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The last Lupin III game released for the Sega Saturn, and the only one that's actually a game. A 3D action game, to be exact.
Lupin III: The Sage of Pyramid is a 3D action game where Lupin and the gang (with the exception of Fujiko, oddly enough) travel through the pyramid in question, while fighting enemies, solving small puzzles and stealing some treasure.
Because of my limited knowledge of the Japanese language, I only understood parts of the plot, but the plot sounded like something you would see in an episode of the series or in one of the TV Specials. It seemed decent for what it was, and it fit well with the game in question.
It's interesting how this game utilizes all of the Sega Saturn controller's buttons: A is the Action button, which allows Lupin to interact with things like buttons and blocks to progress forward, B is the Jump button, C is the punch button, X is the run button, Y is the item scrolling button, Z is the button that fires your weapon and finally, the L and R buttons control the camera, as the Sega Saturn does not have a second analogue stick.
Controlling Lupin is a bit weird, as he feels kinda clunky, and feels like he has tank controls. While at first, I was having a bit of trouble, I got used to the controls after a couple of stages, and didn't really mind them too much afterwards.
While Lupin can jump, the game will only sometimes test you on your platforming abilities, and even when it does, it's usually a matter of making some long running jumps to avoid electric floors.
The combat is pretty simple, and sometimes you can easily avoid enemies, but what I find interesting is that, in a middle of a punch combo, you can press other buttons, like the B button, to perform different moves.
Considering combat is not super emphasized, these extra options are more to make it so the combat doesn't get stale, and I appreciate that, even if it can get basic.
The graphics are decent for a Sega Saturn game. There's been better looking games on the system, but the models are alright, the environments are decent, even if not too varied, and the animations are neat and represent the more comical nature of the character well!
This game is not too long, about 2 to 3 hours on your first playthrough, and there are rarely going to be moments that you'll get lost, if any, and with the addition of multiple difficulty options (Easy, Normal, Hard and Super), this game should be pretty easy to jump in and beat.
The coolest thing though, is the fact that after you beat the game for the 1st time, you not only unlock the ability to play as Lupin using his Part I and Part III jacket colors, but also the ability to play as Jigen, Goemon and Zenigata!
As a Lupin III fan, I am very pleased!
Overall, Lupin III: The Sage of Pyramid, while not perfect and a bit dated, is a very enjoyable Sega Saturn action game, with decent gameplay, fun level design, a nice soundtrack and good length and replayability!
I had plenty of fun while playing this, and I'm most likely replaying this sometime in the future.
Lupin III: The Sage of Pyramid is a 3D action game where Lupin and the gang (with the exception of Fujiko, oddly enough) travel through the pyramid in question, while fighting enemies, solving small puzzles and stealing some treasure.
Because of my limited knowledge of the Japanese language, I only understood parts of the plot, but the plot sounded like something you would see in an episode of the series or in one of the TV Specials. It seemed decent for what it was, and it fit well with the game in question.
It's interesting how this game utilizes all of the Sega Saturn controller's buttons: A is the Action button, which allows Lupin to interact with things like buttons and blocks to progress forward, B is the Jump button, C is the punch button, X is the run button, Y is the item scrolling button, Z is the button that fires your weapon and finally, the L and R buttons control the camera, as the Sega Saturn does not have a second analogue stick.
Controlling Lupin is a bit weird, as he feels kinda clunky, and feels like he has tank controls. While at first, I was having a bit of trouble, I got used to the controls after a couple of stages, and didn't really mind them too much afterwards.
While Lupin can jump, the game will only sometimes test you on your platforming abilities, and even when it does, it's usually a matter of making some long running jumps to avoid electric floors.
The combat is pretty simple, and sometimes you can easily avoid enemies, but what I find interesting is that, in a middle of a punch combo, you can press other buttons, like the B button, to perform different moves.
Considering combat is not super emphasized, these extra options are more to make it so the combat doesn't get stale, and I appreciate that, even if it can get basic.
The graphics are decent for a Sega Saturn game. There's been better looking games on the system, but the models are alright, the environments are decent, even if not too varied, and the animations are neat and represent the more comical nature of the character well!
This game is not too long, about 2 to 3 hours on your first playthrough, and there are rarely going to be moments that you'll get lost, if any, and with the addition of multiple difficulty options (Easy, Normal, Hard and Super), this game should be pretty easy to jump in and beat.
The coolest thing though, is the fact that after you beat the game for the 1st time, you not only unlock the ability to play as Lupin using his Part I and Part III jacket colors, but also the ability to play as Jigen, Goemon and Zenigata!
As a Lupin III fan, I am very pleased!
Overall, Lupin III: The Sage of Pyramid, while not perfect and a bit dated, is a very enjoyable Sega Saturn action game, with decent gameplay, fun level design, a nice soundtrack and good length and replayability!
I had plenty of fun while playing this, and I'm most likely replaying this sometime in the future.