Loom

~ LOOM ~

LucasArts / TTI

Super CD-ROM

1992

Loom originally appeared on the PC and was quite a success before transitioning to the Turbo's Super CD unit. It's a strange game to say the least, and it certainly isn't for everyone. It's quite reminiscent of Sierra's line of King's Quest episodes, and if you enjoy that type of point-and-click adventure game (as I do), you'll probably be enthralled with this title (as I am).

But be aware that it's slow. Truth be told, Loom can be a relatively tedious affair at times, as the hero walks slowly, the plot unfolds slowly, and the game loads up slowly. Despite all that, it's very short: you probably won't need more than a single afternoon to complete it.

If you decide you can live with its pacing and length, Loom will have you assume the role of Bobbin Threadbare, a weaver who plays patterns of musical notes on his distaff to make incredible things happen. He sets off to find the other weavers (who have all been turned into swans, of course)...

...and along the way he meets plenty of interesting folks from the Glassmakers, Shepherds, Blacksmiths and Clerics guilds.

Eventually, he stumbles upon an evil plot that the Clerics are devising and gets himself into a ton of trouble.

Loom won't deliver much action, but it will keep most players entertained. Bobbin eventually gains many powers, including the abilities to change straw into gold, see in the dark, alter the colors of objects, turn invisible, and strike fear into the hearts of living things; and experimenting with the various drafts will lead to some truly hilarious moments.

Loom is a fabulously funny game; Bobbin is a witty, cynical young lad who isn't afraid to crack distasteful jokes or tell off the most powerful of villains. The wacky people and creatures he encounters during his quest provide plenty of laughs as well.

"Ahem."

Loom boasts solid aesthetics to accompany its wonderful sense of humor. As you would expect in a game that places so much importance on sound, the music is brilliant. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake composition possesses a leisurely, ethereal quality that adds to the majestic feeling of the game. And while none of the character sprites exhibit much detail, the background graphics are often very well drawn and look like simple-but-cool paintings.

There's little doubt that Loom's slow gameplay will drive some people out of their minds. But if you're patient with the title, it'll probably keep you very entertained with its clever sarcasm and charismatic cast while really making you think.

BoxyBoy

~ BOXYBOY ~

Media Rings / Thinking Rabbit / NEC

HuCard

1990

BoxyBoy grants you the opportunity to visit some of the world's greatest nations, like Egypt, Japan, and, uh, "SOUTHPOLE." Once you arrive in a particular country, you get to CHALLENGE it...

...which basically means you'll have to shove a bunch of boxes onto a bunch of dots.

And that's all there is to it. Some boards (not many) are easy; some are ridiculously difficult. Some are small, while others are so large that they comprise multiple screens. The game is somewhat helpful and forgiving: you can rewind your actions and bring up a faraway-view map screen to get a better idea of the big picture.

You may hammer away at these simple-in-concept puzzles for 250 rounds if you like. Sadly, unless this boxy brand of conundrum is really up your alley, you'll likely find the adventure too uninteresting and repetitive to stick with for more than just a couple dozen levels. Even if you enjoy other puzzlers that involve shoving shit around, chances are you won't find BB particularly appealing, as the ones you've already experienced probably do much better jobs of keeping players interested. Old Adventures of Lolo for NES basically boils down to pushing stuff, but it features a likable hero and plenty of hostile creatures for him to deal with (and even equips him with the means of putting those creatures to use in the puzzle solving). The Turbo's very own Tricky Kick isn't as complex as Lolo, but it succeeds thanks to cool level themes and appealing characters who have their own unique storylines that are relayed via opening and closing cinemas. To be fair, BoxyBoy does periodically present congratulatory cinematic screens...

...but we're hardly talking the sort of stuff that'll motivate a player to persevere through a multitude of tough levels. Now, if BoxyBoy were, like, my only TurboGrafx game, I suppose I could see myself spending hours and hours on its most challenging boards and eventually developing a fondness for the title. Solving a hellish room layout does feel awfully good...

...but maybe that awesome feeling is really just attributable to relief. And for some reason I doubt that there are many people in that unenviable BB-only position, so few will have reason to play the game for very long, as the system's library offers so many more-attractive alternatives. Like Gate of Thunder. Or Rondo of Blood. Or Tricky Kick.

Exile

~ EXILE ~

Renovation / Telenet / Working Designs (US)

CD-ROM

1992 (JPN: 1991)

Exile is a decent action-RPG; it might even look like a good one from afar. After all, it does feature a badass protagonist in the callous assassin Sadler...

...and many of the monsters he slays during the game's sidescrolling action sequences look pretty darn cool.

The music is very good, and the story is fairly interesting, so even the overhead-view "talk to people" scenes are often entertaining.

Unfortunately, the game is extremely short and ridiculously easy. None of the bosses came even remotely close to doing significant damage to me. I never used any items, nor did I cast any spells except for Warp to save myself some travel time (in the Japanese version, that is; Working Designs chose to leave that particular incantation out of the US game). In light of the lack of challenge, I guess it's a blessing that the journey is a brief one; during the final stretch, I just wanted the whole thing to end. Since I knew I wasn't going to face any sort of challenge and the designers didn't provide anything particularly interesting in the way of level designs or puzzles, it all started to seem rather pointless. Vic Ireland and company did buff up the monsters for the US release, but not to the absurd Wicked Phenomenon extent, and the poor creatures still can't put up much of a fight.

The only real difference WD's "efforts" made is that some of the still-easy bosses take a lot longer to kill (especially the last fool).

If you don't think you'll mind the ridiculously low level of difficulty, then you'll likely find that Exile plays well enough, but it's certainly not in the same league as some other titles that take similar approaches, like The Legend of Xanadu and Blood Gear.

Shadow of the Beast

~ SHADOW OF THE BEAST ~

Victor Musical Industries / Psygnosis / TTI (US)

Super CD-ROM

1992

If you've read one article about TG-CD Shadow of the Beast, you've read them all. All speak of how Turbo Beast looks quite nice but can't quite compare with the mighty Amiga version and its billion layers of parallax. And all then forgive Turbo Beast its visual "shortcomings" because it's not only playable but also conquerable thanks to being the only rendition that features decent collision detection. Having segued into the positive elements, they then mention the best part, the incredible music that makes the game a must-have regardless of how one feels about it otherwise. Yep, any schmuck on the net can tell you that stuff.

Sad as it may be, I have even less to report than the typical schmuck. I've never played any other version of this sidescrolling quest game, and I don't have any desire to, so that fancy in-depth-comparison stuff is out of the question here. I can confirm that the graphics are quite nice, at least when you're outdoors, running across fields and graveyards; enter a cave or castle, and everything becomes flat and drab. I can also verify claims that the game is beatable, as I've given it a few sound thrashings (though not without taking some cheap lumps here and there). And the audio is indeed of extremely high quality, with a composition or two even proving memorable, though I've never felt compelled to listen to the tunes outside of playing the game.

So Turbo Beast sounds very nice, looks good, and plays decently enough. It does not offer drama or boss monsters of the same unforgettable sort as Shape Shifter's, nor does it have the playability or charisma of Dragon's Curse. But it's a cheap, competent member of an uncrowded genre, making it an easy title to recommend.

There are many different kinds of enemies, but most of them are simple sorts who either charge straight ahead or hop around pointlessly. Your punches seem rather weak, but they'll do for taking out most of these chumps.

There are a few tough monsters to deal with, however; and if the quick-and-wily types surround you, they can kill you very quickly.

The SotB world isn't very large, but there are plenty of passageways and corridors to explore. The emphasis is never really on puzzle solving; you just need to track down certain items before arriving at the obstacle or boss that requires you to use them.

Take your time while you're exploring. Dashing about recklessly will either land you in situations where you're terribly outnumbered or expose you to surprise hazards (such as these huge hands that pop out of the ground).

Forget about that patience stuff when you're dealing with bosses. Battles of attrition will end in your favor if you've got a decent amount of health left and the proper items in hand. Obviously, it's not a bad idea to duck sometimes.

The gameplay isn't all about running, punching, and turtling. You eventually find a gun, which fires shots that are much more powerful than the punch attack, and there's even a part where you fly around via jetpack.

Quick little cinemas are presented here and there. They're pretty goofy and don't contribute much to the experience, but the animation is very impressive.

Well, this is an interesting final confrontation. Avoid the rock and punch the toe.

The opening cinema was modified to fit into a small window for the US version. The full-screen imagery in the PCE game comes at a cost: the loading times are quite bad.

The ending, too, was changed up.