Crusader of Centy (1994)

Preliminary: Besides the color and the sword slash mechanic, I don't really see the Link to the Past comparison (tho I am early in the game). It has a much more RPG-y Feel, not Zelda-like in that you have a family and a reasonable plotline, and the world map etc. I love the Look and Sound so far, and the controls seem solid. I hope the combat holds up!

Ok yea the collision mask of the sword is a bit wonky when slashing down these grass bushes (also okay yeah very Zelda with the bushes to cut down for items lol), but I am still really enjoy the Look, Sound, and Feel.

Day 1

Yeah the mediocrities for the Play continue to build more and more. Especially the slow and clunky sword slash and enemy/sword collision masks. I am liking this Sword Throw tho.

That was a pretty bad first boss. And I wish it were clearer when you successfully made damage to the boss. If you're going to have a damage-blocking mechanic, that's kinda important.

Ooo the animal mechanic is neat. Tho why is my dog floating lol. Some definite clunkiness and meh programming throughout the game, despite some of the game feeling so loved and devoted

Lol now Sonic is on a seat

Thsi definitely is a game I want to like more than I do. The idea is neat, the story seems interesting so far, the gameplay keeps adding good features like jumping. But my goodndess something about the collision masks just irking me.

I'll probly do the thing where I sleep on it for tonight and then return to it tomorrow and see if stll feeling this way. Because I really like the Ys-esque talking to Monsters/seeming bad guys , and I feel like the plotline will continue [hopefully] to develop, and the Look and Sound haven't missed yet. However, the enemy spawns/mechanics are becoming increasingly annoying and unimaginative and the swiping is still a big issues (And the enemies are taking more hits)

Unfortunately so far the power-ups/Metroidvania upgrades have just resulted in allowing you to the next area, not for meaningful reasons to return to other areas or clever unlocks. And now I read this next section will be the most annoying stage in the game >.< The wind mechanic is annoying, but Feel-wise, it does remind me of the moutnain area in Tomba :-p

I actually didn't mind the windy area that much, btu still, unless something gets more notable or decidedly enjoyable about it tomorrow, I will likely move on. Still glad I was directed to try this one out, since I had missed it back when I did June 94 games. Hoping it doesn't keep up with the "maybe if we just put more of that same enemy on a screen, it will feel clever and varied and more difficult?" >.<

Day 2

Ok yea this raft throwing with the wind part is annoying like was said. Still, a neat game that I probly would push through some day. But for now, nah.

Look: 8/10 best part about the game. Great colors

Sound: 8/10

Play: 7/10

Feel: 7.5/10

Attachment: 7.5/10 I really want to like this more! And to see more of it! But something about the design and mechanics just irking me...

Overall: 7.6/10

Crusader of Centy is kind of an odd duck. It's a game with a solid overall structure, but issues with execution and polish that really hold it back from being great.

There's a bubbly, cheerful and colorful artstyle to most of the game that when combined with some simple boss fights, makes it feel aimed at a young audience. Adding to this is the cute main feature of recruiting animal friends who provide different bonuses. Two animal friends can be equipped at a time as well, adding some level of variety to potential combinations that may include a bonus depending on how their abilities synergize. However, the game starts to feel pretty unfriendly and unintuitive to the player, child or not, pretty fast. This isn't too surprising or unexpected for a Sega Genesis title, but it does hold the game back from being something truly special.

The first and easiest to notice issue is some awkwardness in your basic mechanics. Your default walk speed is a bit slow, and the hit box of your sword swing is limited to a particular point of your swing. Hit stun is very short and enemy attacks don't provide knockback, so in some chaotic situations you can take a lot of damage very quickly. You do have a lot of health so it's not usually too big of a deal, but healing apples are surprisingly stingy to find in some areas. Items like coins and healing apples also don't generate randomly when cutting grass or breaking objects. Instead they always spawn in in the same spots each time you visit an area. This is fine in retrospect, but it does make a lot of grass and other objects feel pointless in a lot of places.

A lot of the places you explore are also weirdly busy and cluttered, and generally give off a chaotic impression that someone was getting a bit trigger happy in placing objects on some kind of caffeine binge. There's a number of small aside spots that just seem to serve no purpose but to keep the player busy and pad the run time if you want to look for secrets and purpose in each nook and cranny.

The biggest issue for Crusade of Centry lies with main story progression, as there is a nasty combination of bad signposting on where to go next and obscure progression flags that the player is supposed to trigger to advance events along. There are many occasions where I was left completely in the dark on what to do next, and only by revisiting everywhere, and/or eventually peeking a guide would I be able to progress. Many of these triggers are not well hinted at, due likely to the localization. But other times it's just bafflingly obscure on how the player would determine they needed to hop in the middle of a specific circle to advance to the next boss fight, or find an exit to an area hidden out of view across a pit at the side of an area.

The story is pretty wild with a number of interesting elements and was the biggest highlight for me alongside the animal ally system. The adventure definitely covers some themes not well tread at the time. It's a shame some localization issues also hold this aspect back with weird formatting for English text, typos, or otherwise confusing phrasing that obfuscates what's going on a bit. There is still definitely some funny NPC lines to enjoy at least.

So it looks like some new Genesis/Mega Drive games were added to Switch Online Expansion Pack... and one of them is Crusader of Centy. Feels worth throwing a PSA out for this, as it has always been one of the top go-to picks for rare hidden gems on the system (and in turn, is also famous for its ridiculously high collector's value).

@BMO Perhaps would be a solid pick for Retro Game Club some time?

This game has a reputation of being a "clone" of A Link to the Past. But its appearance and structure reminded me just as often of Illusion of Gaia. So I'd describe Crusader of Centy as broadly reminiscent of 16-bit action RPGs on Nintendo's competing console.

And it's a surprisingly solid response to that genre. It felt rewarding to slowly expand my menagerie of powered-up animal friends: Their varied abilities helped keep puzzles and boss battles fresh and fun. The story's pretty simplistic, but it at least attempts to convey some sort of moral and there are a couple of surprisingly dark moments.

It doesn't feel quite as polished to me as its SNES counterparts, though. The game is far more linear than its map would have you believe, your sword's hitbox does not extend to its hilt so close combat is pretty annoying, and the most common incidental enemies range from frustrating to forgettable. There are surprisingly few collectibles, which is a shame since the key to progression often requires exploration and backtracking. I eventually had more fun consulting a walkthrough to avoid wandering aimlessly.

As a fan of Sega and Atlus, this was a fascinating little footnote to finally experience.

For lack of comparisons, LoZ inspired seems an okay way to decribe this game. It doesnt really feel like zelda at times. A whole lot of it is borrowed from LttP... and you should play it sometime if you like that game.

You have a lot of similiarities such as assets derived from (those bouncing daises are ny favorite) the artists went really out of their way to copy and imitate style of art and feel. But the game is suprisingly very linear, and not a large world. Dungeons are very stark and rather simple. The game isnt overlt hard. Item drops are static (and that includes cut grass) which might really annoy some but it works because the game is kinda doing its own thing.

This game isnt really like gunmans proof, but will bring to mind as you play it. It is its own game with story and world and really nice music. All in all its a very nice game for the genesis/mega drive from the name that has done so much to put action rpgs on the map

Pros:
+ The closest Legend of Zelda-like experience possible on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

+ Catchy soundtrack that fits the mood of the setting you're in

+ Nice, colorful, detailed animations and backgrounds

+ Fun gameplay and puzzle-solving that never feels frustrating

+ The animal system allows for varied gameplay elements

Cons:
- Bosses can be pretty silly looking and aren't very challenging

- Monster variety is pretty low and barely posed a threat

- Gold is practically useless as there's almost nothing in the game to use it towards

- Nearly all NPC's have no real importance to the overall story

- When someone asks you how you're doing, why do you respond with "Yes" or "No"?!

Final Thoughts:
Completely unpopular opinion, I'm sure, but having owned Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as a teen, I can honestly say I now find Crusader of Centy to be a bit more enjoyable. There was a lot to like about this game right from the start, with how cheery and colorful everything looks and sounds. NPC's had amusing dialogue and overall, the game was pretty charming. The variety of enviroments was nice as well, with each area being completely different from the last.

Gameplay is mostly made up of standard Zelda-ish platforming, mixed with some basic puzzle solving along the way which often makes use of the game's bread-and-butter animal system. Through the course of the game, you'll befriend animals who join your cause and can then be "equipped," which usually allows your character to have new attacks or skills which can be used to progress through to the next area. Specific animal combinations are needed to beat bosses or to access an item or switch that would normally be out of reach. I really enjoyed the animal system but I felt there was potential for better puzzles or platforming elements that could have made more use of them, especially since you get some of the best skills towards the end of the game.

The story unfolds with a plot twist near the end of the game. However, it ultimately made the endgame feel somewhat rushed and I think it would've been great had the story been fleshed out a bit more. This caused the final boss to feel unimportant and the ending to be somewhat dissatisfying (and a bit sad) but as they say, it's not about the destination; it's about the journey. And at least the journey was a fun one, which is all that really matters in the grand scheme of things.