Dungeon Explorer

Atlus/Hudson Soft - 1989 - U.S.A.

HuCard

For every console exists games that define it, games that represent its spirit. Dungeon Explorer is one such game. Love it or hate it, it cannot be argued that Explorer didn't make an impact on the Turbo gaming universe. It set a precedent where previously none existed. Seldom does a game come along that appeals to such a diverse audience. Turbo fans unite: this one's for you.

To identify Dungeon Explorer as merely a "Gauntlet clone" just doesn't do the game justice. While there's no hiding that Explorer borrows its most basic gameplay elements from the venerable action title, it improves upon that template in every possible way. The story upon which the game is based is hardly groundbreaking: a formerly tranquil community called Odessia has been transformed into a land of dungeons and evil by an alien race that has enslaved the people through the power of the ORA stone. It's up to you to find the ORA and return peace to Odessia.

Eight different classes of character are available upon beginning the game, an additional two can be obtained secretly if you follow the correct path with the correct character. Each class boasts diverse strengths and weaknesses, and makes for incredible replay value. Defeated bosses leave behind crystal "beans" that allow your character to "level up" their attributes at your discretion. Each class has different magic capabilities that can be utilized through the use of white & black magic potions. Such abilities range from magic shields, to magic "bombs," to health restoration.

Explorer handles excessive onscreen action with extreme competence and rarely will you experience any slowdown. Controls are tight and responsive, but perhaps the coolest feature of all is the multiplayer capability. Dungeon Explorer allows up to five people to play simultaneously, which makes for an incredibly fun time. You really have to get on the same wavelength as your partner(s) to maximize your combined firepower and abilities and stay out of each other's way.

Where do we go from here?

You'll discover a few subplots within the adventure if you pay attention.

This guy's name is Judas? And he's supposed to be on my side?

Have a drink on me.

Friends along the way offer valuable advice.

Dungeons are vast and unique; on your first run through, you'll get lost in Rallymaze, overpowered in Cherry Tower, and impressed by Natas. Hell, you'll still be impressed on your tenth run through. Explorer has plenty of area to keep you busy for quite a while. Don't expect to complete the game on your first or second sitting; save games are handled via manageable 10-character passwords.

While the screens shown here should speak for themselves, Explorer's finest asset lies in the music. Generally regarded as the best non-redbook soundtrack on the console, the Explorer soundscape lays to rest any shred of doubt that the TurboGrafx was truly the next generation in console gaming.

You have not truly experienced the spirit of the Turbo until you've played Dungeon Explorer.

Bosses are memorable and just badass in general. You'll encounter over a dozen of these guys by the end of your journey.

KLAX

~ KLAX ~

Tengen

HuCard

1990

My logical brother Alexei tried to reason with me, but I would have none of it: I was going to play KLAX even though I knew it would be a waste of time and a thoroughly dopey thing to do. See, I wasn't "giving it a fair chance" or anything, as I had complete faith in Alexei's reports of its through-and-through shittiness; but I play everything Turbo. Everything. And I can't receive word of a massive disaster without subsequently rushing out to witness the wreckage firsthand.

Well, I went and I saw. And now I'm here to tell you that even if you know full well that KLAX is an outright stinker heading in, there's an extremely good chance that it will still find a way to make you absolutely despise it. It's just that fucking bad, a disgustingly awful puzzler that, laughably enough, is considered a "classic" in some circles.

Well, there's your mission. Get to it. KLAX doesn't exactly match Tetris in cleverness of concept.

It has no personality either and is every bit as boring as it looks. With annoying cheers and screams in lieu of actual music, the game quickly transitions from dull to irritating.

Wait, did I say it has no personality? My mistake. The background "scenery" does change every few levels. Here we have an exquisite parking lot...

...and there's even a forest. Play well and keep advancing and you'll get to see... palette-swapped versions of the early backdrops...

...which isn't much incentive for taking on the game's silly challenges.

But, whatever. I honed my "BIG-X"-making skills until I pulled off the feat and earned the right to "warp." I was whisked away to the later levels...

...which provided no relief from the monotony.

Ah, to be back in the days of useless between-stage "hints." Kinda reminds me of Gauntlet. Speaking of which, Tengen should've brought a rendition of Gauntlet to the Turbo. My treasure-hunting cousin Zigfriedelnov and I used to spend hours looking around for the stupid "clues" in the NES version.

Um.

Aldynes

~ ALDYNES ~

Hudson Soft

HuCard (SuperGrafx)

1991

Aldynes kicks ass in so many ways. It taps into the mega power and virility of the SuperGrafx to achieve extraordinary visuals: its bosses are phenomenal giants and its backgrounds are incredible multi-layered scenes flush with detail and alive with all sorts of mechanized activity. Yet, it makes an even greater impression with its audio: While the Aldynes soundtrack doesn't do anything technically abnormal with HuCard instrumentation, it demonstrates perfectly how remarkable compositions can be performed effectively with vintage chip sound quality. Damn, does Stage 2's theme rock. And the gameplay follows the lead of the aesthetic elements, thriving on a unique options system that allows you to send your pods out to do their own thing, keep them in close to provide additional standard fire, or have them revolve around your vessel in a defensive posture. Careful, intelligent playing, along with a good bit of trial and error, is the way to survive Aldynes' no-nonsense challenges.

The game seems like a master of all trades, but... well, there are a few caveats that can be tacked on here. (Actually, the following items don't bother me, but I know there are folks out there who'll complain about them.) While the graphics are very detailed and simply amazing in a technical sense, they're also quite dark, with cold steel environs the norm. If you're looking for beautiful sunsets and merry blue skies, find your fun elsewhere. And while you can power up your guns to incredible degrees, they won't scare many enemies in their initial forms, which is very bad news if you take a hit late in the game and have to rough out a tough stage from a strength-slashing checkpoint. Nonetheless, even those who demand cheery colors and have no stomach for the game's late-stage perils will likely concede that this is a package awesome in enough areas to warrant a try, if not an immediate purchase.

Most of the bosses are gigantic, but even the smaller ones are more than willing to face you head-on.

The Aldynes weapon set is quite varied and interesting, and each cannon type can be strengthened to a tremendous extreme. A typical spread gun evolves until it's unleashing giant green globes of destruction.

The options are even more useful than the mighty weapons. Here, I'm able to ignore an assault from behind and concentrate on clearing a path because my option pod has my back.

Not every piece of your arsenal is quite as essential to survival. You can charge up a frontal shield at the expense of your rapid fire, but it doesn't really help much except during a rather pointless sequence where missiles are launched from the background.

Most of the challenges Aldynes presents are anything but pointless, though, with the coolest strip of all being an extremely dangerous stretch of magnetic cavern. Before you reach that harrowing area, you'll have to blast through webs of golden rings woven by small spider-like machines.

It's too bad that there aren't more mini-bosses, like this fellow who doesn't do a particularly wonderful job of concealing himself, though you may be the one looking for cover when he starts chasing after you. Still, the little guys do their jobs well and keep the pressure on by firing lots of projectiles and often leaping and dashing about like madmen.

One weapon in particular will really come in handy during the final fight.

It Came from the Desert

~ IT CAME FROM THE DESERT ~

Cinemaware / NEC

CD-ROM

1991

This is one of those "special meaning" games for me, as it was the one I bought with my Turbo CD way back in the day. The motorcycle lights of the title screen coming on as "Sea of Love" kicked in was my introduction to CD-based gaming, and I was pretty blown away by it. Since that time, I've seen Desert get about as much love as its ill-fated FMV sibling, Sherlock Holmes--which is to say, not much. In fact, I think the only praise it's ever gotten has come from VG&CE and famous Turbo expert and Duomazov comrade, Keranu McKenna. Well... I agree with VG&CE and Keranu.

Aside from "Sea of Love," the best thing about the game is the story. It's extremely (and intentionally) cheesy, great for laughs, especially early on. As the tale moves along and more and more characters get turned into "antdroids," it becomes surprisingly eerie, too. And, archaic in style or not, I think it plays out pretty well through the grainy FMV.

While the story rules, the action scenes are usually considered the title's downfall. But the save-the-antdroid "shooting gallery" game is really rather cool. What's not to like about a mini-game that has you blasting insects who are eating the flesh off helpless screaming victims? And the music is appropriately spooky.

The overhead parts aren't too bad, though they play out slowly and don't feel very polished.

The side-scrolling segments are really where the game falters, as jumping control is nonexistent and it seems at times that if the game wants to deplete your ammo supply or have the ants kill you, it can go ahead and do so at will.

So sluggish controls and lack of polish detract from two of the three action parts, and if you don't finish the ants off quickly, those action scenes will get mighty repetitive by the end. Thankfully, you can kill the queen long before the eight days are up.

Of course, you'll miss some of the cool story moments if you move that quickly, but chances are you'll see them anyway while you're getting the hang of how the game works. It's probably not something you'll conquer right off the bat.