Review scoopings 4/5 · Feb 6, 2022
A Fascinating, But Overly Difficult Early Action-Adventure Game
Look: 9/10
I might be slightly overrating the look, but wow holy crap the changing colors of the sword in the title screen. Amazing. 
I love that the inventory screen comes up with a button (turns out it's a bit different than that, but still, you have an inventory at the bottom and can see what items are available in …
Look: 9/10
I might be slightly overrating the look, but wow holy crap the changing colors of the sword in the title screen. Amazing.
I love that the inventory screen comes up with a button (turns out it's a bit different than that, but still, you have an inventory at the bottom and can see what items are available in the room with the button, feeling like an inventory screen) and felt like the early console action-adventures I'm excited for. 
Finally, great running graphic for the character too. 
Oh, and I did really like the transition animation between rooms, though that was hard to screenshot.
Sound: 6/10 Gotta love the laser sounds in the laser room (turns out it's waterfalls lol, tho they sound like lasers). Some of the sounds are just plain annoying though. Like why we gotta hear those footsteps, Atari?
Play: 8/10 Even though I consider Minotaur the first truly successful action-adventure game, I gotta say: this is the first truly epic action-adventure game. Not only was it successful, it was the full gamit. And overall, well-done! (Of course, many limitations and frustrations, but still, that's more due to my skill level than anything heh...). And oh yay, I thought I would have to play without the comic book, but this site luckily had the comic book available, as well as so much helpful information (tho I found this gamefaqs guide to be more practically useful). I just wish the action parts were, uh, easier. I couldn't even get past the lasers lol (turns out it's waterfalls not lasers). Tho I did feel really proud when I got past the Rafts room (by grace of RNG, more than skill lets be honest) and the Taurus "Horns" room. Of course, I can't really engage with the comic book contest part, where you find the secret word clues in the comic book and submit them to Atari to win some ridiculously expensive prizes, but it still was fun to play the actual game itself, peruse the comic book accordingly, and "solve" the games even without this prize incentive! I thought some of the collision masks and mechanics are just plain clunky, but turned out to be more so an issue with my gamepad.
Feel: 8/10
Finally a game [series] with an elaborate, emotionally charged, fantasy storyline. Let's be honest, I'm letting my love of the concept and idea affect my play rating, because honestly, the rooms' gameplay are just plain disappointing. The Taurus room was definitely more fun than the Leo room, though it gave me Frogger flashbacks ha. And the goofy sound effects of the horns added up to a much better sound collage than most the rest the game. (Let's be honest, it's at least partly because I'm biased cuz I successfully did that Room and it jumpstarted my actual enjoyment of the game/ability to use the corresponding items to get to more Rooms, etc.) Alas, these other Rooms proved as frustrating as the Leo Room, so I can't claim I wound up having a ton of fun. Great concept, technically good execution because it turns out most my "clunky" interpretation was on me and the gamepad I was using heh, but like I've said before--there are some games that just make me feel like a bad gamer, and this is one of them ha. If you're good at arcade-style Action games, this action/adventure hybrid is more than worth it! And despite my frustrations, I still love it and kept pushing through and retrying. This ol trippy part heh 
Attachment: 8/10 I definitely will be playing the others in the series, despite finding the game too difficult. The idea is just too cool, and the fact that I am what causes the struggle--not glitches or poor mechanics--makes me wanna just get better at it! I mean shoot, pretty soon Imma have to attempt Ghosts n Goblins. That being said, people talk about Zelda II and some of the Castlevanias being too hard, and I beat those sans cheats (albeit often using savestates, but not mid-battles or mid-rooms; cmon, I gotta accommodate for my skill level ha). Point being, ya never know: maybe when I replay this someday I will have the skill level to better enjoy it! And the fact I kept retrying despite frustrations, and the fact I wanna retry this again someday when I feel stronger at games and not still recovering from what seems to be an endless pseudo-flurona thing, says a lot about the high quality and enduring traits of the game.
