8-bit Compile Adventure Battle

[NeoZeedeater]

Which do you think is the best of these two domestically released 8-bit Compile action/adventure games: The Guardian Legend(NES) or Golvellius(SMS)?

The Guardian Legend

Known in Japan as Guardic Gaiden(Guardic was a shooter for the MSX), The Guardian Legend was a hybrid of overhead exploring and vertical shooter stages.





Golvellius

Originally an MSX game, Golvellius found its way to the West via Sega's SMS port. It's quite similar to the first The Legend of Zelda except it has side-scrolling levels as well.





I really enjoyed both these games although they can be frustrating and cruel like many 8-bit games. Both excelled in atmosphere and music(Compile specialties). Overall, I would say I liked Guardian's theme more but I liked Golvellius a bit more as a game. Its design wasn't quite up there with Zelda but the other aspects were excellent.

[StriderKyo]

I've never played Golvellius, but oddly enough just last night I was thinking to myself that one day I should. Those screens look brilliant (EDIT: are those msx screens or Master System?). So I'll hold off on voting, except to say that a Zelda clone has a tall mountain to climb against GL, which has a pretty awesome concept.

[NeoZeedeater]

(EDIT: are those msx screens or Master System?).

Master System.

[raystorm]

I loved them both back then. I didn't like the side-scrolling or verticle-scrolling boss levels in Golvellius and wish they just stuck to the overhead adventure.

The Guarding Legend was nice too. I guess if I had to pick one it would be Guardian Legend. Compile games always had their little mascot "randar" in some form. I remember him in Golvellius (think he was the one who healed you or you bought stuff?? I forgot). Was randar in Guardian Legend too??

[Ex Ranza]

Golvellius is one of my favorite games ever. It owned the summer before I started eigth grade, that's for sure. Great fun to play, colorful visuals, and catchy music. The control seemed wonky, but I think that was more a side-effect of the cross-less SMS pad (which was godlike when it came to playing Space Harrier).

[Frogacuda]

Golvellius is a great game, but would have been twice as great with a real save system (playing it with emus/save states is a much better experience). It's still my pick of the two.

[jarrod]

I've gotta echo the Golvellius: Valley of Doom love... man, there were tons of great ARPGs on consoles back in the late 1980s & early 1990s. Golvellius, Crystalis, Zelda 1-3, Battle of Olympus, Monster World 1-3, Neutopia 1-2, Ys 1-3, Secret of Mana, SoulBlazer, Illusion of Gaia, LandStalker, Popful Mail, Beyond Oasis, Gargoyle's Quest 2, Willow, Crusader if Centy, etc. Nowadays all there is a Zelda every 2 years, Konami's Ys revival and few games from Square Enix (KH1-2, FMA, Musashi 2)... what happened?

[Sqoon]

Guardian Legend, no contest.

I've gotta echo the Golvellius: Valley of Doom love... man, there were tons of great ARPGs on consoles back in the late 1980s & early 1990s. Golvellius, Crystalis, Zelda 1-3, Battle of Olympus, Monster World 1-3, Neutopia 1-2, Ys 1-3, Secret of Mana, SoulBlazer, Illusion of Gaia, LandStalker, Popful Mail, Beyond Oasis, Gargoyle's Quest 2, Willow, Crusader if Centy, etc. Nowadays all there is a Zelda every 2 years, Konami's Ys revival and few games from Square Enix (KH1-2, FMA, Musashi 2)... what happened?

I think there's still a steady output, it's just that no one plays them (Kya: Dark Lineage, Beyond Good and Evil...) or they're not very good (Fable, Forever Kingdom...). The only interesting aRPG series now is Mega Man Legends and I'm not sure if that's even alive anymore.

[jarrod]

I think there's still a steady output, it's just that no one plays them (Kya: Dark Lineage, Beyond Good and Evil...) or they're not very good (Fable, Forever Kingdom...). The only interesting aRPG series now is Mega Man Legends and I'm not sure if that's even alive anymore.

Well, I was referring more along the lines of classic style Japanese ARPGs, I tend to categorize dungeon hacks differently (and this genre's actually grown quite a bit this gen). Adventure games like BG&E, Castlevania or Metroid are somewhat similar (really Zelda probably belongs on this side too) but there's still just something missing. Even last generation the gnere saw a deep decline (it's actually a little better off now), was the transition to 3D just too difficult? Only Zelda's really done it so far.

[Sqoon]

Well, I was referring more along the lines of classic style Japanese ARPGs, I tend to categorize dungeon hacks differently (and this genre's actually grown quite a bit this gen). Adventure games like BG&E, Castlevania or Metroid are somewhat similar (really Zelda probably belongs on this side too) but there's still just something missing. Even last generation the gnere saw a deep decline (it's actually a little better off now), was the transition to 3D just too difficult? Only Zelda's really done it so far.

I wouldn't call those game dungeon hacks (that'd be reserved for something like Torneko: Last Hope or that new Druaga game or King's Field).

The European and American-developed aRPGs should definitely be classified in that subgenre, but I think what you're talking about when something is missing is a certain typical atmosphere that only the Japanese seems capable of producing. I remember Francesca Reyes complaining that E.G.G. was missing that certain something in her Official Dreamcast Magazine review and after a while, I knew what she was trying to refer to, but the stupid bitch gets paid to write reviews and she can't even articulate her own ideas.

I'd have to agree that Wind Waker was the only modern aRPG that really allowed me to identify the classic atmosphere that's been lost since the 32-bit generation, but it was a really silly, simplistic world that Wind Waker represented, and if the fairy tale mold has to be broken in order to forward the genre, the so be it I think.