Truly underrated. Basically a pretty good Zelda game.
Like a Zelda game that hates you, but wants you to love yourself.
Zelda but Sci-Fi and underrated.
It's okay, but just play Legend of Zelda.
Fluffy easy going fun. If you’re going to play this one, I highly recommend checking out the patches that fix the broken music and removes the control lag.
One of the more underrated adventure games on the NES. Sort of like Zelda, but with a lot of tile hopping. Pretty fun playthrough.
A simple but really fun and well designed dungeon crawler for the NES. Some annoying difficulty spikes and cryptic navigation does slow down the pacing but otherwise an overlooked NES game worth your time.
Estoy atascado xd
Really impressed by the scope and execution of this game. It was well-paced, had Earthbound-esque dialogue despite being older than EB, was challenging but not totally evil, fairly forgiving, unique locations and storyline, just altogether really a special game.
I can't imagine a much more fleshed-out and polished game than this on NES, but I suppose I now want to see how the sequel holds up!
I can't imagine a much more fleshed-out and polished game than this on NES, but I suppose I now want to see how the sequel holds up!
Probably my favorite NES game of all time. It is VERY hard but it has excellent level design, music, graphics, you name it. The secrets, items, and puzzles are made very clear and fun to find unlike many games with cryptic level designs that are commonly found on the NES. Not perfect because there are some blind traps you may fall into but for the most part it’s aged like fine wine.
frustrating
Kinda a fun game, but I just think because the controls and mechanics feel so dated I lost motivation to finish it.
Like many titles of the early 1990s, StarTropics was inspired by the success of The Legend of Zelda. While the results of such ventures are often mixed, the title has the merit of delivering an adventure of rare quality. Mixing the gameplay of a Zelda - albeit with a grid - and a Dragon Quest for the movement on the world map, StarTropics achieves an elegant result that stands out from the productions of the time. Apart from the difficulty, which skyrockets in the last world, the title's dungeons are generally well balanced, even if a few particularly devious traps still litter the route. The chaptering with automatic saves makes the adventure more enjoyable and allows for the development of a small story, at the crossroads between heroic-fantasy, an almost ecological nature tale and absurd humour - in the manner of Mother. Ultimately, StarTropics is an original attempt and specifically designed for American audiences. It brilliantly meets the challenge it has set itself, standing at the crossroads of genres, which gives it a little avant-garde edge. It is a pity that it is so little known to the public!
A very unique game for the time it came out, and with an interesting gameplay that unfortunately hasn't aged nicely at all. Unnecessarily hard and some design choices that would be deemed questionable today, but it's still quite a fun experience even if you use save states (which I really don't blame you for doing)
(This is the 31st game in my challenge to go through many known games in chronological order starting in 1990. The spreadsheet is in my bio.)
You'll see many people compare StarTropics to The Legend of Zelda, and while I never played the first two Zelda's released in 86/87, I too can see the resemblance slash inspiration. Another game I would compare this to is something like Crystalis, a JRPG from earlier in 1990 that too had some unique mechanics similar to this game that was half-fun, half-detrimental to the gameplay and we'll get over that later on in the review. A big similarity my ears noticed when playing this however was the soundtrack and late-game level design. I was wondering if the game's had the same composer but nope, doesn't look like it. Either way, listen to some of the late game songs of StarTropics and the early game overworld track of Crystalis and you probably will hear the similarities as well. In addition, in both games you find yourself in a futuristic dungeon late-game.
Of course, StarTropics has none of the RPG mechanics, as it's an Action Adventure game, and ... did you know that this is a rare Japanese developed game that only released in the West? Yes, seriously. In NA in December 1990, and in EU in August 1992.
I'm not sure what the idea behind that was, because apart from calling every town something-something-cola, giving characters generic American names, mentioning 1492 and 1776 as ID codes and referencing Indiana Jones (?), nothing really screams "lots of appeal in the West". The game has a tropical island theme, your character literally has no recognizability (Mike, brown hair, blue shirt, your average kiddo) and, while I actually appreciated how the storytelling was more geared towards children (NPCs ask you if they should repeat "complicated" story parts, so that you can read them over and over again to get the story), the gameplay on the other hand is so difficult that I'm not sure who their target audience was exactly.
Let's take a step back. What do you do in StarTropics? You play Mike, an average kid who arrives at C-Land (shaped like a C, you see. And each village name ends with cola) in a damn helicopter. Village people say that you're an "ace pitcher", a reference made at the start twice and never again, and you find out that your scientist uncle has gone missing. In 8 chapters, you gotta try to find him and figure out what happened. Each chapter has a dungeon and potentially some overworld puzzles in it. All told, you'll probably spent around 10 hours with this game if you don't use any save states. If you use save states like me to "adjust" the checkpoint system in this game, you'll probably beat it in the time I did, which was around 6 hours.
There are two parts in this game, the overworld and the dungeons. In the overworld, you walk around the bland island and enter villages to talk to NPCs. Sometimes villages are harder to get to and you have to find secret passages to get there. You get a submarine later on to travel on water and get a robot buddy as well.
In the dungeons, there is a unique mechanic in this game, which is that there are special green tiles that you have to step on to either activate buttons that open doors, or you have to jump on them in a specific order to avoid falling into water or other liquids that lead to your death. It's a neat puzzle mechanic when used right and not an issue in itself, but the controls in this game are annoying and require some getting used to. When more enemies appear at once later in the game, it also becomes clear that the controls/mechanics weren't properly balanced with the enemies, because it becomes near-impossible to avoid getting hit.
Basically, to turn somewhere, you first press the button to look that way. Only by pressing it once more or holding down the button for a second longer does your character start walking that way. With the green tiles, you can actually chain jumps better, but it gets really repetitive after a while to jump, jump, jump, unlock a button, jump, jump over to the button, jump on it to press it and jump all the way back to the now-open door. Plus you have to jump one by one, but many enemies can simply walk over them, so it often happens that they outpace you and touch you to deal damage. Finally, there are a few awful sections where these tiles disappear for a second and then reappear for a second. That itself is OK, having to time your jumps is a nice challenge. But in these instances, three back to back tiles disappear, and the only way to jump through all of them is by PERFECTLY timing your first jump and mashing the jump button as fast as you can. Chances are, you'll fail your first 10 attempts anyway because it's that unforgiving.
Combat itself, if enemies are not so aplenty that they get on your nerves, is actually fine. You start off with a yo-yo, but get access to guns, ninja stars, reflecting shields and so on later on. There are also roller-skaters that attack every enemy on screen at the same time and illuminating staffs that reveal hiding ghosts. Lots of cool stuff that loses some of its magic due to the game's odd desire to be more challenging than it should be.
The story has a satisfying conclusion but is very simple otherwise. Something a kid will definitely enjoy as it's more fleshed out than many similar games and less prone to filler-talk. The soundtrack is solid. Graphics are too repetitive and bland in the overworld especially, but don't look bad.
Between the 8 dungeons, there are multiple that look unique (like the ghost town and final dungeon) and there is a tiny bit of reward for exploration, which is nice, in the form of health potions and permanent health rewards.
OVERALL
If you're into this sort of game and the old school look doesn't bother you, StarTropics is definitely a 2D Action Adventure worth adding to your play-list. It not being an RPG is great because with the stories these games had back in the day, those complicated RPG-features often drag games down for these retro-playthroughs. StarTropics is much more efficient in its gameplay as a result, even if being repetitive and unnecessarily difficult (especially late game) are flaws that pop up here.
WHAT THEY SAID AT THE TIME
Couldn't find anything apart from a Walkthrough/Guide by Nintendo Power
You'll see many people compare StarTropics to The Legend of Zelda, and while I never played the first two Zelda's released in 86/87, I too can see the resemblance slash inspiration. Another game I would compare this to is something like Crystalis, a JRPG from earlier in 1990 that too had some unique mechanics similar to this game that was half-fun, half-detrimental to the gameplay and we'll get over that later on in the review. A big similarity my ears noticed when playing this however was the soundtrack and late-game level design. I was wondering if the game's had the same composer but nope, doesn't look like it. Either way, listen to some of the late game songs of StarTropics and the early game overworld track of Crystalis and you probably will hear the similarities as well. In addition, in both games you find yourself in a futuristic dungeon late-game.
Of course, StarTropics has none of the RPG mechanics, as it's an Action Adventure game, and ... did you know that this is a rare Japanese developed game that only released in the West? Yes, seriously. In NA in December 1990, and in EU in August 1992.
I'm not sure what the idea behind that was, because apart from calling every town something-something-cola, giving characters generic American names, mentioning 1492 and 1776 as ID codes and referencing Indiana Jones (?), nothing really screams "lots of appeal in the West". The game has a tropical island theme, your character literally has no recognizability (Mike, brown hair, blue shirt, your average kiddo) and, while I actually appreciated how the storytelling was more geared towards children (NPCs ask you if they should repeat "complicated" story parts, so that you can read them over and over again to get the story), the gameplay on the other hand is so difficult that I'm not sure who their target audience was exactly.
Let's take a step back. What do you do in StarTropics? You play Mike, an average kid who arrives at C-Land (shaped like a C, you see. And each village name ends with cola) in a damn helicopter. Village people say that you're an "ace pitcher", a reference made at the start twice and never again, and you find out that your scientist uncle has gone missing. In 8 chapters, you gotta try to find him and figure out what happened. Each chapter has a dungeon and potentially some overworld puzzles in it. All told, you'll probably spent around 10 hours with this game if you don't use any save states. If you use save states like me to "adjust" the checkpoint system in this game, you'll probably beat it in the time I did, which was around 6 hours.
There are two parts in this game, the overworld and the dungeons. In the overworld, you walk around the bland island and enter villages to talk to NPCs. Sometimes villages are harder to get to and you have to find secret passages to get there. You get a submarine later on to travel on water and get a robot buddy as well.
In the dungeons, there is a unique mechanic in this game, which is that there are special green tiles that you have to step on to either activate buttons that open doors, or you have to jump on them in a specific order to avoid falling into water or other liquids that lead to your death. It's a neat puzzle mechanic when used right and not an issue in itself, but the controls in this game are annoying and require some getting used to. When more enemies appear at once later in the game, it also becomes clear that the controls/mechanics weren't properly balanced with the enemies, because it becomes near-impossible to avoid getting hit.
Basically, to turn somewhere, you first press the button to look that way. Only by pressing it once more or holding down the button for a second longer does your character start walking that way. With the green tiles, you can actually chain jumps better, but it gets really repetitive after a while to jump, jump, jump, unlock a button, jump, jump over to the button, jump on it to press it and jump all the way back to the now-open door. Plus you have to jump one by one, but many enemies can simply walk over them, so it often happens that they outpace you and touch you to deal damage. Finally, there are a few awful sections where these tiles disappear for a second and then reappear for a second. That itself is OK, having to time your jumps is a nice challenge. But in these instances, three back to back tiles disappear, and the only way to jump through all of them is by PERFECTLY timing your first jump and mashing the jump button as fast as you can. Chances are, you'll fail your first 10 attempts anyway because it's that unforgiving.
Combat itself, if enemies are not so aplenty that they get on your nerves, is actually fine. You start off with a yo-yo, but get access to guns, ninja stars, reflecting shields and so on later on. There are also roller-skaters that attack every enemy on screen at the same time and illuminating staffs that reveal hiding ghosts. Lots of cool stuff that loses some of its magic due to the game's odd desire to be more challenging than it should be.
The story has a satisfying conclusion but is very simple otherwise. Something a kid will definitely enjoy as it's more fleshed out than many similar games and less prone to filler-talk. The soundtrack is solid. Graphics are too repetitive and bland in the overworld especially, but don't look bad.
Between the 8 dungeons, there are multiple that look unique (like the ghost town and final dungeon) and there is a tiny bit of reward for exploration, which is nice, in the form of health potions and permanent health rewards.
OVERALL
If you're into this sort of game and the old school look doesn't bother you, StarTropics is definitely a 2D Action Adventure worth adding to your play-list. It not being an RPG is great because with the stories these games had back in the day, those complicated RPG-features often drag games down for these retro-playthroughs. StarTropics is much more efficient in its gameplay as a result, even if being repetitive and unnecessarily difficult (especially late game) are flaws that pop up here.
WHAT THEY SAID AT THE TIME
Couldn't find anything apart from a Walkthrough/Guide by Nintendo Power
This game became too much for me when the dungeons started being about walking into a room and having to memorize the layout in a split second before it becomes pitch black.
It's 747.
Best Zelda game on the NES.
+ Game teaches you to be better by design
+ Feels like it's own game / style
~One of the best endings for it's time
~ Outside task needed to complete game
- Chapters are not paced well
- Chapter 3
- Not difficult by design
- Trial and error
+ Feels like it's own game / style
~One of the best endings for it's time
~ Outside task needed to complete game
- Chapters are not paced well
- Chapter 3
- Not difficult by design
- Trial and error
the best rpg on the nes
Its fine but i'd rather play Link's Adventure, which is not something that should ever have to be said about a a game
The Zelda for cool kids.
Yo, for real I'll never forget this cartridge came packed with a PAPER LETTER in the box that had a SECRET MESSAGE written on the back in INVISIBLE INK. Discovering that might've been the single raddest thing that had ever happened to me up to that point in my young life. Some straight-up Kojima shit, a decade before MGS.
Yo, for real I'll never forget this cartridge came packed with a PAPER LETTER in the box that had a SECRET MESSAGE written on the back in INVISIBLE INK. Discovering that might've been the single raddest thing that had ever happened to me up to that point in my young life. Some straight-up Kojima shit, a decade before MGS.
Solid, original story. Youre a regular modern day kid running through dungeons, killing monsters with a yoyo? Before earthbound?
I remember getting stuck a lot in various dungeons between challenging rooms/bosses and even just navigating. I feel like the navigational challenges were due to intentionally low conveyance. Games back then were designed to be challenging and confusing, and when you beat them it fealt rewarding. It was a different age.
I feel like Startropics was well thought out and presented a solid challenge for an aspiring your gamer.
I remember getting stuck a lot in various dungeons between challenging rooms/bosses and even just navigating. I feel like the navigational challenges were due to intentionally low conveyance. Games back then were designed to be challenging and confusing, and when you beat them it fealt rewarding. It was a different age.
I feel like Startropics was well thought out and presented a solid challenge for an aspiring your gamer.
This game posits that when Mike Jones dies he becomes a ghost and gets a halo harp and wings and floats straight to heaven. I feel like it’s extra cruel because even after failing to solve the mystery of the alien presence on the islands and rescuing his scientist uncle, the game denies him even the small consolation that all the philosophers of old agreed that every man gets in death, the immediate cessation of one’s worldly cares. A life eternal in empyrean bliss for you? No! Get your ass back down to the profane earth and kill some more rats with your yo-yo.
Anyway pgood but the dungeon design could have done with a little more variety I think and also maybe it could take a little less time for mike to turn around on a dime
Anyway pgood but the dungeon design could have done with a little more variety I think and also maybe it could take a little less time for mike to turn around on a dime
When I was a kid, I played for 1 minute and then never played it again because I didn't know you had to go to the village.
NES Online (Switch)
My favorite nes game of all time. It’s a linear zelda type dungeon crawler focusing on combat and a strong sense of adventure.
I love this games tropical setting and it’s sense of humor reminds me a lot of earthbound. It’s cool hidden gem in nintendo’s library and I’d love a modern take on this series.
The Yo-yo is kick ass. I know this won’t happen but I would love to see Mike Jones in smash.
Strong 4/5
I love this games tropical setting and it’s sense of humor reminds me a lot of earthbound. It’s cool hidden gem in nintendo’s library and I’d love a modern take on this series.
The Yo-yo is kick ass. I know this won’t happen but I would love to see Mike Jones in smash.
Strong 4/5
The gameplay can be a bit of an acquired taste for some, but once you get used to its almost rhythmic platforming, and how to deal with nasty creatures in its unique yo-yo based combat, it's a really great game. I was lucky enough to get this game from a Wolworth's "going out of business" sale, and loved it. Some time later, the local K-Mart also went out of business, sadly, and I was ironically able to get Startropics 2 from THAT sale, the year the game came out, actually. It's probably the only reason I would've wound up being able to get either, so for me those sales were a godsend.
Startropics is a very unique game, and was made by Nintendo, specifically for the NA market. And I'm glad it was. You play young Mike Jones, who comes to visit his kooky archaeologist uncle, who has gone missing, and so you the player set out on a quest to find him.
At first glance, I've noticed people have a tendency to assume this is just some kind of weird Zelda clone. But it couldn't be further from, except for having a top-down view. There really isn't any other game QUITE like ST, except ST2 of course. It's one part precision/timing based platforming, one part "figure out which angle to tackle the enemy from" combat, and one part puzzle solving.
It's a very weird game, but it really is wonderful, once you get the gameplay down. If you've never tried it, I'd say it's absolutely worth a go, if nothing else to play something not quite like anything else you've ever played.
Startropics is a very unique game, and was made by Nintendo, specifically for the NA market. And I'm glad it was. You play young Mike Jones, who comes to visit his kooky archaeologist uncle, who has gone missing, and so you the player set out on a quest to find him.
At first glance, I've noticed people have a tendency to assume this is just some kind of weird Zelda clone. But it couldn't be further from, except for having a top-down view. There really isn't any other game QUITE like ST, except ST2 of course. It's one part precision/timing based platforming, one part "figure out which angle to tackle the enemy from" combat, and one part puzzle solving.
It's a very weird game, but it really is wonderful, once you get the gameplay down. If you've never tried it, I'd say it's absolutely worth a go, if nothing else to play something not quite like anything else you've ever played.
One of the first games I've ever played. Its honestly not as bad as some people say it is, but its not perfect. The game is pretty fun once you get around the grid based movement. The idea of having chapters, an RPG like overworld, and dungeon segments is really pulling alot for an NES title. One other thing one should note is this was done by the same team that brought us Punch Out. There's certain dungeons that will give you a hard time and make you pull your hair with how difficult and kaizo the traps are. Chapter 5 being notorious for kaizo like traps. But considering its supposed to be a booby trapped pirate cave, then its a bit understandable. Honestly, considering i've mastered this game, I forgot how hard chapter 5 is supposed to be until I saw a playthrough from a youtuber I watch. Overall, the game is pretty rough on the edges, but once you get around it, you have a fun little experimental game that Nintendo seems to have forgotten (ok not completely, since they still rereleased it on VC and Switch Online).
pretty campy (in a good 80s sorta way) and overall a fun rpg game, though near the end it's pretty difficult.