Soul Blazer (Super Nintendo SNES, 1992) Authentic Cartridge Tested

  
With a 1992 release, Soul Blazer is one of the earliest SNES action role-playing games on the console. The game is published by Enix. As such, the stories share a number of similarities. In this SNES game, the land is under attack by the forces of darkness. The guardian of the world, a being called The Master, sends you to vanquish evil on his behalf. This Super Nintendo game will take completionists almost 20 hours to beat. This title was developed by Quintet and is the first title in the Soul Blazer trilogy. This title was followed up by the Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma games. At first glance, Soul Blazer has a lot in common with other action RPGs.

The title uses a top-down viewpoint, letting you see all of the action on the screen at one time. Your character's primary weapon is a sword, though later you will learn some magic attacks. Combat against your enemies relies on fast reflexes and pattern memorization.

You will need to dodge out of the way of enemy attacks and strike when you see an opening. As you progress in your adventure, you will find better weapons and armor. However, you will still need to be careful as your enemies gain in strength when you do.

Soul Blazer stands out from other RPGs due to how the game starts. In a typical role-playing game, you start in town and work your way to a dungeon. In this title, the first town you encounter is empty, requiring you to defeat a dungeon first. The evil demon Deathtoll has placed the souls of the villagers into lairs dotted across the landscape.

Each layer you defeat will release one soul back into the world. Only by defeating each dungeon will you be able to repopulate the world. You will want to seek out every hidden dungeon because each villager could contain a way to power up your character. This RPG features six total worlds to visit along with a final stage.

Each world features its own color palette and style. The Grass Valley is a calming land full of greens and blues. The Magridd Castle, on the other hand, is a terrifying place full of dull colors. Each world is full of life and detail such as clouds passing by overhead and grass swaying in the wind. The sprites of the monsters are also detailed with boss creatures typically taking up the whole screen.

This RPG features some inventive character designs that would later reappear in other games in this series. The music in this title is composed by Yukihide Takekawa. Each track takes advantage of the Super Nintendo's sound chip in ways that were not thought possible in 1992.

Soul Blazer is in action RPG that paved the way for the genre. It combines an interesting plot with fast-paced gameplay. The controls are tight and responsive, and the main character does exactly what you want.

If you are in the mood to play a classic Nintendo title from Japan, this is the one for you.