So...what do we have here?

Japanese Game Box Front

Ariel and Fang

If you haven't heard of Aretha, I can't say I'm too surprised. The series originally started on the Game Boy (The Game Boy has three Aretha games as far as I know) and this is the first Super Famicom Aretha game. You start the game as a young girl named Ariel (Although she quickly matures after about ten to fifteen minutes into the game) who must run an errand for her grandmother, Seara. During the errand, a series of unusual events unfolds and Ariel acquires a dragon egg. After briefly playing through her childhood, the game truly begins, and Ariel is now 17 years old and Fang (the dragon) is 7 years old. After several events, you learn about the power of the "souls" of monsters you defeat and travel with other companions to stop a terrible wrong. One thing I should note is that the magician, Doll (On the far left of the box front), will become important in the series.

I will be somewhat lenient because Yanoman and JAM aren't companies that you hear anything about. Actually, up until now, you may be reading this little passage and wondering why you should even care if they are some forgotten companies in gaming? While they aren't like big companies (Square, Capcom, Konami, Tecmo, etc.), they still got the basic RPG formula down (Although I'm not fond of the Game Boy games), so I think that's worth something. The game also must possess a small fanbase SOMEWHERE as the series has spawned numerous games.

If the images look ok to you, then the graphics should suffice. The graphics are simple SNES stuff. Simple sprites and animation with decent backdrops. Everything is at least smooth and the images are sharp and clean. Spell effects are okay. They shouldn't disappoint, but don't expect anything on a Squaresoft level. The music is very average stuff. Hard to say how I feel about it...it's one of those things that fall in the middle. Simply put, it's not annoying, but it could use some work. Some tracks are good and give the feeling that you are going on a merry adventure. Others are repetitive in a way that I find a bit bothersome. Overall, it works.

So what is Aretha like? The gameplay is also very basic. In all honesty, this reminds me of a "Beginner" RPG. Everything is so rudimentary that it's hard to explain. Like a typical RPG, you learn magic, equip items, shop around, etc. You have the magicians like Ariel and Doll. They use magic and act as the support of the group. Warrior-like characters don't gain magical powers, but they rely on brute force. You obtain "souls" from defeated monsters that you can later use to craft magical equipment. You also can fight "waves" of enemies. Some can be to the "left" or "right" of you and will attack off-screen. While it's nothing truly special, it's a characteristic that makes Aretha a little different from the rest. Aretha is a game you can play, but it doesn't do anything revolutionary. It's okay.

- Written by Vyse the determined -