Thoughts on Actraiser?
First was better than the second.
I wish there was more strategy in the world building part, and it's quite short, but a fun game.
Great concept, mediocre execution.
Everything about the game was a tad too simple. Still an enjoyable experience overall.
>>2804120
Second has way better action stages.
>>2805892
Second is one of my favourite games ever. Tight, intricate controls, great stage design, great boss designs, great difficulty, stellar graphics and great music.
Super satisfying overall.
>>2804117
Both have great sprites.
>>2804117
Was great fun back in the day (for me as a kid). Can still be fun now, though it's too simple. Nice immersive feel. Very good music. Much too easy.
The sequel is a very cool action game. As a kid I had the standard opinion about it, which is that it had thrown away what made the series special, by focusing on action only. But later I learned that the standard opinion is irrelevant. The simulation+action thing was cool, and definitely something was lost, but something arguably better was gained.
If the first game had been as deep and polished in each of its aspects as the second was, then it would have been fantastic. Instead it's just a nice kids' game and a nice nostalgia trip.
>>2806105
Also the ending. So epic! It takes what emotional weight the first one built and crumples it into a giant ball and smashes it. Heroically, into the enemy.
Good game with good music and a really nice idea. Sadly the building parts are really barebones and straight forward. The second game could have improved on this, bus as we know scrapped that part alltogether. I personally like Actraiser 2 better. Somehow the platforming is more fun to me, I know that's an outsider opinion. I'm really bummed though about the missing building segments.
I could never get into it.
I guess I don't really like games where it's 2 games in 1. I feel similarly about X-COM where I'd rather just do the missions and find the base building a hassle.
>>2807602
Fair price, get it. I paid 45€ for my copy....
It was too easy because the western version was nerfed. There is a translation patch for the Japanese version (i forget who made it) that I tried a while back and it is a bit tougher. Both the action segments and sim segments are harder in the original version.
>>2807837
ah, found the trans patch.
http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=actraiser
>>2807837
Well that explains why it took me so long to beat the first world on the SFC version.
I always remembered this game for being sorta easy.
>>2806105
The stages themselves are well designed, but I feel the enemy placement is off. Played the PAL version first and by default it's set to easy (and sound on mono). Found it very enjoyable. But then I played the American version on default difficulty, which is normal and found it to be way more frustrating. The difference in diffculty changes three things, the amount of lifes, health of monsters and the amount of monsters. In my opinion these additional monsters weren't well placed at all. Like you had to jump from one platform to the next and a monsters was immediatly attacking you.
The amount of extra health could be tedious. It was very noticable on monsters who very usually a one hit, but now needed two. Makes a serious difference in the pacing of the game.
The PAL version also got 2 extra lifes on every difficulty, that means per default you get 7 lives in the PAL version, which is more than twice as much compared to the standard of 3 lifes on the American version. I actually didn't complete my play through the American version. There was this level were you ahve to run through an outscrolling section and skulls are flying seemingly randomly through the air, knocking you back and getting you killed by the moving screen. Really frustrating.
That level also contains my most hated mini boss. The gargoyle with sword n shield. I just can't reliably kill the fucker and I don't find the fight to be very enjoyable. Bosses in general weren't that great. Most mini bosses had simple patterns and bosses could easily be cheesed with the downward slash. Those invicibilty frames are glorious. But I still thought they were entertaining, mostly. My favorite boss is the flying goblin sorcerer. Most engaging boss fight. I mean, you can make his super attack blow up in his face. Fucking amazing.
I enjoy the game, but moreso on easy than on normal.
>>2807472
I really like Actraiser 2, my only real issues is that the Master has slow as fuck walking speed, and that it is just slightly too difficult, just a handful too many enemies and bosses having just a bit too much health. Theres also the Tower of Souls level which is a fucking mess and requires some incredibly precise platforming, which Actraiser 2 isn't particularly good at.
Minor tweaks and it would be a 10/10, but as is its a 7.5-8/10 for me.
>>2808024
play on easy, you won't be able to fight the last boss but it's just a boring boss rush anyway
>>2808024
>mfw beat it on the hardest setting
I think the Japanese version may be even harder though. Can anyone confirm?
I was playing AR2 before and what the fuck, this game is too hard. I have no problem with Castlevania, GnG, Megaman but this... holy shit
I don't really like the controls of the character, it's too fucking slow
>>2808118
I dunno.
Might be a CV3 scenario where they made the USA version harder.
>>2808042
I've beaten Actraiser 2 on hard multiple times. The boss rush is fine (outside of like, Greed Dragon and the Genie on that awful scrolling stage) and Tanzra is just a massive fucking damage sponge where you die in like 2 or 3 hits is pretty dumb.
>>2808560
Thing with the rush is that if you die, it's all over again from the beginning. Kinda frustrating, desu.
>>2804117
I like it. Sim mode can get a little dull though, but the music in the game's pretty good
>>2808560
>Might be a CV3 scenario where they made the USA version harder.
Played the Japan rom for a bit. It's not that Europe got more lives, it's that America got less lives. -2 on every difficulty level. Health and amount of enemies should be normal.
>>2808546
I had problems with Castlevania, GnG and Mega Man. But ActRaiser 2 was less of a problem.
>>2808002
nobody asked fro this essay
>>2809738
read the OP again.
>>2804117
One of my all time favorite games. I always get nostalgic for it this time of year since this is around the time it came out in the US back in '91. I think this game is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Neither the action nor sim modes are super in-depth, but that actually contributes to its playability. And the music... there was nothing like it back then, it completely blew my mind.
The strangest part about Act Raiser has to be the general theme. I mean, look at every single stage/ boss in the game.
> Ancient Greece
> Romania
> Ancient Egypt
> Japan
> India/ SE Asia hybrid
> Scandinavia
And every single stage involves God destroying demons, performing miracles, and saving the people. All the "demons" of the game tend to be some kind of mythological creature, or rooted in some kind of folklore.The final stage has you literally climbing Yggdrassil.
Act Raiser is literally a game about Christianity overcoming paganism.
>>2810057
I noticed that too and I loved the game for it.
ActRaiser 2 picks up this theme in a different way. It shows an already Christianized world succumbing into the deadly sins, and it ends witha world that ceased its conflicts by following God forgetting they ever needed him in the first place.
It's quite fascinating, in my opinion.
>>2808024
The only area in Actraiser 2 that required a pixel perfect jump is Gratis.
>>2810057
It's almost as if they put a lot of thought and effort into games back then.
>>2808546
Yeah Actraiser 2 has BS difficulty.
I feel like this thread is full of teh HIP contrarians who wanna boost their cred by preferring AR2
>>2810057
>Act Raiser is literally a game about Christianity overcoming paganism.
Shills, please.
>>2811276
do you know what that word means?
>>2810057
>Act Raiser is literally a game about Christianity overcoming paganism
Seems to me that the game wanted to show that every religion has the same god and just views it differently. But then again, the player sprite never changes. Could be lazyness, limited cartridge space or anything, really.
Rumor has it that Actraiser's soundtrack was written for an orchestra and then converted to SNES.
Link goes to playlist of it, it's worth a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRgAOseFFE&list=PL506A52733E3A5CE3
