Astyanax

I must say, I don't know what forces caused me to buy a game that I didn't know anything about, nor I could I pronounce the title. Astyanax (AS-TIN-NACKS) is about a boy who is named after a character from Greek Mythology. (Illiad) He leads a normal life until a fairy named Cutie (ha-ha) teleports him away to a distant land in another world. Man, I hate it when that happens!

Naturally, Cutie tells Astyanax that there is Princess Rosebud (They really treat women seriously in this game.) in peril and that he must rescue her from the evil wizard Blackhorn. BTW, these conversations are done in a cinema mode like the Ninja Gaiden games. Anyway, Astyanax goes off on his quest, kills monsters, and eventually rescues the princess.

I liked most of this game, it has good graphics, especially with the cinema sequences. The graphics scroll smoothly most of the time, the music is good, and this game is fun and challenging enough to make you play it until you beat it.

Now, for the parts I didn't like. While the graphics are good, the cinema scenes are not as good as the ones in the NG games. Nor are they that important. Out of all the scenes, only one is important to the plot. Also, your weapon has much more of a range than it appears to have. This is annoying when you take a hit getting close to an enemy that you could have avoided. The other thing that disturbs me is how proficient Astyanax is in medieval weaponry and magic. He's only a high school student! If Jaleco could remake this game, they should have a meaningful and realistic plot.

I recommend: Get this game, but only for under $5.

The Verdict: Throw in a bit of Ninja Gaiden with a dash of Wizards and Warriors, and you get Astyanax.

Codes: (on title screen)

Stage Select: Up, Down, Left, Right, B, B, B, B, and Start

Invincibility: (can still die from a pit, will take all the challenge out too)

Up, Up, Up, Up, Down, Left, Right, Up, and Start

Graphics B+

Sound/Music B

Play Control A

Challenge B

Fun Factor B+

Replay Value C+

Overall B 1/2 links