Neutopia 1989 By: NEC

Overview:

"Neutopia" is an overhead action adventure game, very similar to "The Legend of Zelda". Did I say similar? What I meant to say is almost identical. If a game developer is going to heavily borrow from another game, why not heavily borrow from the most beloved game ever? Neutopia did just that, and I'm not mad at them for it. While similar in nearly every aspect to the fan favorite "The Legend of Zelda", "Neutopia" does make some definite improvements in terms of depth. Despite heavily borrowing (or is it pronounced stealing?) from Zelda, it's the gameplay and plethora of items that deepens this game experience, and when combined with the Zelda nostalgia, makes "Neutopia" one of the most enjoyable TG-16 games available on Console Classix.

All was well in the land of Neutopia. Peace and prosperity permeated the land whose inhabitants worshipped at the Sacred Shrine, frequently blessed by the wise and beautiful Princess Aurora. The peace was shattered when the Evil Demon Dirth appeared, kidnapping the princess and stealing eight precious medallions. Now Neutopia's hopes hinge on the success of a brave young man named Jazeta, as he sets out on a journey to defeat Dirth and save Princess Aurora.

Directions:

Players control Jazeta as he stabs and burns his way through five stages of Neutopia. Each stage takes place at a different location in Neutopia. Each stage contains two medallions hidden in separate labyrinths. Each medallion is guarded by an evil boss character. Jazeta must use his magic compass to find the labyrinths, and once inside the labyrinth, must use the compass to find the Medallions. Once all of the Medallions have been obtained, Jazeta will gain access to the North Pole, and the Evil Dirth.

Every time that Jazeta obtains a Medallion, a unit will be added to Jazeta's life meter. When enemies have drained the meter of life, Jazeta will die. In the TG-16 version, this meant that players would have to restart using a password if they didn't want to start completely over (a huge point of contention for players of the TG-16 console). Fortunately, the Console Classix emulator allows the player to simply save their game at any time.

I thought the breadth of the item system was a huge improvement over Zelda, and is the reason this game is a must play. Players can equip and interact with their inventory through the status screen. Jazeta can obtain various weapons, such as the Fire Wand that grants the ability to launch fire. Jazeta can raise his attributes by improving his armor, shield, and swords. Items such as the Falcon shoes allow Jazeta to move faster. There are also various items that enable Jazeta to open doors, cross obstacles, and destroy walls, allowing the player to find hidden rooms. Friendly characters can be found across Neutopia, and they are willing to help Jazeta, such as the Monks, who, when found will reward Jazeta with an item, or by increasing Jazeta's life gauge.