SpellCaster for Sega Master System - Review | hungrygoriya
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- Опубліковано 1 січ 2018
- The Sega Master System had some excellent RPGs, and SpellCaster is unique among them. I hope you enjoy my take on this departure from standard RPG fare of the 8-bit generation. In this review, we discuss the journey of Kane on his quest to save his people. 🍖
This game can be played for free on Internet Archive here: archive.org/details/segasms_S...
Twitter: @hungrygoriya
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#retrogaming #spellcaster #segamastersystem - Ігри
The master system never got the love it deserved. Great review!
I knooow. I'm super late to the Master System party but I've been loving it as hard as I can here. I have a small but mighty Master System collection. I love that it's just more NES, which is what I always hoped for and finally found a few years ago when I discovered the system. Any favourites?
One of my top 10 favorite games for the Master System. I like what your doing. Keep the reviews coming.
Thanks very much! I enjoy putting these kinds of things together but I need to find more time to play.
I like this guy, Kane. Pulling his sword out everywhere, and even dancing with it drawn. Nice review, new sub.
You can bust your sword out just about everywhere. When in doubt, try sword with everything! And thanks for subscribing. Hopefully you'll enjoy what I'm doing here.
This is one of the few games I never got to play for the SMS. Not for the lack of trying! From what I understand, Spellcaster is actually an anime tie-in game! When anime was hard to get a hold of, I watched this one called “Phoenix King”. It was one I rented a few times as I never saw anything like it before. So when I heard it actually had a couple games based off it I was immediately intrigued!
Love this reviews for the Sega Master System! So underrated for its time
Coming in from Daria's channel. That was a great review, you got a really enjoyable style! went really in-depth on the gameplay, and made sure to mention everything someone new to the game should know. Like for example the more rough aspects like the "stairs situation". or the pixel-precision point-and-click
The "reluctantly stuck in a dance" bit is so funny! Haha. good catch, I can tell you've got a good sense of humour
I'm very grateful Daria has mentioned this video to others, and I'm glad you decided to come have a look at this review. Thanks very much for stopping in here! I'm glad you felt the review was well-rounded... this was one of my first review videos and I worked a long while and was pretty nervous about it when I first released it.
And I was cracking right up at the dancing bit. I'm a pretty shy person and the idea of being put on the spot like that made my ears go red immediately. Poor Kane!
One of the most memorable games ive played.
Me and my family loved this game, we even made a map of the boat part with the whirlpools and we got stuck at the end part with the hand print in the spaceship
That's awesome! I'm glad you made some good memories with your family with this game.
I absolutely loved playing this challenging game. It took me literally ages to finally complete it. I found it easier to map out big sections of the game, especially the maze and pyramid place. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I finally finished the game. I still have this classic game even today along with my Sega Master system. I haven't played my games console in ages. I just hope it works again after so much time away from my console. I've put it back in it's own box for the time being so hopefully it'll work. Love your review btw. I have a good selection of games for my Master system too. Shadow of the Beast, Y's Vanished Omens, Terminator, etc.
This was such a fun one! I tried mapping the pyramid and just couldn't make sense of the looping floors and how they connected to the floors above, so I eventually caved and looked up a map for that part. I'm sure your console will still work well... I've rarely met a console that stopped working unless it was damaged in some way, especially by water or humidity. It sounds like you have a really wonderful selection of games. Enjoy them if you get your console hooked up again!
@@hungrygoriya Yes I agree. Mapping this game was a huge nightmare, but I persevered and I used a graph book chart to do it. What a challenge that was!! Must try and dig this game out again sometime in future and play it all again.
Good to know that my Master System should work again after not being used for so long. Thanks :-)
Excellent review. Spellcaster is one of the most unique games I've ever played. The final boss was one of the most climactic endings to a game I've ever played. Oh and the stairs were a nightmare. I was playing with cheat codes, and I still had trouble with the stairs. Rieko Kodama's sprite work is very distinctive. I recognise a few designs that she seems to have reused from Phantasy Star. Also, this game is loosely based on a manga called Peacock King. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any scanlations of it :(
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I'm definitely impressed by SpellCaster. When I picked it up I hadn't even heard of it before, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that it was such a fun game. I honestly laughed out loud when I went into that final section the first time. It was such an unexpected turn! Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one out there that had troubles with stairs! That pyramid in general was pretty tough. I used a map in the end to save my sanity.
I knew SpellCaster was loosely based on a manga, but I didn't know which specifically. I'd like to see how the game grew out of the story! It's a pretty interesting premise, and they set the game up well to continue on with other plots. Hopefully someone will translate it someday.
@@hungrygoriya The manga (The Peacock King, which is what the video games Spell Caster and Mystic Defender are based on, as well as the anime movie series "Spirit Warrior", all of these are based on the Peacock King manga) is similar to the story present in Spellcaster. HOWEVER, Spellcaster is a "PG" story. Th Peacock King manga is a very strong NC-17 (definitely above rated R). It is incredibly violent as all hell, very sexual at times (sometimes in a very disturbing and nightmarish way) and has very disturbing mature themes. The game Spellcaster is an incredibly edited PG version of an NC-17 story. I can't read Japanese, but I own the original Mangas (which have never been translated in English). The anime movie series (Spirit Warrior, which is in English) is rated R, but even then those rated R anime series movies have many things left out compared to the incredibly disturbing NC-17 manga. On a side note, the game Mystic Defender, while still being a Peacock King game like Spellcaster, doesn't have much in story present in the actual game. If you want the story to Mystic Defender, you'll have to see the anime movie Spirit Warror: Castle of illusion (definitely a hard rated R). Also, two versions of Mystic Defender exist... one with nudity at the end and one that Sega later heavily censored.
@@johnpenguinthe3rd13 I wish I was more familiar with the source material, but this is a pretty good summary. And thanks for the heads up about Mystic Defender. I'd hate to stream that game sometime and get banned for accidental nudity if I happened to have that version!
Again, playing with my friend - but I remember just one brief situation - shouting "KAME HAME HA!" during charging shot. Priceless! xD
That's too funny... I am not too familiar with Dragon Ball (I had to look up the reference) but yeah, I imagine people shouted whatever variant of energy attack they knew at the time!
I've owned and held onto my Sega Master System for about 10 years now. It never worked, but finally got ahold of a guy and he got it running for me about 2 years ago. Out of all of my collection it's my favorite console. And I keep trying to collect for it, but the video game stores here dont have many games for it. This is one game that is now added to my ever growing list.
Great review!
Thanks for your kind words! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the review. I just discovered the Master System myself a few years ago and fell head over heels in love with it. I've been slowly collecting for it over the last little while and I can't get enough. I'm glad you have yours up and running for the first time. Games pop up rarely here too but I try to get out to some game swaps and exchanges and there are usually some poking around there.
That is so cool. I rarely find people who enjoy the console as well. So it's super cool you are enjoying g it as well. And hope your channel keeps getting more interest. Have a new fan here!
I was watching some old DariaPlaysRPGs's Videos, was told to come here and watch, So you get a watch, a comment, and as this was fun, and so was your current vid, a sub. love finding new fun game commentary channels.
I miss her videos a lot. I hope she'll make some new stuff someday, but her old videos are wonderful in the meantime. Thanks for checking out the channel here!
You, are awesome! Such to the point and well though thru reviews. You deserve so many more subs. My absolute top favourite youtube gaming Chanel.
Pleasant voice, well spoken, good editing and the ability to cover so must of a reviewed game in such a contact format. Much thanks for your time, its well appreciated!
That's awfully kind of you to say. Thank you very much!
I recently bought the Phantasy Star remake on Switch and man, I was wondering what other SMS games I had missed out on that system. Thank you for the vivid review. Subscribed to watch more!
Ohhh there are a plethora of great games for the system if you like RPGs. Miracle Warriors, Golvellius, Golden Axe Warrior and Psychic World are a few that are either my favourites or that people swear by as excellent games! I hope you can find something entertaining here. Thank you so much for subscribing :)
Hey
Arrived here via Daria's contest but I'm actually really excited to be a new subscriber. I'm always looking for relaxing game-related commentary to listen to while I'm working, and this is exactly the kind of channel I'm always hoping to come across. Really looking forward to listening to your backlog of videos!
Also, I couldn't agree more about Faxanadu. Had it as a kid and it was one of the first games I bought when I started trying to rebuild an NES collection.
I'm so glad you found me then! I have many, many hours of let's plays, reviews and other videos here, all retro. Daria's a godsend for shuttling so many new faces my way. I'm so grateful! Thanks in advance, by the way!
I'm glad to have found another Faxanadu fan! There seem to be lots of us in the woodwork but nobody's talking about that game much, unfortunately. I had a really great experience this past fall with a streamer friend and we tag-teamed the game. I'd play an hour and give him the password and he'd pick it up from there for an hour and pass it back, etc. It was such a great experience to share that game with him and everyone else watching for those streams.
Ive just find out your channel thanks to this video, and i totally love it!!!
I'm so glad! Thanks so much for having a look around :)
I really love this game. Its on my top 10 list for any systems i have every played. Thanks for a wonderful video!
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to watch :)
I had this game. This was actually based on the anime Kujaku Ou. There's also a sequel to Spell Caster for the Sega Genesis called Mystic Defender.
Did you watch the video?
Yeah dude like literally everybody knows that.
This is a great video! I love the simple delivery, the dry little quips, and the quality editing. And you have a voice worthy of radio.
Thanks for backing up your point of view thoroughly and really giving us a taste of SpellCaster. I’m looking forward to playing it, especially since SMS games still have a mystique for me since I group up with the NES.
You’ve got a new subscriber and I look forward to watching your more recent videos. Daria sent me and I’m glad she did. I like your UA-cam niche, best wishes!
group = grew
You're too kind! Thank you so much! I've been really blessed with a non-grating voice, so I'm glad it's enjoyable to listen to!
I'm happy you found the review well-rounded. This was one of my first review videos and I was really happy it came together the way that it did. I've more or less stuck to this format so if you enjoyed this, I hope the other reviews and videos I've put together here will also interest you. Thank you so much for subscribing. I owe Daria so much for letting people know of my existence!
Nice review. I should give this game a real try. I only collected it a few years ago when I went for a full Master System set and did not have it as a kid. I only tried it a little bit, but you convinced me to try and complete it.
Good luck with it! I thought it was a really interesting melange of a few genres. I haven't experienced anything else quite like it.
When I completed this game as a kid I thought I had conquered the world
I can totally understand that feeling! That last stretch was tough!
Cool review! Thanks for making your analysis of this game so thorough; I learned a lot from it~
Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Hopefully if you play it you'll enjoy the game as much as I did.
Thanks for covering old SMS games. It's hard to find comprehensive reviews on uncommon games, let alone on an unpopular system. By the way, the "Spaghetti" is actually Soba noodles (per the sign in the picture anyway). So rest assured, the protagonist stuck with Japanese food for health!
Hey you're welcome! I was thrilled a few years ago when I found out about the Master System and immediately dove in. I haven't looked back since!
And yeah, I'd heard it was Soba at one point... it looked a little too thick to be spaghetti. I couldn't imagine a spaghetti vendor on the streets of Japan!
Yakisoba to be precise. Soba and Yakisoba could be different as much as ramen and spaghetti.
I once bought Maruchan instant noodle thinking it was ramen, had a nightmarish lunch, only to later notice Yakisoba printed on its plastic cover firmly stating that I "must drain hot water BEFORE mixing it with sauce and serve it." After that, I googled it feverishly to never make a similar mistake again.
Daria talked about you so I thought I'd drop by and have a look at your vid. You've got a nice soothing voice, just like her and watching your vid is like enjoying a great nostalgic moment of my life, when games were simple and finished with no dlc, microtransactions, season passes and early access crap. I miss the good old days, keep up the good work.
Thanks very much! Daria is awesome for sending so many folks over here, and I'm glad you wandered over here. I can't agree with you more about the simplicity of retro gaming. I play virtually no modern stuff and am still really surprised when I turn on my Switch or load up Steam and all of a sudden I have to wait for things to update or download.
I'm glad you enjoy the narration. I'm pretty softspoken and have a nice microphone so everything seems to come out alright in the audio department.
Wow! They really put some effort into this game. A lot of these old games are hard and without much substance, but this one is one of the better ones. Just like this review. You’ve earned another sub!
I had a really great time with it! The story is pretty good and mixing up the gameplay is always a treat because it keeps things feeling fresh and interesting.
Thanks so much for subscribing. Hopefully you'll find some other good videos here and enjoy what I'll be putting together in the future!
"I liked showing everyone my sword as often as possible - Hungry Goriya 2019.
side note: Came here from Daria's shoutout.
:D Thanks for stopping in and giving me a chuckle this morning.
Great Review. Just subscribed!
Thank you very much! I'm happy you enjoyed the review.
I've never even heard of Spell Caster. The Cut Scenes remind me of Phantasy Star. I love finding channels that do reviews of older games.
I agree about the cutscenes being very Phantasy Star-like, most definitely. Hopefully if you play SpellCaster that you'll enjoy it as much as I did!
And if you like channels dedicated to older games, that's pretty much all I do here!
I love that you're putting review videos up! It's awesome that you did one for SpellCaster. This was excellent! :D I also enjoyed all I've seen of your playthrough as well. :) Such an interesting game, this one. I don't know that I could have gotten through it myself, but it's a fascinating watch for sure!
P.S. I spell piramid wrong all the time.
I'm glad you liked the review! SpellCaster was really special for me since it pushed me right out of my comfort zone into a non-turn-based RPG/action/adventure game. I feel like bit by bit, I'm growing my gaming interests outside of the tiny box I've been sitting in for a long time! It's a wonderful feeling!
I know how you feel! I've been stretching my comfort zone with gaming lately, but I've enjoyed doing so. The gaming world is so much bigger than what I used to play as a child and enjoy playing most.
HG thanks for the video I thought I’d beat REN to it and watch this video. I think Spellcaster is a hidden gem for the system. One day I will beat this game and get revenge for my pre-internet childhood self that could never get a password written down correctly. I love the PSG soundtrack too.
Good luck tackling this one again. It's worth trying to finish it, and I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park. Thanks for watching!
Nice review. I dig this game. You have a ton of good vids. Hungry Goriya marathon time! lol
Awww thanks! I hope you enjoy the channel. I just subbed to you a few days ago but I haven't had a chance to get too far into your stuff yet. My channel's a bit of a mishmash, but hopefully you can find some stuff you like.
I couldn't believe how captivated I was by SpellCaster. I dreaded starting it because I didn't think it'd be up my alley at all, but I ended up loving it at the end of it all. Did you play it recently or back in the day?
I have Spell Caster but haven't got to put enough time in it to decide yet.
This game is amazing, I owned the master system and this game when I was 9, I got stuck in the pyramid but I loved the atmosphere, the graphics and the storytelling. Awesome memories.
If I'd had this when I was younger, I would've gotten stuck in the pyramid too! I wish I would've had this console growing up.
Nice review!!!
Thank you!
I had never heard of this game before, and honestly if I just saw it on a shelf somewhere there's a chance I wouldn't have picked it up but your awesome review has me hyped for it! Great video, keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for your kindness! It's one of my favourite Master System games for all the reasons I mentioned here. I was pleasantly surprised playing it after a mediocre first impression. Definitely play it sometime if you can!
@@hungrygoriya Of course! I'm super interested after watching your video, at the very least I'm gonna check out your let's play of it and hopefully someday I'll get a chance to play it myself!
@@coinlaundrytv That's awesome! Thank you in advance for checking that out. I hope you especially enjoy that surprise ending :D
@@hungrygoriya I'm hyped! A surprise ending? Double hyped! lol
@@coinlaundrytv Yep! When I streamed the game I laughed for a long while at how the game switches up. It's pretty awesome.
I'm glad DariaPlaysRPGs clued me into this channel - I love me some SMS gems. Never owned one, mind - had a cousin who did though, and played the heck out of it whenever I visited :P Now I have memories of a ton of games that I don't know what they're called (except for _Alex Kidd in Miracle World_ - definitely made sure to remember that one all these years). Sure enough, I've played _Spellcaster_ before! This game was rad! I really gotta nab a clone console that can play SMS games and start building up a library of my own - I miss a bunch of games like this from this era... even if I don't know what they're all called, haha. Well, good reason to check out some of your other videos at least!
I'm happy Daria mentioned my channel in her video because it's brought a lot of new faces out my way. Hello there!
And it's awesome that you've played this before and pulled some old memories out after seeing this. I was pleasantly surprised by SpellCaster, and if you're itching just to play that one, it's free to play online at Internet Archive in your browser. A clone system sounds awesome though, because then you can enjoy lots of other awesome Master System games. I just discovered the console a few years ago and fell in love with it. My favourite so far has been Golden Axe Warrior.
Spellcaster was and still is so effing mysterious. I loved the music in this so much that I wrote an interpretation song-/medley. It was an inspiring game.
Oh wow! It's cool that it had such a big influence on you!
This game looks pretty sweet, I love when games try to combine a few genres at once. I was gonna say that the platforming sections looked a lot like Mystic Defender for the Genesis but you mentioned that at the end. From what I have played of Mystic Defender it's a straight up platformer but I think I have only beaten the first level haha. Anyway great video and I hope to try this one out someday!
This was my first experience with a genre mashup and I was quite pleased with the results! I'm sad that they stripped the storytelling out of Mystic Defender. It's one of the main reasons I haven't played it yet.
I think this game is free to play on Internet Archive if you don't want to sink money into the game.
That intro is very Sweet Home-ish
I haven't played Sweet Home yet... I've heard it's quite spooky!
This looks really cool!
It's a great game. You should play it sometime!
Wow! I didn't know there were so many great RPG's on the Sega Master System (even though I grew up with the Sega Genesis). I recently bought a Power Base Adapter so I can play Master System games on my Genesis. I'm building a nice collection of games (including RPG's) for the Master System so I can have something to play this winter. I'll have to add this one to my list of Master System games to buy.
This one is fun albeit a bit tricky at times. It definitely has a captivating story though! Enjoy!
Q sent me. No, wait. Daria sent me.
It's cool to see young folks caught up in these old games. I agree with others in the thread that games in recent years have become far too complicated. Each is intended to take over one's life, if possible. You can't play just an RPG any more; it has to have a crafting system and a dating system and a postgame and a new game +. You can't beat the goddamned things, you just play them for as long as you can before you get sick of them and give up.
Anyway, nice job. I've tried to review the occasional game, not in video but in writing, and it's a difficult task to bring an experience to summation in 12 minutes. Methinks you've found your niche.
Daria: I didn't write this to win anything. At this point, if it's not available on the 3DS, I don't play it. But thanks for the recommendation. Subscribed.
Thanks for stopping by and for subscribing! Daria was awfully kind to include my video in hers and it's nice to see so many new faces over here.
I can't say I've played any new RPGs to know how deep or involved they get but what you're saying here sounds about right from what I've heard. I love the simplicity of retro games, and they're packed with enough charm to keep me interested.
I'm glad 12 minutes isn't too long. I feel like I get awfully longwinded sometimes but being concise just doesn't come naturally to me when there's so much to talk about!
Wonderful review, thanks. I also played this one 30 years ago, and I still have a bit of PTSD over getting up those stairs. : ) My biggest problem with this game was that I got it as a loose cartridge, so I didn't know about pressing pause on the console to get a list of spells during the fighting parts. Holy moly did that make the game 10x more enjoyable when I just happened to press pause for some random reason! I won't spoil it either, but the final level blew me away when I got there, I don't think I've every played another game like it, a real standout in the 8 bit era.
Thanks very much! I only wish I had gotten a chance to play this as a kid. I think I would've really enjoyed it then too.
I can't even imagine what it must've been like realizing that the spells could be accessed through the pause menu later into the game! Sounds like you got through a big chunk of it on hard mode if it took you a while to figure that out :D
I really do feel like this game did so much beyond what others did or tried to do. It's definitely underrated! I'm always glad to meet another fan!
Hey
I've been enjoying your videos lately, found you through the drunk friend podcast. I like your in depth approach on older games, instead of denigrating them as relics or obsolete, you find the good things about them. I have noticed that even with games your gushing over on a video you will still point out a small issue or frustration you had playing it, this is my long winded way of asking you, is there a perfect game you've played? Where you have no knit picks, not a single negative word about a single pixel of the game?
I don't think such a game exists. I have qualms with even my very favourites!
And thanks so much about the videos. I'm very grateful for NESFriend and SNESDrunk for having me on a couple of times. They're such nice people to hang out with!
I remember this game to be difficult. Nice mystical music.
The soundtrack was definitely a highlight! I watched someone play this with the FM music and I didn't like it nearly as much.
One of my fav6games of alltime
It was definitely enjoyable to play! Thanks for watching.
I love this channel and I love your voice. How come UA-cam took this long to make your work show up for me? 😁
I wish I knew who to direct your question to, but better late than never! Welcome!
What a great video, very nicely done! My best friend growing up had the Master System.. always remember how odd that d-pad was :) Never heard of this game though, but it looks like one I would enjoy.. although I probably would've ragequit trying to simply walk up those stairs!
Thank you very much! I really enjoyed playing through this one and I've been loving the other Master System games I own as well. I think Spellcaster is still relatively cheap if you want to try out sometime, though the stairs might end you, haha!
Maybe someday down the line, as I don't have a Master System.. but I sure love the 8-bit era of games..
I think you need one. I'm surprised you have gone on so long without one! Master System and Famicom exclusives are where it's at for me right now. I'm in love.
Damn.. you're making me think about this now.. well, I am just getting into Famicom games so that'll will definitely keep me busy.. it's nice to know that someday I can always get a Master System too and discover all that 8-bit glory :)
Awesome video! I may have to check out your LP of this, as I probably don't have the patience to really go through it myself. I played the sequel before I knew this game existed. After having playing SpellCaster, I actually prefer it over Mystic Defender for being more than just a straight-up action game.
I definitely loved the story bits of SpellCaster. If you check out the LP, I hope you enjoy it. It's not a very long game and I really enjoyed playing through it again.
Amazing review! My favorite game on the Master System! I actually had to learn English to play it...
Oh right on! It was a fun game... lots of mystery and fun to be had. And thanks very much :)
@@hungrygoriya Subscribed! Thinking of doing dioramas for retro games! Started customizing action figures and would welcome suggestions for future projects, as I know there's not official action figures for most of these hidden gems characters. Please visit my channel if you got the time. Cheers!
I think I liked the anime it's based on(Kujaku O/Peacock King) but hard to remember as that was over a decade ago now. Like other anime games of the 80s it was heavily localized with all the names changed and quite a bit of sprite alterations. I've read about the game before and with my backlog, who knows if this a game I'll ever play or not. Seems interesting but not a must play either.
If Daria reads this I am not entering the contest but thought I'd check out the review anyway. I enjoyed it so I subbed.
I haven't seen the anime, but it'd be interesting to see what it's all about after playing the game. I think the game is free to play on Internet Archive if you feel like dabbling in it for just a little while.
Thanks very much for popping over and subscribing. I hope you enjoy the content here!
Fun fact: a bunch of the spells in this game are named for Buddhist deities (Kujaku Oh/Kain is a Shingon monk in Japan)
Kannon: Japanese goddess of mercy, often called on to intercede for the deceased and banish evil spirits
Indra: King of the 33 Heavens and god of storms, thunder and lightning, etc
Fudo: full name Fudo Myo, he is the wrathful manifestation of the chief Shingon deity, Vairocana Buddha
It's possible that all the spells were like this in Japan, but I don't know enough Japanese to play through and check
Edit: I can't confirm this, but it seems likely that "Mars" is derived from a transliterated version of Marici (Japanese "Marishiten") a Shingon guardian deva/bodhisattva of war.
I think prior to playing this, Indra was the only one that sounded familiar to me. This makes sense though! I know absolutely no Japanese so I'm no help in digging deeper!
It's amazing, i played this game when i was 14 years old in 1990. To see a review almost 30 years after is unbelivable!!!
This game is one of the most memorable and favorite of all time.
Thank you for this video!
Wish there was a remake.
Awesome! Thanks so much for watching. I'm so glad you stumbled upon the review and that you enjoyed it. I wish I had gotten to play this one as a kid because I think it would've been a great game to get lost in (literally in that pyramid, of course...) I loved the mash-up of genres here. It was a pleasure to play through.
Did you ever play Mystic Defender on Genesis? It's the sequel to this one, but I'm not sure how much they retained between this game's style and that one.
A@@hungrygoriya Actually, I did get to play Mystic Defender, it was not as good as Spellcaster. In fact, It was bad that I stopped playing in early stages. Mainly, it lacked the story and drama that were in Spellcaster. I expected the sequel to be with the same style and gameplay.
You mentioned the pyramid, I recall that I stopped playing my first playthrough because it was impossible at the time to finish. After a few months, I heard from a friend that he made it through and I had to continue my game. finally finished it and got very excited when I saw Kane on the cliff watching the sunset...
@@oferasis1 It's too bad that Mystic Defender didn't live up to the tone of the first game. I had the impression that it wasn't as dramatic or good as the first game since it's strictly an action game from what I can recall... it's really too bad.
I won't lie - when I did my playthrough of the game I used a map for the pyramid. I don't know how anyone would find their way out. I tried mapping it and it was really tough, especially because the place wraps around in some spots! And those hidden upgrades... good lord!
@@hungrygoriya I believe that mapping the pyramid was the solution at that time, it was a long long long time ago... :)
Love the master system!!! This game was cool!! Great video!!
It is a very cool game. Thanks for your kind words!
Glad I came here from Daria. I didn't have a Master System growing up so this was a fresh look at a game that is new to me.
Well thanks for stopping in! There are so many good Master System games out there. I just found out about the Master System a few years ago and discovering its library has been awesome. I grew up with NES so being able to find out about an entirely new 8bit library was a dream come true.
This game seems neat. I've been wanting to explore the Master System library for a while now but haven't yet.
I love your voice by the way.
I was pretty surprised at how gripped I was by the story. Definitely dive into the Master System whenever you can. It's a great system and I can't believe I didn't know about it for so long!
And thanks about the voice. I'm pretty blessed.
@@hungrygoriya Definitely, I wish I had dove in a while back, but no time like the present.
@@StephenWilds Better late than never. You're absolutely right! I think this game can be played free on Internet Archive if you aren't looking to purchase it.
Never saw this when I had my first SMS. Looks good
I hope you'll have an opportunity to play it sometime. It's really enjoyable!
First game have memories of playing was Miracle Warrior's for the SMS. I've had the system since I was a kid, but access and knowledge has been limited. I've wondered about this game but never did any research on it. Obscure spaghetti/Undertale references ftw. Great review, I'll make it a point to pick this up!
Hey thanks for checking this out. I don't mean to alarm you, but I did a review and an entire Let's Play of Miracle Warriors. No pressure of course, but here's a link to the review: ua-cam.com/video/ydl_BGRBzn8/v-deo.html
@@hungrygoriya Awesome, I'll check out the review!
Love this review! I still remember Kuma and his spaghetti 😆 Subscribing for more!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel.
Really love this gama. Kinda wish the copy I own didn't stay in a moisty basement for about 30 years.
Is it no longer in good shape? Basements can be that way :( I have a few things I've bought from folks over the years that have a little bit of humidity/water damage. I still love them though!
That "spaghetti" is probably soba noodles; Sega probably figured that Americans wouldn't know what soba noodles or ramen was. And the nectar is probably sake.
Loved this game
Me too! Did you play it when you were younger or just recently?
@@hungrygoriya The Master System was my first console..
I played it, when i was 12.
Long time ago ^^
Interesting game. This might convince me to get the Master System attachment for my Genesis.
Please do! The Master System library is full of awesome games that I've been enjoying and imagine others would too.
Daria asked me to check out your review, and I'm glad I did. Only sorry I took so long to do so.
Great review, with a thorough rundown of the game's most important components. I especially appreciated the heads up about the broken Medusa boss fight and the Seaman reference. I'm sadly not as familiar with the Master System. It just wasn't as popular among my classmates growing up. Think I was the only one who even owned a Sega system (the Genesis). As a result, I missed this game and many others entirely. Hope I get the chance to try it.
I also like your channel name. Is it a reference to Zelda II or Glutko's cutscene from the CDi games?
Oh, your username's reference just clicked. Surprised I forgot that one.
Also subscribed.
Goodness, no need to apologize! I'm glad you wandered over here and enjoyed the review. I'm pretty much head over heels for the Master System so that always ends up being my focus here despite playing other things in between. I grew up with an NES and a Genesis but had no idea the Master System existed until a few years ago. As something that fits snugly between NES and Genesis, the SMS was right up my alley and I haven't looked back. I hope you have a chance to play some of the games sometime. They're amazing!
@@w.qualls7930 I'm glad it clicked. That hungry little guy was a stumper for me growing up so it seemed like a good thing to become online. Obscure enough to not seem fangirlish but also still rooted in a founding game in a wonderful series!
@@hungrygoriya , the reference was obscure enough that it almost slipped past me entirely and I love that series, so I'd say you hit that mark perfectly.
You've definitely piqued my interest in the Master System. A local shop has a power base converter for the Genesis. Might at least try to grab that.
@@w.qualls7930 Do ittt! Collecting for the Master System can be a bit expensive depending on what you're getting, but some of my favourites are Psychic World (PAL exclusive but awesome!), Miracle Warriors (turn-based RPG), Golden Axe Warrior (very expensive but well worth it if you can find a copy), Phantasy Star, Master of Darkness... I could go on, but those are excellent! I also played Ultima IV on the Master System and loved it more than most other games, but there are much cheaper/easier ways to play that one if you're interested in that series.
Mt Hinokami, my god the absolute hell I had with that level. Also I wish I'd known in 1989 how OP Fudo was. Loved this game.
I spent sooooo long trying to get by Mt. Hinokami. It was a true nightmare and definitely the hardest part of the game for me. Have you ever considered playing it again now that you're older?
@@hungrygoriya Well I have still got an original Mega Drive with the Master System converter in storage. I think I'll dig it out over the weekend, and yes I do have Spellcaster so that might be played too :D
@@pyro609 That's what I like to hear! I hope it's everything you remember it being.
Interesting vid, thank you.
Thanks! I was happy to put something together on this game. It's a great one!
This game was a bit too complicated and hard for me at the time. But it has something special. The atmospheric music and visuals draws you in. The spagetti man is just one of those things that any kid remembers. Because spagetti is so good right:) I would like to play this again proper sometime. We did get Mystic defender for the Mega Drive later and that was a lot more straightforward. But the similarities were striking.
I don't believe I would've fared well with it as a kid just because of the complication of the localization, but also that pyramid maze... what a nightmare!
The spaghetti man was very memorable to me, as well as scary Midori on the dock. That really stuck with me!
I haven't tried out Mystic Defender yet but I hope to sometime. It looks great, but I'm sad they got rid of the story elements.
@@hungrygoriya yeah none of the rpg elements were kept for Mystic Defender. Its a snappy action game.
i subbed,very nice work,fellow youtuber here,good video.
Oh thanks so much! Glad you stopped by!
I'm into rpg hybrids. Looks fun!
It was a great time!
I never owned the system, but a friend did and we played this. But he never figured out how to use spells. lol. 5 minutes in my hand I figured out all the controls and changed his life. xD
Nice! The pause menu's essential for this game.
@@hungrygoriya Yeah, he felt pretty dumb not figuring that one out lol
Hey this game looks awesome. Did anyone make a blueballs will drop comment yet.
Sorry couldn't help my self.
Was sent here from Daria and after watching this review ill definitely be joining you again. Got to check out this game looks like my cup of tea.
Going for the low-hanging fruit, eh? :D Nope, nobody's made that joke but I was thinking someone would eventually! You take the crown!
Thanks for stopping in. I'm glad you enjoyed the review, and I hope you'll like some of the other stuff I've been working on here. I hope you love SpellCaster when you play it. I was really surprised at how good it was!
Looks like a fun game even with some of its quirks.
I really liked it!
This game is a precursor to Mystic Defender on the Genesis: a good game worth checking out if you liked this one. Though, oddly, there isn't nearly the degree of story.
I do have Mystic Defender but haven't played it yet. What you've mentioned here (the story trimming) is what's been deterring me most. I liked the story bits much more than the action sequences.
@@hungrygoriya I hear ya. Weird how a game that followed on a more advanced system was dumbed down in that aspect, but the action and early Genesis style graphics are still worth the shot. Though I first played back as a kid, I enjoy it now. I'll have to Spellcaster some day.
@@MrSerpico145 Right? It's a lot like Act Raiser on SNES. I bought the second game hoping it'd be like the first, and nope! Not the case at all!
Hippies giving out religious booze! Got to check it out! Good review and subbed.
Thanks so much for subscribing. I've been at this a while now and if you like the Master System, there's quite a bit of that hanging around here.
Looks like it could be an awesome play.
It really is! I was really impressed by how good it turned out. When I first turned it on I had no idea what to expect.
Great
Great video! I like games that mix genres like that, but the platforming segments seem too frustrating for me, personally. The combination does remind me of Mystik Belle, a recent-ish indie title. Platforming and adventure elements. I look forward to a video on Faxanadu, hopefully, I'm interested in older Falcom games.
I could write a love letter to Faxanadu! It's coming out on this channel at some point, just not sure when. And honestly, the magic system in the game really makes the action sections bearable. Makiri gives you the option to fly out of the way whenever you need to, and having a healing spell is pretty convenient. Mt. Hinokami was the absolute worst stretch but grinding for magic helped with that section a whole bunch. If I can do it, so can you!
@@hungrygoriya as soon as you mentioned being able to fly I thought back to those horrible looking stair sections.
You fly really, really slowly so it doesn't help in the stair spots too much. Most enemies are moving faster than you!
@@hungrygoriya And I thought Castlevania stairs were special! My feelings about the gameplay aside, I really did enjoy learning about this game. It's always fun to hear about older games that mixed things up. I imagine many of the development teams for games this age had much in common with modern indie studios. Trying to innovate on a smaller scale.
The dialogue is giving me heavy "All your base are belong to us" vibes.
Totally! I still need to play Zero Wing someday!
This game looks great! I can't believe I have never heard of it before. I feel my gaming cred has been reduced 1 level.
Haha you'll get it back soon enough, I'm sure. SpellCaster is awesome though, and I hope if you do play it sometime that you enjoy it. It was definitely a wonderful surprise.
I love this game! As a kid I finished it without using Mars I will have you know! The pyramid was really hard!! It is a shame its Genesis sequel had nothing to do with... I am surprised you did not use the powered up blast (hold and release) as it kills that enemy of the underworld that splits in his mini-selfs.
Oh you never used Mars? I am heavily reliant on saving/healing mechanisms in games since I'm paranoid to get destroyed, but that's amazing that you were able to make it through! Sometimes I'd use the charge attack but not always. I need to replay this some day knowing what I know now and have a much better time with it. I enjoyed it my first playthrough, but some parts were a real struggle!
This game was coooool. I really liked the sequel, “Mystic Defender” (Genesis).
\m/, (*o*) ,\m/
I still need to play Mystic Defender!
I appreciate you.
I hope you have literally the greatest day of your life.
Also great review. 😊
I hope you have a great day too! Thanks for stopping by.
I was disappointed when the Sega Master System was my Christmas present instead of the NES. I turned into that kid with the only SMS in town.
I played the crap out of it as much as possible. I loved my little system. Zillion 1&2, Phantasy Star & Fantasy Zone were only a few I had.
My step dad smashed it the floor in an angry tirade cracking the morthboard in the process.
That sucked.
:( I'm sorry your Master System met such a terrible fate, but nice to know that you have some good memories with it. It sounds like you had a great bunch of games!
The sequel "Mystic Defender" for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis is also a great game.
But that game is only action with no RPG elements
I still need to play it. Would you say it's on the harder side or is it relatively easy to pick up?
@@hungrygoriya It's a game that can be really hard at times but is it relatively easy in the beginning
@UCvk-niD5IDofWQnIEwcTD8A Oh that's really interesting! I'll have to keep an eye out to see which version I have when I do play it. I only have the cartridge so I won't know until I get going with it I suppose!
@@hungrygoriya There are supposed to be two International versions of this game. In an earlier International release of this game. (wich I played) the sprites of some of the enemies have the same color as in the Japanese version.
For example the creepy baby-like enemies in Stage 2 has flesh-colored skin but in later versions it was changed to green.
I've never heard of this game before. Those stairs look *painful*. I could see AVGN covering it.
That whole area with the stairs was the worst part of the game, no question. I tried mapping it and it wraps around at points so I felt like it was impossible. I definitely used a map for that part! Totally something the AVGN might cover. Thanks for watching!
Interesting. Are you looking for Master System recommendations?
Always! My collection for that system isn't very big. What would you recommend?
Alright, I'll recommend lesser-know ones worth trying out then:
Choplifter
Galaxy Force
Golvellius: Valley of Doom
Kenseiden
Maze Hunter 3-D
Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord
Penguin Land
Psycho Fox
Rastan
This is a really great list! I've played Miracle Warriors already and loved it (I reviewed it as well), and I own some of the others you mentioned here but haven't had a chance to play through them yet. I'll definitely be seeking out Galaxy Force, Maze Hunter 3-D, Penguin Land and Psycho Fox. I don't run into those too often.
The best part is Spa-ghetti and free "Nectar"
Yes, Kuma and his spaghetti are great. The hippies are definitely a close second though :D
What is the deal with flaming eyeball enemies? It feels too specific to be coincidence, but too vague to pin down as a definite mythology thing
and what's the deal with supernatural sidescrolling platformers and having so much trouble with stairs? man if I'm ever some kinda vampire or demon lord, Ima fill my lair with stairs for sure.
I'm not sure if the fireball enemies are meant to be significant or not. They're a pain though!
And yeah, totally just a house full of stairs would do the trick. Even if they don't go anywhere.
I guess I have one more game to add to my Master System collection, thank you.
It's a pretty affordable game compared to some of the others out there, most definitely!
Hey Hungry! Im slowly catching up here lol.
Oh you're deep in the weeds now! :D
6:45
Spaghetti?? That sign literally says "yakisoba".
Stupid localization, at least replace the text!
Maybe its just cuz Im a cascadian, but we knew what yakisoba was even in 1989. I hate that kind of localization.
Im looking for a master system now, your reviews have convinced me theres enough fun games to play. I really want to play this one, spaghetti not withstanding
Haha well, being an English-only speaker, it's spaghetti to me! But I hope you'll give some Master System a try! If you like classic PC as much as you say, Ultima IV on the Master System is one of my favourites and I've heard it's very faithful to the original.
Maze segments always suck.
Yeah, they're far from my favourite.
"Spaghetti". Yeah that's yakisoba. 80's translations why are you like this?
I find it funny when they localize foods in some games and not others. I'll admit if I'd played this as a kid, I would've had no idea what yakisoba was. A missed learning opportunity!
Boring game
I've definitely played worse, but this one's not for everyone.