This entry into the role playing series for the Genesis is often thought of as the 'black sheep' for reasons I do not really see. It is a bit gimmicky and it is on the short side; however, the gimmick it uses increases its playability a bit. It is also a lot easier than the previous two games! The first game was hard thanks to its 3D mazes that were a pain to traverse and the fact that you had three planets you could go to and the townsfolk were not exactly giving you great information. In part two, they decided on mazes that were overhead views, but whoever designed them was a madman as one could get lost in them forever or stumble upon the correct path by luck! This one uses the same maze perspective as part II; however, the mazes are easily traversed this time without five million different portals one could take. So, this one is easy compared to the first two thanks to less frustrating mazes, more helpful townsfolk and the fact the game is on the short side. The gimmick used that also sets this game apart is multiple endings and paths to take which means if you do pick the game up again, you can essentially be playing a different story though all paths lead to a familiar foe.
The story has a man named Rhys about to marry a young lady who is found washed up on a beach. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Before the ceremony can begin, a dragon crashes the wedding and takes the bride to be away. Rhys is angered by this and wants to set out immediately to find his beloved. Unfortunately for him, his father the king throws him into a dungeon so that he may cool down and think things through more rationally. A young lady helps him escape and soon he finds an ally in a cyborg girl named Mieu. The journey is just beginning though as he will also find another cyborg named Wren, a mysterious man named Lyle and the very girl who helped him escape imprisonment on his quest to rescue his would be wife to be. This is merely the start of the generations of doom.
The game is broken up into three phases. The first phase is going to be the same every time as it is always Rhys' quest to find the woman with whom he was going to marry. The second phase has his son on a quest, and who your son is depends on a choice you make after you rescue your bride to be. Then the game follows that persons son which is also dependent on who you choose. It is sort of interesting, and it is nice you can play through the game rather quickly compared to the previous two games, at the same time the game seems almost a step backward in terms of graphics. They seemed to do a nice job of making the over worlds look distinct and different, but like Fantasy Star II, every dungeon looks essentially the same. Not only that, but every town looks exactly the same! During the combat you only see the enemy this time, whereas last time you saw your character attack the enemy. Aside from that the combat is basically the same, but they did something with the magic that makes it a bit confusing if one does not have the instructions. Granted, it is not that big a deal, seeing as how one can play through the game using only healing magic (I do not think I cast an attack spell during my play through).
So, this game has a nice amount of positives going for it. It also has its fair share of negatives as well. The game is a lot easier to complete than previous games; on the other hand, the graphics and other aspects seem a step backward. There is also very little character development in this one, but then there was not all that much in the previous games either as the games just do not really establish its characters very well. Though the previous ones did a bit better job than this one. I started playing the fourth game and it had more character development in the first hour I played it than this one had in its entire game! So yes, this one is okay as was the previous games. None of them really compare to the fourth game which is by far the best. Still, it was fun for what it was and one of the very few turn based RPG games for the Sega Genesis system.
The story has a man named Rhys about to marry a young lady who is found washed up on a beach. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Before the ceremony can begin, a dragon crashes the wedding and takes the bride to be away. Rhys is angered by this and wants to set out immediately to find his beloved. Unfortunately for him, his father the king throws him into a dungeon so that he may cool down and think things through more rationally. A young lady helps him escape and soon he finds an ally in a cyborg girl named Mieu. The journey is just beginning though as he will also find another cyborg named Wren, a mysterious man named Lyle and the very girl who helped him escape imprisonment on his quest to rescue his would be wife to be. This is merely the start of the generations of doom.
The game is broken up into three phases. The first phase is going to be the same every time as it is always Rhys' quest to find the woman with whom he was going to marry. The second phase has his son on a quest, and who your son is depends on a choice you make after you rescue your bride to be. Then the game follows that persons son which is also dependent on who you choose. It is sort of interesting, and it is nice you can play through the game rather quickly compared to the previous two games, at the same time the game seems almost a step backward in terms of graphics. They seemed to do a nice job of making the over worlds look distinct and different, but like Fantasy Star II, every dungeon looks essentially the same. Not only that, but every town looks exactly the same! During the combat you only see the enemy this time, whereas last time you saw your character attack the enemy. Aside from that the combat is basically the same, but they did something with the magic that makes it a bit confusing if one does not have the instructions. Granted, it is not that big a deal, seeing as how one can play through the game using only healing magic (I do not think I cast an attack spell during my play through).
So, this game has a nice amount of positives going for it. It also has its fair share of negatives as well. The game is a lot easier to complete than previous games; on the other hand, the graphics and other aspects seem a step backward. There is also very little character development in this one, but then there was not all that much in the previous games either as the games just do not really establish its characters very well. Though the previous ones did a bit better job than this one. I started playing the fourth game and it had more character development in the first hour I played it than this one had in its entire game! So yes, this one is okay as was the previous games. None of them really compare to the fourth game which is by far the best. Still, it was fun for what it was and one of the very few turn based RPG games for the Sega Genesis system.
