A friend of mine I grew up with passed away from brain cancer a few years back. Him and I used to play this game all night and in the morning, he usually would be playing it before I was up lol. Every time I play or see this awesome game it makes me think of him and our good times. RIP Andy.
Man... I can think of a friend that I have similar memories with. I'm glad you guys had each other to share a cool game with, those are the games you really remember.
I had the same experience with a friend who died in a car accident. We used to play Dynasty Warrior 3 and laugh a lot of it's silliness. Playing the game alone is not the same at all...
Games like this, Mystic Defender, Saint Sword, and Shadow Blasters really brought home that arcade feel of some of my favorite arcade games like Rastan and Black Tiger. There's a magic there that even most modern indie games haven't found, and Alisia Dragoon is a strong one.
Alisia Dragoon is one of my all time favourite Mega Drive games. It's just so perfect. The soundtrack alone is a solid argument to state how good the console actually was if left in the right hands.
Dude...I just bought this on EBAY a couple months ago cause it was 1 of the only games I was missing from my 1st 2 years of Genesis ownership. Bought my Genesis in Dec. 89 w/Golden Axe and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Revenge of Shinobi, a week later, upon release. You rock. Alisia Dragoon is a hidden gem, if ther ever was one.
@@opaljk4835 That and it was on the mini. Makes you wonder if they're planning something...imagine if Lizardcube got their hands on it like they did with Wonder Boy. That right there...*chef's kiss*
Glad you got round to reviewing this one. Was bought this back in the day and had never heard of the game. But once I got used to the auto target attack I came to live it. Great criss of action and light RPG elements, really carried stages mixing fantasy and sci fi settings, so many hidden areas. And one if my favourite soundtracks on the megadrive. Was tough as nails though, never managed to beat that brutal platform section leading up to the final boss.
I remember renting this from Blockbuster when it was brand new in 1992 because I liked action platformers and it looked cool. I ended up LOVING it almost immediately. Fantastic game, and I ended up buying it right after I returned the rental. Shame it didn't do well. It was better than a lot of generic crap at the time. 🐉
Ditto. Rented it and then bought it. I remember it getting no advertising whatsover, when all the game magazines' pages were plastered with Greendog and Chakan ads. Sega of America pushed company reputation-soiling, Western-developed junk that made the Genesis look weak, at the expenses of Japanese-developed great-looking and sounding gems like this. I really wish that Sega of Japan exercised more control over the American division, like Nintendo did with theirs. Oh yeah, it also had one of the worst box cover arts, which is another thing that Sega of America always botched.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk I actually didn't mind the box art. Because it was a sword and sorcery themethey were going for a Frank Frazetta/Boris Vallejo art style that they were famous for, which makes sense to release in the west. Perhaps Japans anime style was considered to "cartoony" for its time but anime wouldn't become appreciated in the west for another ten or so years.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk Русский? Ну в смысле ко-ко-ко запад. Это две разные культуры чтобы управлять одинаково. Если не Том Калински Дженезис провалилась бы в США. Это не американцы придумали 32х. И да. Когда ушёл Калински или даже где-то с 95 года когда вышел Сатурн так и стало как ты хочешь. И где Сатурн и Дрим? С таким уровнем познаний и интеллекта ты и войну поддерживаешь. Ведь запад напал). Хотя возможно что по Сатурну Калински уже не так сёк если он мог что то сделать с рекламой убогой, но не сделал.
I remember when I first tried this one. I approached it like a typical action game, and that wasn't much fun because of the limited attack power. I'm not the biggest fan of exploration, but that shift made a big difference here. Once I knew what the game wanted, it became a lot of fun, surprisingly so. Having to find hidden power ups was a good approach to the game's design, I think. And the presentation is really strong too. It brings to mind Ranger X, another game that is technically very good with unique ideas that didn't make a big impact when it was new, but ended up getting a lot of praise years later.
I was always fascinated by the art style as a kid and the screen shots on the box and in magazines always impressed me. Sadly I never got to try it out back in the day and only recently played this via emulation. It certainly is a sold title.
I never played until the genesis mini…stand out game overall! Brings me nostalgia 30 years after it’s emergence after NEVER playing it before! I absolutely love when I missed a gem.
I rented this back in the 90s', and remember thinking the 'father tortured to death in front of you' plot from the manual being pretty fucking heavy for the time. I also couldn't beat the second boss, but at least the swirling water effect in the background was neat.
what, did he say not a success! this game was amazing. loved it. fighting, superpowers, graphics good and your monster things could be upgraded. game was ahead of its time.
I remember reading a review of this game in a magazine the month it was released, and it immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately I had to wait several years to finally play it, but it did not dissapoint. Very unique, but also very good. A true hidden gem.
At 10:45 when the footage shows a secret area on stage 2 after you get to the area if you jump up again there is another secret area above that gives great goodies to power you up. I always get it
Picked this up during my early Genesis collecting period. Really good. Never quite beat the game but it is on my "Want to beat" list. Which is very long but it is on there.
Good review! I haven't played this game since I was a kid. I had a childhood friend who let me borrow this one. I ended up enjoying it, but not making it very far as I was an impatient gamer at the time. It really is an underappreciated gem. It is a shame this game never got noticed back then to warrant a sequel. Though, glad it is now finally getting more attention by the gaming community.
This is still one of my favorite Genesis games. It's good to see it get the recognition it deserves but rarely receives. How about some Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter next? Your content is top notch good sir.
Never heard about this game but it looks amazing for an 8Mbit cartridge. Multi Pet mechanics is nice. I imagine this on a 16Mbit cartridge would have looked and animated even better!
I always enjoy it when youtube gives me a recommendation like this. Seems like there's always another cool game out there I never heard of. I look forward to exploring your channel.
I had it when new along with several others in the genre, Castlevania, Shinobis, Ghouls n Ghosts, Cadash, Mystic Defender, and Strider. All very unique and dear to me during that time. I love the Genesis shooters (MUSHA, Gaiares, Truxton, Lords of Thunder) and RPGs (Shining Force1/2/CD, and Phantasy Star 2/4) also.
I remember at the time I found this cart, it was sitting next to a cheap copy of Mystic Defender ($1.99), the cost was $7.99, but I did not pick it up. A night later I decided to fire up a random Genesis ROM, lo and behold, it was Alisia Dragoon. It was decided I'd go back to that Play N Trade and get it. Luckily enough, it and Mystic Defender were both still there (at that time AD still was a bit under the radar), so I picked up both. This was about a decade or so ago, I had my cart only copy, and I am happy to have the game, pleased in fact. The Japanese version has the superior cover, Alisia is a young girl, the Japanese cover makes that quite clear, the western versions make her look like a 30 year old bodybuilder. But that Japanese version even a few years ago was well over $100 for a complete copy. I do remember the game got a blip in one of the Genesis Does ads, but it was quite brief in appearance onscreen.
Alisia Dragoon looks incredible on the Genesis. The graphics,gameplay and soundtrack are so enjoyable to hear. It makes me want to play this game right now. If only I have this game and the Genesis too.
Very nice looking Genesis game... 16bit Sega titles often suffered from lazy palette choices, but they did well here! If only we could have seen more good palette decisions AND excellent gameplay! It was too rare... thanks Sega Lord! SEEEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAA!
This game is one of the unsung gems of the Genesis/Mega Drive library, especially for its uniqueness. Saw it in a few Genesis game catalog posters and was immediately drawn to the colorful graphics, the cute redhead, and her dragon. And I was not disappointed when I finally played and grasped what its playstyle asked of me. Regret not picking up a copy back then. And that Japanese box art is a masterpiece (probably partly why it goes for so much now, lol)! If I ever make a game one day, I'd love to make a spiritual successor to this or borrow some ideas... Also, while it doesn't feature Gainax's Gainax (Chests that go "Boing"), Alisia...certainly has CAKE which was pretty rare to see even on anime characters back in the day... (5:33)
I first found this game back in 2004 when I was browsing through the OC Remix website, where I stumbled on a remix of stage 6-1 called "Halls of Abandonment." It was a fantastic remix that was more than enough to interest me in trying this game I had never heard of before. Alisia Dragoon immediately appealed to me, and it soon became my favorite Sega Genesis game, which it remains as such to this day. The art style, the music, the gameplay and the right balance of difficulty. Most of all, I love the design of the characters and the world that give the impression of a cross between Nausicaa meets The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko. I was stoked to see it included on the Genesis Mini a few years back. i don't think it gets enough love, and more people should give it a shot. Also, as an interesting aside, this game was one of the earlier production efforts of Studio Gainax, a few years before their better-known work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Certainly the only video game project I am aware of that they were directly involved in.
Gainax was also known for the game Princess Maker, which was successful enough to spawn four more sequels. It was also popular enough to warrant an 26-episode anime adaptation, Petite Princess Yucie, which was loosely based on the third game.
i remember my mum bringing this home for me and mum picks being what they are, i was a little scared but in this instance it was well done mum, it had good gameplay and a solid sound track
Got stuck on the second level of this game playing through it on my Genesis mini, but will have to give it another crack after this review! It does have a very unique look and playstyle.
To me it was the best sega genesis game of all time along with streets of rage 2 man this game deserves to get remake remastered or something it doesn't deserve to get abandoned
It's definitely a game that you need to research ahead of time to know what the heck is going on. Back then you had manuals with the games that explained it all. :D The dragon gets stronger as you go. It's AWESOME!!!!
@@macuser7048 Ah, sounds like one that would have been tricky to rent back in the 90s since you couldn’t always count on a manual. I bet the presentation could motivate a person to stubbornly try even without instructions, though. :) Takes me back to the times I rented Batman Forever or the winter olympics game set in Lillehammer, Norway. Both of those were pretty rough to play without an instruction manual so I returned them to Blockbuster the same day I rented them. I’d hate to think about renting some of the games I bought (like Final Fantasy on the NES) without manual where you had to hold the reset button while saving for the battery backup to work properly.
I really enjoy this game. It's pretty damn tough (still haven't beaten it both on the cart and the Genesis Mini), but I still enjoy it. I was SO lucky to find an original Japanese loose cartridge for cheap... Also, I SO MUCH agree about the Japanese cover art: that is some beautiful anime style art if you ask me! That's why I got myself a custom box with an excellent scan of said cover.
I got a Genesis in '93, but I only ever had Sonic and Sonic Spinball; nearly all the money I earned back then went to help my parents keep the family afloat, but I managed to set just enough aside for a Genesis. Over the past few years, I've been looking back at what I missed out on from the Genesis' heyday, so last October, Alisia Dragoon was highly recommended to me. As luck would have it, my wife came across a fully complete copy while we were at Portland Retro Gaming Expo last year, and man...this game is everything SLX is mentioning here. The rather high asking price gave me pause, but I'm really glad we pulled the trigger 'cause this game is worth every penny!
One of my favorites on the 90s, now i have the japanese version, the cover and the manual is awesome. I've played so much but never beat the game, its very hard. For me the best part is the music...
Really cool unique game that is very appealing and ready for a revisit. Has to be a significant relationship she has with the dragon. You should need a strong, fully grown dragon to beat the final boss!
I remember it well back to the mid 90s, always was a very top end game for the system breaking the common mold of less than great tinny audio, solid use of color, great detail on everything. I can't say I'm too surprised, Gainax involvement says a lot given their HUGE anime pedigree, couple that with Game Arts it's hard to fail.
Alisia Dragoon is my fave megadrive game of all time. I pushed so hard for this game to be added on megadrive mini luckily sega and game arts listened and added to it. True gem. I bought this game for £12 in 2018 and now the value has gone up to £35. Stage 4 music is my fave. Did you know there were 5 different composers for the music hence why they sound different from each other
I'm not a massively skilled or patient gamer, and this is one of the few Megadrive games I've completed. Excellent game. Great review. The companions are the best part of this game I think. I think the slightly offbeat title with the heroine's name must have been why it wasn't huge. Give it a generic MD title like 'Dragon Power X', it probably would have sold more.
Dragons make any game a 10 out of 10. I just wish the AI for them was a little better. I found myself just turning them off entirely when they were low on health or I didn't want to lose one (especially the fire or thunder) before a boss fight.
I loved this game! I remember seeing previews of it in the Import section of the gaming magazines back in the day. I couldn't wait to play it. Enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for the memories!
Another absolutely fantastic video and effort, thank you again for choosing my "Ranger X" video ( it was me who recommended it). Have you ever considered doing a video about yourself? Like who is lord X, as in your personal favourite games like a top 10 from Sega games /systems? Keep up the awesome work pal your a star in a sometimes dull world
I like this game , when I first played it at a friend's I liked the music and thought it looked cool it was hard, I recently got pretty fair into it but with the no continues it makes it pretty difficult, it really does help to explore, I still remember playing this golden axe 2 road rash 2 and ghost busters, shadow dancer and kings bounty at my friends I had a Genesis of my own but i was impressed with the Genesis at the time, I don't remember having a SNES very long we had Mario world Mario paint gradius 3 which is my favorite shooter lol but Genesis got me into gaming . thanks for your content brings back memories and I love it.
Thanks for the review! I saw this game on a few best of videos and I’m a fan of Gainax so I picked it up. My cart arrived yesterday so pretty excited to try it out with your advice in mind.
I've read several positive comments about this but never played it. I do appreciate Game Arts stuff, like Silpheed. AD looks very well put together. Also, 5:33 .
I played this game randomly mostly as a joke/try until I die for a few moments of entertainment. Next thing I noticed over 4 hours passed. I don't think I'll ever beat it, but it was a surprisingly refreshing game. It has its issues but even in 2023 it feels pretty damn unique. Edit: I played this first via emulation at the end of 2022.
A massively underrated game in my opinion, the level design, the music, the game play it all flows really well. This game could easily have been made into a movie aswell. The storyline and characters would translate well on the big screen.
Love 90’s Japanese fantasy games that regularly tossed in Sci-Fi areas and enemies. Such a cool aesthetic. Also, that $69.99 price tag! People complain about game prices, now, but they were brutal, back in the 16 bit era!
You brought up the point that Japanese developers seemed to have an affinity for FM Synth, and in the past have shown plenty of examples of how Western developers were not. I think that has to do with the hardware Western developers of the day were akin to developing on. As early as 1985, they had access to sample-based music formats on stuff like the Amiga.
It's not like Western composers or developers weren't talented, there was just poor communication as well as rivalry between East and West. Millennials and younger (raised on Japanese media/culture) and internet collaboration (hire translators anywhere in the world) have mostly erased the East-West communication gap
One of my favorite Genesis games, but I was never able to beat it until it got put on the Switch in the Genesis collection. Being able to save anywhere finally allowed me to get in the practice I needed on the final bosses. A solid game all around and a real shame that it’s never gotten a sequel, even now.
I've never been a big fan of the Genesis sound chip when it comes to music, but great composers knew really how to make it shine, and this game sounds like the composer(s) knew what they were doing.
This game was awesome when it came out! I loved the graphics, design, and gameplay mechanics. So many people sleep on this title compared to the more popular ones on the system.
First time I ever played this game was on the Genesis Mini. I must have been living under a rock as I bought my original Genesis in 1991and hadn't heard of it. Thankfully that has now been corrected.
I discovered Alisia Dragoon through emulation and love it! I think the difference in how it was marketed in the West rather than the East really fascinating.
Alisia Dragoon is basically a fantasy rendition of Thexder, Game Arts's first game. The action gameplay in that revolved around a laser that auto-target enemies and had a heavy exploration bent in its levels as well.
When it came out, I immediately enjoyed the fine details in its graphics, at least for buildings. When I started collecting, it was one of the games I had to get. I thought this was a classic, so I'm surprised to hear it didn't sell so well.
Remember just how exotic and different the anime style seemed once upon a time? Before it really broke in the West and was everywhere...it got your attention.
A friend of mine I grew up with passed away from brain cancer a few years back. Him and I used to play this game all night and in the morning, he usually would be playing it before I was up lol. Every time I play or see this awesome game it makes me think of him and our good times. RIP Andy.
Andy RIP
Rip Andy and I too have great memories of this great game on my Mega Drive with my family friend too
RIP Andy.
Man... I can think of a friend that I have similar memories with. I'm glad you guys had each other to share a cool game with, those are the games you really remember.
I had the same experience with a friend who died in a car accident. We used to play Dynasty Warrior 3 and laugh a lot of it's silliness. Playing the game alone is not the same at all...
I played this one as a kid & the music has always stuck in my head, absolute jammers
Games like this, Mystic Defender, Saint Sword, and Shadow Blasters really brought home that arcade feel of some of my favorite arcade games like Rastan and Black Tiger. There's a magic there that even most modern indie games haven't found, and Alisia Dragoon is a strong one.
Rastan was only alvaible on the Master System. The genesis had Rastan 2 which was an ok port of a bad game.
absolutely agree. I can t define that type of magic, why it s there. But I feel it.
The team really did a great job squeeze all *8 MEGA POWER* out of this cart. Looks and sounds great, with tons of variation.
Thanks, Joe!
Alisia Dragoon is one of my all time favourite Mega Drive games. It's just so perfect. The soundtrack alone is a solid argument to state how good the console actually was if left in the right hands.
Finished it after owning it for around 20 years a few years ago, the soundtrack never got old, absolutely one of the best soundtracks for the console!
@@grantfullickthe grind don't stop! 🙌🏻
Dude...I just bought this on EBAY a couple months ago cause it was 1 of the only games I was missing from my 1st 2 years of Genesis ownership. Bought my Genesis in Dec. 89 w/Golden Axe and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Revenge of Shinobi, a week later, upon release. You rock. Alisia Dragoon is a hidden gem, if ther ever was one.
good stuff!
I was surprised to see it on NSO tbh. So cool to have a game like that available to the wider public
@@opaljk4835 nso?
@@PAINNN666
Nintendo Switch Online.
Sorry, if that was a letdown.
@@opaljk4835 That and it was on the mini. Makes you wonder if they're planning something...imagine if Lizardcube got their hands on it like they did with Wonder Boy. That right there...*chef's kiss*
Rented this on a weekend with my pocket money when I was 12 and fell in love with it,a total gem and full of nostalgia for me,awesome 👌
Glad you got round to reviewing this one. Was bought this back in the day and had never heard of the game. But once I got used to the auto target attack I came to live it.
Great criss of action and light RPG elements, really carried stages mixing fantasy and sci fi settings, so many hidden areas. And one if my favourite soundtracks on the megadrive.
Was tough as nails though, never managed to beat that brutal platform section leading up to the final boss.
This game is amazing and the soundtrack really is something special, I only discovered it in the last few years on the Genesis mini.
Game Arts went on to make the underrated Grandia series.
OMG me too I love this game ❤️🔥
Alisia Dragoon is one of the first games I've ever played on the MD and is responsible for some of the fondest memories I have from the system.
This was one of the few games I owned in the early life of the Genesis so glad you covered it!
I remember renting this from Blockbuster when it was brand new in 1992 because I liked action platformers and it looked cool. I ended up LOVING it almost immediately. Fantastic game, and I ended up buying it right after I returned the rental. Shame it didn't do well. It was better than a lot of generic crap at the time. 🐉
@@zentchnl5813 without autolock it would be g & g. If not even More harder.
@@zentchnl5813 I see you have not played this at all. The auto lock is necessary plus this game is not about aiming but more about energy management.
Ditto. Rented it and then bought it. I remember it getting no advertising whatsover, when all the game magazines' pages were plastered with Greendog and Chakan ads. Sega of America pushed company reputation-soiling, Western-developed junk that made the Genesis look weak, at the expenses of Japanese-developed great-looking and sounding gems like this. I really wish that Sega of Japan exercised more control over the American division, like Nintendo did with theirs. Oh yeah, it also had one of the worst box cover arts, which is another thing that Sega of America always botched.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk I actually didn't mind the box art. Because it was a sword and sorcery themethey were going for a Frank Frazetta/Boris Vallejo art style that they were famous for, which makes sense to release in the west.
Perhaps Japans anime style was considered to "cartoony" for its time but anime wouldn't become appreciated in the west for another ten or so years.
@@Prizrak-hv6qk Русский? Ну в смысле ко-ко-ко запад. Это две разные культуры чтобы управлять одинаково. Если не Том Калински Дженезис провалилась бы в США. Это не американцы придумали 32х. И да. Когда ушёл Калински или даже где-то с 95 года когда вышел Сатурн так и стало как ты хочешь. И где Сатурн и Дрим? С таким уровнем познаний и интеллекта ты и войну поддерживаешь. Ведь запад напал). Хотя возможно что по Сатурну Калински уже не так сёк если он мог что то сделать с рекламой убогой, но не сделал.
I remember when I first tried this one. I approached it like a typical action game, and that wasn't much fun because of the limited attack power. I'm not the biggest fan of exploration, but that shift made a big difference here. Once I knew what the game wanted, it became a lot of fun, surprisingly so. Having to find hidden power ups was a good approach to the game's design, I think. And the presentation is really strong too. It brings to mind Ranger X, another game that is technically very good with unique ideas that didn't make a big impact when it was new, but ended up getting a lot of praise years later.
One of the games I've yet to play through properly, great review!
I look forward to see what you can do with its music!
Only 2 hours long but it's good!
I was always fascinated by the art style as a kid and the screen shots on the box and in magazines always impressed me. Sadly I never got to try it out back in the day and only recently played this via emulation. It certainly is a sold title.
I never played until the genesis mini…stand out game overall! Brings me nostalgia 30 years after it’s emergence after NEVER playing it before! I absolutely love when I missed a gem.
whoever chose/got it onto the mini deserves a pay rise. THAT is the kind of obscure choice you put onto a mini console alongside the heavy hitters.
@@LeeONardo i was tweeting at sega and game arts almost everyday to have this added i gave them reasons for it too. Luckily they listened and added it
I always wished this game got a sequel back in the 90s. I love it, such a nice unique concept and great character.
Same used to love waking in the morning just to play it
One of the best titles from my childhood, Sega Lord X you just made my day , thank you Sir 😊
I discovered this in the Mini Sega Genesis before back in 2020!
I rented this back in the 90s', and remember thinking the 'father tortured to death in front of you' plot from the manual being pretty fucking heavy for the time. I also couldn't beat the second boss, but at least the swirling water effect in the background was neat.
what, did he say not a success! this game was amazing. loved it. fighting, superpowers, graphics good and your monster things could be upgraded. game was ahead of its time.
I remember reading a review of this game in a magazine the month it was released, and it immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately I had to wait several years to finally play it, but it did not dissapoint. Very unique, but also very good. A true hidden gem.
it's one of my favorite genesis titles. when i think of genesis i always remember this title.
At 10:45 when the footage shows a secret area on stage 2 after you get to the area if you jump up again there is another secret area above that gives great goodies to power you up. I always get it
Still have this 31 years later LORD X.....I HAVE THE POWER.🤘😆🤘
And I will be waiting for that next time 🙏🏽Great video 👍🏾
Randomly found this game through emulation a few years ago, and it's been a favorite ever since!
Picked this up during my early Genesis collecting period. Really good. Never quite beat the game but it is on my "Want to beat" list. Which is very long but it is on there.
Tried it out on the Switch online randomly and was like this is a pretty good game. Enjoyed it.
Good review! I haven't played this game since I was a kid. I had a childhood friend who let me borrow this one. I ended up enjoying it, but not making it very far as I was an impatient gamer at the time. It really is an underappreciated gem. It is a shame this game never got noticed back then to warrant a sequel. Though, glad it is now finally getting more attention by the gaming community.
Bro,i love everything about that game,art design,music,my God that music❤️ I played a lot back in the 90's. Great game,so underrated
This is still one of my favorite Genesis games. It's good to see it get the recognition it deserves but rarely receives. How about some Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter next? Your content is top notch good sir.
Never heard about this game but it looks amazing for an 8Mbit cartridge. Multi Pet mechanics is nice. I imagine this on a 16Mbit cartridge would have looked and animated even better!
I always enjoy it when youtube gives me a recommendation like this. Seems like there's always another cool game out there I never heard of. I look forward to exploring your channel.
Thanks for the visit.
That Boris Vallejo style cover art on the western box is kind of awesome. I'm glad we have both versions.
Never saw this in a store as a kid, but I rented it a few times, and enjoyed it a ton. Thanks for covering it.
Dude you missed the 2nd level music its EPIC
You had me at “Game Arts”. How did I not know this game existed??
I had it when new along with several others in the genre, Castlevania, Shinobis, Ghouls n Ghosts, Cadash, Mystic Defender, and Strider. All very unique and dear to me during that time. I love the Genesis shooters (MUSHA, Gaiares, Truxton, Lords of Thunder) and RPGs (Shining Force1/2/CD, and Phantasy Star 2/4) also.
I remember at the time I found this cart, it was sitting next to a cheap copy of Mystic Defender ($1.99), the cost was $7.99, but I did not pick it up. A night later I decided to fire up a random Genesis ROM, lo and behold, it was Alisia Dragoon. It was decided I'd go back to that Play N Trade and get it. Luckily enough, it and Mystic Defender were both still there (at that time AD still was a bit under the radar), so I picked up both. This was about a decade or so ago, I had my cart only copy, and I am happy to have the game, pleased in fact. The Japanese version has the superior cover, Alisia is a young girl, the Japanese cover makes that quite clear, the western versions make her look like a 30 year old bodybuilder. But that Japanese version even a few years ago was well over $100 for a complete copy.
I do remember the game got a blip in one of the Genesis Does ads, but it was quite brief in appearance onscreen.
Alisia Dragoon looks incredible on the Genesis. The graphics,gameplay and soundtrack are so enjoyable to hear. It makes me want to play this game right now. If only I have this game and the Genesis too.
Very nice looking Genesis game... 16bit Sega titles often suffered from lazy palette choices, but they did well here! If only we could have seen more good palette decisions AND excellent gameplay! It was too rare... thanks Sega Lord! SEEEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAA!
This game is one of the unsung gems of the Genesis/Mega Drive library, especially for its uniqueness. Saw it in a few Genesis game catalog posters and was immediately drawn to the colorful graphics, the cute redhead, and her dragon. And I was not disappointed when I finally played and grasped what its playstyle asked of me. Regret not picking up a copy back then. And that Japanese box art is a masterpiece (probably partly why it goes for so much now, lol)! If I ever make a game one day, I'd love to make a spiritual successor to this or borrow some ideas...
Also, while it doesn't feature Gainax's Gainax (Chests that go "Boing"), Alisia...certainly has CAKE which was pretty rare to see even on anime characters back in the day... (5:33)
I have it and love it. Thanks for making a great video about it!
Never had a mega drive back in the day. Now I do and this is one of my favorites!
I first found this game back in 2004 when I was browsing through the OC Remix website, where I stumbled on a remix of stage 6-1 called "Halls of Abandonment." It was a fantastic remix that was more than enough to interest me in trying this game I had never heard of before. Alisia Dragoon immediately appealed to me, and it soon became my favorite Sega Genesis game, which it remains as such to this day. The art style, the music, the gameplay and the right balance of difficulty. Most of all, I love the design of the characters and the world that give the impression of a cross between Nausicaa meets The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko. I was stoked to see it included on the Genesis Mini a few years back. i don't think it gets enough love, and more people should give it a shot.
Also, as an interesting aside, this game was one of the earlier production efforts of Studio Gainax, a few years before their better-known work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Certainly the only video game project I am aware of that they were directly involved in.
Gainax would become a very different company/studio very shortly. This is such an interesting snapshot of time before everything changed.
Gainax was also known for the game Princess Maker, which was successful enough to spawn four more sequels. It was also popular enough to warrant an 26-episode anime adaptation, Petite Princess Yucie, which was loosely based on the third game.
That remix is awesome. This soundtrack deserves waaaay acknolegdement...
The channel intro is very high quality and and has a professionally produced caliber!
i remember my mum bringing this home for me and mum picks being what they are, i was a little scared but in this instance it was well done mum, it had good gameplay and a solid sound track
Got stuck on the second level of this game playing through it on my Genesis mini, but will have to give it another crack after this review! It does have a very unique look and playstyle.
To me it was the best sega genesis game of all time along with streets of rage 2 man this game deserves to get remake remastered or something it doesn't deserve to get abandoned
Just tuned in and I’m curious to learn more about Alisia Dragoon. :)
It's definitely a game that you need to research ahead of time to know what the heck is going on. Back then you had manuals with the games that explained it all. :D The dragon gets stronger as you go. It's AWESOME!!!!
It was released on the Genesis Mini a few years ago. Could not have been happier to see it.
go watch the vid. from pat the nes punk. sexy girl included ; )
@@samghost13 That was a real stripper Pat got for the review.
@@macuser7048 Ah, sounds like one that would have been tricky to rent back in the 90s since you couldn’t always count on a manual. I bet the presentation could motivate a person to stubbornly try even without instructions, though. :)
Takes me back to the times I rented Batman Forever or the winter olympics game set in Lillehammer, Norway. Both of those were pretty rough to play without an instruction manual so I returned them to Blockbuster the same day I rented them.
I’d hate to think about renting some of the games I bought (like Final Fantasy on the NES) without manual where you had to hold the reset button while saving for the battery backup to work properly.
I really enjoy this game. It's pretty damn tough (still haven't beaten it both on the cart and the Genesis Mini), but I still enjoy it. I was SO lucky to find an original Japanese loose cartridge for cheap...
Also, I SO MUCH agree about the Japanese cover art: that is some beautiful anime style art if you ask me! That's why I got myself a custom box with an excellent scan of said cover.
The American cover isn't terrible for once, but I'm sure they had to "westernize" it as America hadn't caught the anime bug quite yet.
That's a pricey one! Blades of Vengeance is another one I hope to see you cover some day!
rare one! not seen many of em
Blades of vengeance is a good game.
i always choose the wizard and pretend the game is about going to pick up my social security cheque
I have this game on the Genesis. It's a challenging game and the re-playability is quite high.
I got a Genesis in '93, but I only ever had Sonic and Sonic Spinball; nearly all the money I earned back then went to help my parents keep the family afloat, but I managed to set just enough aside for a Genesis. Over the past few years, I've been looking back at what I missed out on from the Genesis' heyday, so last October, Alisia Dragoon was highly recommended to me. As luck would have it, my wife came across a fully complete copy while we were at Portland Retro Gaming Expo last year, and man...this game is everything SLX is mentioning here. The rather high asking price gave me pause, but I'm really glad we pulled the trigger 'cause this game is worth every penny!
One of my favorites on the 90s, now i have the japanese version, the cover and the manual is awesome. I've played so much but never beat the game, its very hard. For me the best part is the music...
Really cool unique game that is very appealing and ready for a revisit. Has to be a significant relationship she has with the dragon. You should need a strong, fully grown dragon to beat the final boss!
I remember it well back to the mid 90s, always was a very top end game for the system breaking the common mold of less than great tinny audio, solid use of color, great detail on everything. I can't say I'm too surprised, Gainax involvement says a lot given their HUGE anime pedigree, couple that with Game Arts it's hard to fail.
I loved this game, played it all the time, so happy it's on Switch
I had this as a kid and loved it. I don't remember ever finishing it but still loved every minute I played it.
Alisia Dragoon is my fave megadrive game of all time. I pushed so hard for this game to be added on megadrive mini luckily sega and game arts listened and added to it. True gem. I bought this game for £12 in 2018 and now the value has gone up to £35. Stage 4 music is my fave. Did you know there were 5 different composers for the music hence why they sound different from each other
I'm not a massively skilled or patient gamer, and this is one of the few Megadrive games I've completed. Excellent game. Great review. The companions are the best part of this game I think. I think the slightly offbeat title with the heroine's name must have been why it wasn't huge. Give it a generic MD title like 'Dragon Power X', it probably would have sold more.
I really enjoy this game. There's a lot of variation with using the different dragons.
Dragons make any game a 10 out of 10. I just wish the AI for them was a little better. I found myself just turning them off entirely when they were low on health or I didn't want to lose one (especially the fire or thunder) before a boss fight.
@@evan2902 i believe there are some areas in the game where it may be better to go solo to preserve dragon health, especially on expert mode.
Great title! Awesome review SLX!
A great classic game and one of my favourite MD games back in the days growing 👍🕹
I loved this game! I remember seeing previews of it in the Import section of the gaming magazines back in the day. I couldn't wait to play it. Enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for the memories!
this game is good for speedrunning, plus the difficult mode is still possible to complete
the music is very deep
Another absolutely fantastic video and effort, thank you again for choosing my "Ranger X" video ( it was me who recommended it). Have you ever considered doing a video about yourself? Like who is lord X, as in your personal favourite games like a top 10 from Sega games /systems? Keep up the awesome work pal your a star in a sometimes dull world
I missed this one back in the day. I'm glad it was included on the Genesis mini lineup.
I remember getting this new off the shelf at EB (Gamestop now) back in the day. It looked interesting and I wasn't disappointed!
Let's go 😁
I like this game , when I first played it at a friend's I liked the music and thought it looked cool it was hard, I recently got pretty fair into it but with the no continues it makes it pretty difficult, it really does help to explore, I still remember playing this golden axe 2 road rash 2 and ghost busters, shadow dancer and kings bounty at my friends I had a Genesis of my own but i was impressed with the Genesis at the time, I don't remember having a SNES very long we had Mario world Mario paint gradius 3 which is my favorite shooter lol but Genesis got me into gaming . thanks for your content brings back memories and I love it.
Thanks for the review! I saw this game on a few best of videos and I’m a fan of Gainax so I picked it up. My cart arrived yesterday so pretty excited to try it out with your advice in mind.
Love this game, thanks for the review and so many great times playing this game with friends
I've read several positive comments about this but never played it. I do appreciate Game Arts stuff, like Silpheed. AD looks very well put together. Also, 5:33 .
I played this game randomly mostly as a joke/try until I die for a few moments of entertainment. Next thing I noticed over 4 hours passed. I don't think I'll ever beat it, but it was a surprisingly refreshing game. It has its issues but even in 2023 it feels pretty damn unique.
Edit: I played this first via emulation at the end of 2022.
I remember renting this exactly once as a kid and it flew over my head completely. Maybe it's time to revisit it.
A massively underrated game in my opinion, the level design, the music, the game play it all flows really well. This game could easily have been made into a movie aswell. The storyline and characters would translate well on the big screen.
❤Alisia Dragoon. Game has great art and music, but yeah, the difficulty can get frustrating. Bit of a hidden gem, imo.
You kinda can get infinite lives, because the dolls (which grant you an 1up) respawn when you die in some sections. It still is kinda iffy
Love 90’s Japanese fantasy games that regularly tossed in Sci-Fi areas and enemies. Such a cool aesthetic. Also, that $69.99 price tag! People complain about game prices, now, but they were brutal, back in the 16 bit era!
What's not to like?
Scantily clad woman with a pet dragon kicking a$$.
I couldn’t imagine a better game
Only discovered this game recently. I believe it’s the best Genesis game I missed. It’s REALLY good. Music feels very anime. Gameplay is addictive.
You brought up the point that Japanese developers seemed to have an affinity for FM Synth, and in the past have shown plenty of examples of how Western developers were not. I think that has to do with the hardware Western developers of the day were akin to developing on. As early as 1985, they had access to sample-based music formats on stuff like the Amiga.
It's not like Western composers or developers weren't talented, there was just poor communication as well as rivalry between East and West. Millennials and younger (raised on Japanese media/culture) and internet collaboration (hire translators anywhere in the world) have mostly erased the East-West communication gap
One of my favorite Genesis games, but I was never able to beat it until it got put on the Switch in the Genesis collection. Being able to save anywhere finally allowed me to get in the practice I needed on the final bosses.
A solid game all around and a real shame that it’s never gotten a sequel, even now.
I've never been a big fan of the Genesis sound chip when it comes to music, but great composers knew really how to make it shine, and this game sounds like the composer(s) knew what they were doing.
This game was awesome when it came out! I loved the graphics, design, and gameplay mechanics. So many people sleep on this title compared to the more popular ones on the system.
Such a classic game.
One of the best Mega Drive games I've ever played.
Even if it is pretty hard.
Sega Lord X's voice style never changes
First time I ever played this game was on the Genesis Mini. I must have been living under a rock as I bought my original Genesis in 1991and hadn't heard of it. Thankfully that has now been corrected.
Solid Review. I was never really into Genesis platformers other than "Ranger X." Maybe one day I'll try this.
I discovered Alisia Dragoon through emulation and love it!
I think the difference in how it was marketed in the West rather than the East really fascinating.
Really nice game, had this as a kid but only beat it in recent years. Nice to see this game getting coverage.
Alisia Dragoon is basically a fantasy rendition of Thexder, Game Arts's first game. The action gameplay in that revolved around a laser that auto-target enemies and had a heavy exploration bent in its levels as well.
When it came out, I immediately enjoyed the fine details in its graphics, at least for buildings. When I started collecting, it was one of the games I had to get. I thought this was a classic, so I'm surprised to hear it didn't sell so well.
Awesome video, Sega Lord X! This looks like a game to pick up for a Sega Genesis. If you can, I would love to see a Sega Genesis buying guide
Remember just how exotic and different the anime style seemed once upon a time? Before it really broke in the West and was everywhere...it got your attention.
I had this one back in the day. I got pretty good at timing my shots to allow the charge meter to fill back up.
I'd never even heard of this game until the Genesis mini came out, it's got that unique early Genesis vibe for sure.
I love AD game, one of my favorties on the MD. Playes it all night, with my mates and had heaps of fun.