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I checked this game out because it was released on the day I was born. As expected from such a monumental day in the history of mankind and all the known universe, the game is great.

This translation is older now than the game was when the translation was released, but nothing negative can be said about it. Playing with text you can understand is essential in this game and all the clues are perfectly clear. The font looks good and the result is very professional.

As for the game itself, it can be described as a mix between Metroid and Zelda II: it is a sidescroller in which you explore open-ended stages and fight enemies while gaining new weapons and abilities to let you access new areas. A lot of areas necessary to explore are hidden (like in Metroid) but most have them are clued-in (unlike Metroid). The Zelda II influence is in the sword combat and the weight in the controls, which feel familiar and unique at the same time. This is something generally lacking in modern retro games of the kind in which controls and movement are often standardized to the point you can't tell two games apart. Like Zelda II, the game has an experience point and level up system, as well as a MP gauge and various attacks and abilities using that MP pool. In other words, the game is an actual "Metroidvania" (Metroid + RPG elements), except released 9 years before Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The main difference being that this game is separated into several areas, rather than one giant map, and you can't backtrack to the previous areas once they are completed. For me that is a plus, as there is nothing worse in this type of game than earning a new ability and being left to wonder and wander with it, exploring the entire game again and only finding unimportant secret areas. Difficulty is neither too easy, nor too hard.

Overall this is a great game, with a mix of mechanics that made it ahead of its, and which deserves more recognition. My only wish was that there was more to it, even though it took me 8 hours to complete.