I've decided to do an A-Z series for the next 26 posts and to begin with we have a game I recently discovered called ActRaiser which was released for the SNES in 1992.
I knew little about this game but from the screenshots I found I figured it must be a side scrolling action game. Well I was only half right as it turns out there's a twist. There are simulations parts of the game too. You essentially play God by helping out townsfolk who have been plagued by monsters and demons. There are six lands on which you have to rebuild villages. Appearing as a baby angel you do this by flying overhead and indicating where villages should build their homes to.
Monsters attack while you do this and occasionally burn down fields of crops or destroy buildings. The giant skulls were very annoying as they could cause earthquakes and obliterate half the town if you didn't kill them quick enough.
You also have control of the weather so you could melt snow, wash sand away and burn bushes if they were in your way.
As you progress the town leaders present you with offerings that you can use to help defeat monsters or advance nearby towns.
Every land consists of 2 acts. These are the side scrolling levels where you have to defeat the monsters. The gameplay wasn't bad but I wish there were more options to swing my sword in different directions. The magic came in handy though. At the end of each stage would be a boss.
As soon as you visit a new land in your sky palace you have to first clear act 1 to start rebuilding.
After all towns are rebuilt and thriving again you travel to the demons stronghold of Death Heim where you face all previous bosses in a row before the final demon, Tanzra. Good luck with that. However once you learn of the bosses fighting patterns they aren't so bad.
Overall I was pretty impressed by this game and I'm going to give the sequel a shot before long.
I discovered this game in the '1001 video games you must play before you die' book and I'm trying to do them all! Wish me luck!
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