make you think. However, some puzzles are trial and error, like hitting crystals in a certain order.

Perhaps the worst part of the game is the platforming aspect. Due to the isometric view, it can be difficult to tell where David is going to land, and often I fell short of my destination. Pushing an object on a platform then getting on that platform can also be very hard to do without pushing the object off the platform. Despite these frustrations, the overall game is fine. It's an adventure worthy of a knight.

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Treasure usually does action games, so it's surprising to see them do something so different, but they pulled it off. LC delivers simple action, engaging puzzles, and tricky platforming all within the confines of a medieval setting. It's a game of exploration and discovery. If you enjoy Castlevania, there's a good chance you would enjoy this game. LC stands out from RPGs, action platformers, and puzzle games; it stands as a hybrid game that melds all those genres together into one grand adventure.

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.