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Has anyone played Landstalker for the Sega Genesis? If so, you probably thought it was a great game. Have you ever wondered if there was anything like it on SNES? Well, if you have, then guess what? There is! Lady Stalker is the Japan-only semi-spiritual successor to Sega Genesis' Landstalker. Made by Climax and Taito, it started to evolve more into the game "Time Stalkers" for the Sega
Dreamcast. In the manual of Time Stalkers, it shows a character called "Lady" who is revered as one of the most legendary characters in the game. Few people knew she had her own game though...and few would expect her game to be for the SNES since Climax was usually helping to develop games on Sega consoles back in the day.
In this game, Lady is in a building talking to Yoshio (the old man) about treasure (this girl loves treasure) and the like. Yoshio leaves and Lady is just waiting around. After a second, she wants to go out of the room, but it's locked from the inside! Instead, Lady has to break her way out, where she is soon attacked by the old man! As he sends out one fire spell after the other, another man named Cocks (chef looking guy with the "sword") comes in. It seems like an ambush, but Lady makes it out ok. However, the entire building is burnt to the ground. The game actually starts with Lady getting off a boat to start her search for treasure in a far away town. The three of them eventually join forces, with Lady being the leader and they must find out about the mysterious "Apocalypse Engine".
I found the graphics and the music to be quite good. The graphics are done from a 3/4 overhead view to give the game a partial 3D look. Characters have decent enough animation and the environments are bold and colorful. The game moves fluidly and the framerate is pretty consistent. Those that liked the graphics engine of Landstalker will feel at home, and those new to this game will probably love the style. The music is quirky and upbeat, despite what some might think. The quality of the sound could have been a little better, but it's good nonetheless. The sound effects used in the game are average fair and some are less realistic than others. They don't really enhance nor hurt the sound in any way.
As the game is more like Time Stalkers, many changes were made to the Landstalker gameplay engine. You gain levels, have party members, experience random encounters like a standard RPG, and the action/adventure elements were toned down. You can't jump unlike Landstalker (which feels a little awkward), but the combat still allows for brawling. You control Lady and give A.I driven commands to her comrades, and fights are real-time. The story seems very silly and fun, but I didn't really try to translate anything. The game has lots of neat little twists too, and still maintains the adventurous feel that the Genesis game had. Much like Landstalker, the controls take much getting used to. For this reason, it's not for everyone.- Written by Vyse the determined - |
