Nightcaster II: Equinox

Just barely earning its RPG credentials is Jaleco's Nightcaster II: Equinox.

If you haven't played the first game, think of Nightcaster II: Equinox as combining the gameplay of Gauntlet with the dual-analog stick control of Robotron?the left thumbstick controls your character and the right analog stick aims magical attacks. You venture throughout mythical realms and square off against legions of creatures and soldiers, gaining levels and acquiring magical spells as you progress.

At your disposal are four types of magic: fire, water, light, and dark. The trick is using the magic that will be most effective against enemies. On the surface it seems simple (use water attacks against fire-based foes, light against dark, etc.), but when surrounded by a dozen creatures representing different magic types, you'll need to master frantically switching between spell types on the fly, which gives the game a refreshingly intense, manic energy. You also have two types of melee attacks at your disposal and will gain bonuses by executing melee and spell-based combos. Unfortunately, the sluggish hand-to-hand attacks leave you vulnerable, so you'll want to stick to spells for most of the game.

With more bump mapping and shading combined with beautiful particle and lighting effects, Nightcaster II's visuals are a few steps ahead of the prequel's, but overall the graphics look plain and at times muddy. Damaging sound effects and voices, however, are thrown off by an oddly inappropriate electronic score.

Besides getting frustrated over having to manually readjust the camera every few moments, many gamers may find that Equinox gets monotonous after awhile, so you may want to rent it before purchasing.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment