Vimm's Lair: Genesis Reviews - Rings of Power
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Genesis
Rings of Power

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
7.00
8.57
8.29
8.00
Votes: 7
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: Auriel Date: Mar 29, 2006
Before the days of Naughty Dog studios producing sub-par to decent sports games, a handful of titles were made while the outfit was still in a garage. From these humble beginnings came what is, to me, the best RPG that has ever been made.

There is no other RPG quite like this one in terms of the dynamics, the story, the gameplay, and even the sheer amount of time it takes to beat the thing.

But as a 20 year veteran, it is hands-down the best.

Graphics: 6
Probably the weakest point of the game.

While there is a great deal of variety in textures, locations, sprites, etc., everything does come across as kinda blocky. And the animations suck, can't lie. There's also this bizarre bug where pre-combat text in random encounters is skipped over.

Sound: 7
The music always fits the location well, and there are some really good tracks here--especially for dungeons or even the starting tune.

Most of the sound effects are satisfying. When you fire off a huge burst of floating green death with the enchanter (?), the impact noise is great. Overhead sound is generally good. Some of the sound effects are tin-ny kinda.

Gameplay: 10
The basic premise is simple: collect 13 rings of power in order to form a staff that allows you to fight the final end boss. But even before you collect the rings, you have to assemble a group of companions to quest with you--and getting each of them is a story in itself.

The fantastic part of this game is how different each ring or companion quest is: following rumors to get to the right area, searching through this dungeon or talking to this NPC. The plot twists and changes in locations keeps things going quickly. The sheer amount of depth and quest/story development is unmatched.

There's also a trading goods component that is strong. I remember spending hours buying and selling things from caravan to caravan to save up cash.

The only thing is: this game is extremely long. It took me 100 hours to finish the first time, maybe 70 hours a few years later. I would also highly, highly recommend finding the hint book that came with the game online somewhere. There are just some really obscure 'go from location X to Y' points that are near unfathomable without the guide.

Overall: 10
I haven't found a better RPG before or since this game came out. I can't think of another RPG where you have to really work to get new companions. When I finally got the Necromancer, for instance, I got this blast of euphoria. It's like that after major quest: you put a lot in and it's genuinely satisfying.

This game has influenced how I look at and judge anything that comes out in the genre.

It really, truly is that good.

If you have the patience to get to know the interface and the time investment doesn't scare you, I highly recommend the game.