Sigma Star
Saga is one of the best, most intriguing Game Boy Advance games to come around
in a long time. I’ve thought of what would happen if someone took popular game
genres and turned them into RPGs. Who hasn’t dreamt of the day when Tekken,
Soul Calibur or some other great fighting game would get the proper RPG
treatment? Dreams like these stay dreams when publishers look at the viability
of trying new things (it’s anything but a sure thing).
Knowing how
popular fighting games are, if a fighter/RPG wasn’t going to be made, there’s
no chance we’d see a smaller genre get the role-playing fix.
Wrong.
Separated by
two kinds of gameplay, spaceship (aerial) combat and character-based
exploration, Sigma Star Saga offers two entirely different styles of gameplay.
Think of the human-oriented stuff as being a traditional, isometric RPG. If
necessary you do have the ability to defend yourself. Attacks are limited and
not all that fun, but it sure beats death. Ground battles are second to the
importance of searching for the right person to talk to, scouring for secrets,
and doing whatever it takes to advance the story.
Sigma Star
Saga is an unusual game with an unusual story. It seems timid at first – all
too typical. Before long the plot takes a twist, surprises are revealed, and
things are no longer what they seem. A story like that is impressive on a
console game, but on the GBA it’s like gold. An original tale told entirely on
the small screen is not something we’re used to getting.
The game is
doubly interesting by being an RPG with gameplay that’s better than the story
that’s being told. Every battle is controlled in space, in a cave, and in any
other location big enough for a spaceship to fly through. The real-time,
dodge-and-shoot-heavy combat is taken right out of R-Type, not Final Fantasy.
It’ll come as a surprise to many who believed this was a straight RPG, but
anyone who enters will be satisfied with the new formula, craving more from
what could be done with sequels and others that apply similar gameplay
mechanics.
The first
aerial battle is really tough. The developers must be expecting a hardcore
crowd, otherwise they wouldn’t have kicked the tar out of us so quickly.
There’s a learning curve with a little pain and frustration involved, and when
you know the ropes you won’t leave the frustration behind.
Battle
levels are rough but have a straightforward path, while the exploration/story
development portion of the game has multiple paths. Most lead down the same
road, but it’s nice to be able to run around and talk to the locals when they
have something interesting to say. Their dialog isn’t always on par with the
main storyline, having brief comments that are repeated each time you strike
up a conversation (not surprising, all RPGs do that).
The
developers have compared Sigma Star Saga to R-Type and Radius. Its battles
aren’t as intense; you don’t have as many enemies to shoot or as many bullets
to weave in and out of. You will, however, encounter giant laser beams that
can take down your ship with one hit. It’ll regenerate itself if the life bar
hasn’t been completely drained, but with all the things you have to avoid
(like kamikaze attacks), no chance is worth taking. Extra lives have been
replaced with a life bar that takes a hit every time your ship does. Precise
actions are needed to get through unscathed, like an aerial puzzle that must
be solved immediately.
Ship
controls are highly responsive; ground controls are slow and somewhat stiff.
In the air nothing holds you back. Multiple weapons are available, along with
a meaty combination of power-ups that can turn your ship into a flying arsenal
that can’t wait to unload its ammunition. The items are referred to as Gun
Data, but to make the process more clear the developers compared it to Final
Fantasy VII’s Materia system. It’s not exact, which they pointed out, but the
idea of equipping items together to increase their power or to create
something new – that’s the idea gamers are familiar with.
Outside of
the story sequences, the exploration portion of the game is just plain boring.
When I fell in love with RPGs several years ago I didn’t mind all the walking
and all the lame discussions I’d have with stale NPCs (non-playable
characters). I’m not as patient now. I want to get to the good stuff and leave
the rest behind. Besides, the character controls are slow. It’s extremely
difficult to go from an exciting space battle to something like [enter
boring RPG moment here].
When it
comes down to it this is another story of a game with two conceptually great
pieces. If one doesn’t work the other has to carry all the weight, and at
times that’s a bit much for Sigma Star Saga to bear.
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Gameplay: 7.5
A mixture of good
vs. evil. There are great moments when you fight passionately to get through a
stream of tricky opponents, dodging what you can, but never too many.
Otherwise your ship won’t advance, and your personal skills will not increase.
When you get through all that and you make it to a boss, defeat the ugly
monster and come out victorious – that’s a great moment. An R-Type moment. A
Galaga moment. A Sigma Star Saga moment.
Then you
land on a planet or in a space station. I hate to say this, but a part of me
wishes I could just play the shooter battles and leave the rest behind. That
defeats the purpose of the game (an RPG/space shooter combo), but I’m not
excited when the ship lands. “Time to go talk to someone,” I say to myself.
Five minutes later, “Yeah, a space battle!” Rewind and play, rewind and play.
Graphics: 7.9
Not the flashiest
space shooter or the flashiest RPG, but there are some solid images here that
will appeal to anyone who has a taste for 16-bit graphics. The deformed
characters add to the visual fun (if you like that sort of thing).
Sound: 7.1
The overly loud
laser beams drown out the music, which was well composed but somewhat
repetitive.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Almost a case of
too much too soon. Sigma Star Saga begins in the skies, taking players through
a series of ultra-tough shooter challenges that are easier to avoid than they
are to fight head-on. There’s a cooling-off period shortly after that, but
overall this is one of the most challenging games designed for the Game Boy
Advance.
Concept: 9.0
Sigma Star Saga
is the first Game Boy Advance game to explore the possibilities of an
R-Type-style space shooter set in an RPG universe. Great idea, great features,
imperfect results. When the story got too long I wanted to battle. When the
battles got too long I wanted more of the story.
Overall: 7.4
I was really
surprised by some of the events that take place. It’s akin to Square’s best
work, though there aren’t as many characters to latch onto and fall in love
with.
Sigma Star
Saga is worth the time it takes to play through it once you understand that
it’s not all shooter fun. RPG enthusiasts expecting Final Fantasy or Golden
Sun – move onto something else. Space shooter fans wanting non-stop visceral
action – get in line with the role players. Sigma Star Saga is a niche
property with a niche audience in mind. Gamers who want something other than
the turn-based level up system. Gamers who want a shooter with a mission more
interesting than “Save the world!” That’s who Sigma Star Saga was designed
for.
