Sylvan Tale follows the typical action-adventure game formula: The player controls a character who must solve puzzles, fight enemies, and talk to non-player characters in order to acquire special powers and items that will allow him to unlock new areas of the game world and solve the puzzles within. While the player may revisit areas, the game progresses in an essentially linear fashion, as each area can only be accessed if Zetts(the player character) has acquired a specific item or ability from the previous area.
Reviews View More
Game Review - originally written by Spinner 8
You know, every once in a while, Game Gear games can be pretty damn sweet. Take this here Sylvan Tale game for example. Action RPGs (such as this one) are rare, and GOOD action RPGs are rare indeed. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to why Sylvan Tale is cool. Actually it’s pretty much the entire reason; it’s a damn fine action RPG. The music is simply awesome, especially considering the system (with one small exception!), the graphics are very well done, and the gameplay’s there. It’s ALL there. There’s a plot too, but it doesn’t matter. Who cares? Swing your sword around and kill things! That’s what life’s all about goddammit!
You know, every once in a while, Game Gear games can be pretty damn sweet. Take this here Sylvan Tale game for example. Action RPGs (such as this one) are rare, and GOOD action RPGs are rare indeed. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to why Sylvan Tale is cool. Actually it’s pretty much the entire reason; it’s a damn fine action RPG. The music is simply awesome, especially considering the system (with one small exception!), the graphics are very well done, and the gameplay’s there. It’s ALL there. There’s a plot too, but it doesn’t matter. Who cares? Swing your sword around and kill things! That’s what life’s all about goddammit!
I’ve been travelling quite a bit, so I’m once again grateful for God’s gift to his chosen people: The Game Boy. Which I did not use this time in the car, instead I blasphemed and played my first Sega Game Gear game.
The Game Gear (or God’s mistake) is the 1990 plastic brick that needs SIX AA batteries for 4 hours of play. I could not dirty my hands with such a thing (also I don’t own one) and thus used an Analogue Pocket to play Sylvan Tale.
Sylvan Tale is a Japanese exclusive that never came to west, and is currently only playable in English by a fan translation effort.
I love fan translations, because it means that at least one person, somewhere, REALLY like a game. And Aeon Genesis, the fan translator, really liked this game. According to them:
You know, every once in a while, Game Gear games can be pretty damn sweet. Take this here Sylvan Tale game for example. Action RPGs (such as this one) are rare, and GOOD action RPGs are rare indeed. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to why Sylvan Tale is cool. Actually it’s pretty much the entire reason; it’s a damn fine action RPG. The music is simply awesome, especially considering the system (with one small exception!), the graphics are very well done, and the gameplay’s there. It’s ALL there. There’s a plot too, but it doesn’t matter. Who cares? Swing your sword around and kill things! That’s what life’s all about goddammit!
Wow, okay, I’ll give it a go.
Sylvan Tale (シルヴァン テイル) is a 1995 Japanese exclusive Game Gear game published and developed by Sega. Think Zelda, but average in every sense of the word: something that represents a middle point.
It’s fine, short, and has enjoyable moments with a nice art style and painfully basic gameplay. I played the English fan translation by Aeon Genesis (which was seamless) on an Analogue Pocket. This is a rare action RPG, and I enjoyed playing it. It took me six hours and I used a guide twice when I got really stuck (and I’m glad I did as the answer was ridiculous).
Its ‘fun’, but there are a lot of problems. My primary complaint is around the stubby little sword I’m given. Look, the game gear screen is 3.2 inches, why is the sword so small. I often had to get so close to enemies I would bounce into them and take damage. I got used to it, but even near the end I would be swinging at things that I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIT UGH THIS IS SO DUMB I HATE VIDEO GAMES WHO DESIGNED THIS COME ONE.
Sylvan Tale is enjoyable in the curiosity of being a Sega Zelda clone. It never comes close to its aspirations, but I do feel like I’m being very hard on it. I enjoyed parts of what I played, and never once thought about quitting. The game is incredibly easy, although sometimes it was a bit unclear what the game wanted me to do next. I needed a guide twice.
Once because I have jello for brains, and once because the game wanted me to do something that I would have never guessed in a million years.
I personally would not recommend Sylvan Tale to anybody, and my back of the box quote would be “You could do worse”.
Follow me at The Pile for more reviews (including books and films)
https://thepile.substack.com/
The Game Gear (or God’s mistake) is the 1990 plastic brick that needs SIX AA batteries for 4 hours of play. I could not dirty my hands with such a thing (also I don’t own one) and thus used an Analogue Pocket to play Sylvan Tale.
Sylvan Tale is a Japanese exclusive that never came to west, and is currently only playable in English by a fan translation effort.
I love fan translations, because it means that at least one person, somewhere, REALLY like a game. And Aeon Genesis, the fan translator, really liked this game. According to them:
You know, every once in a while, Game Gear games can be pretty damn sweet. Take this here Sylvan Tale game for example. Action RPGs (such as this one) are rare, and GOOD action RPGs are rare indeed. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to why Sylvan Tale is cool. Actually it’s pretty much the entire reason; it’s a damn fine action RPG. The music is simply awesome, especially considering the system (with one small exception!), the graphics are very well done, and the gameplay’s there. It’s ALL there. There’s a plot too, but it doesn’t matter. Who cares? Swing your sword around and kill things! That’s what life’s all about goddammit!
Wow, okay, I’ll give it a go.
Sylvan Tale (シルヴァン テイル) is a 1995 Japanese exclusive Game Gear game published and developed by Sega. Think Zelda, but average in every sense of the word: something that represents a middle point.
It’s fine, short, and has enjoyable moments with a nice art style and painfully basic gameplay. I played the English fan translation by Aeon Genesis (which was seamless) on an Analogue Pocket. This is a rare action RPG, and I enjoyed playing it. It took me six hours and I used a guide twice when I got really stuck (and I’m glad I did as the answer was ridiculous).
Its ‘fun’, but there are a lot of problems. My primary complaint is around the stubby little sword I’m given. Look, the game gear screen is 3.2 inches, why is the sword so small. I often had to get so close to enemies I would bounce into them and take damage. I got used to it, but even near the end I would be swinging at things that I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIT UGH THIS IS SO DUMB I HATE VIDEO GAMES WHO DESIGNED THIS COME ONE.
Sylvan Tale is enjoyable in the curiosity of being a Sega Zelda clone. It never comes close to its aspirations, but I do feel like I’m being very hard on it. I enjoyed parts of what I played, and never once thought about quitting. The game is incredibly easy, although sometimes it was a bit unclear what the game wanted me to do next. I needed a guide twice.
Once because I have jello for brains, and once because the game wanted me to do something that I would have never guessed in a million years.
I personally would not recommend Sylvan Tale to anybody, and my back of the box quote would be “You could do worse”.
Follow me at The Pile for more reviews (including books and films)
https://thepile.substack.com/
It's better than Neutopia