Lufia and the Fortress of Doom
Reviewed by Grant Tedaldi
Lufia (Estpolis Biography)
This game was the Sequel to a never Released RPG called Estpolis - Rise of the
Sinistrals it was the Brainchild and wonderful RPG of Taito, it was developed
for the NES but by the time it was in Mid-Development the Project was cancelled
so that the game could be made on the 16 bit Machines. When Taito saw the Great
power of the SNES they canned the Genesis Lufia and decided to just Create Lufia
for the Super Nintendo. Problem was, they had deadlines and they had nothing. So
they used the Sequel in Development...
Estpolis Biography II, return to Doom Island, and named it: Lufia - The Fortress Of Doom.
StoryLine
The Intro shows Doom Island, and you play as the 4 heroes for Estpolis II, and
Vanquish the 4 Sinistrals -- Daos, Erim, Amon, Gades. The game begins as Monsters
attack a Castle Nearby, *YAWN* but the Reason for this is a Super Evil enemy
called a Sinistral has come to Earth. The Hero battles one of these Sinistrals
and finds it is his Destiny to Fight these evil beings his Ancestors fought over
100 years ago. A Mysterious Girl named Lufia who has been his friend for many
years now accompanies him on his Journey. Aguro captain of a Major Army, and an
Elf Girl Jerin create the Party that you must use to Vanquish the Sinistrals.
Graphics 81 out of 100
Lufia had very Colorful Graphics. It was nothing Spectacular compared to some
of the cool new effects that are seen today. As for a SNES game Lufia had beautiful
Graphics for its time. It came out shortly after Final Fantasy II, and the Graphics
were much better.
The Overworld/Town Graphics are very nice, there is good Shadowing effects and
many of the Characters look different from each other. Buildings look very nice and
everything has lots of color, utilizing the SNES 256-On Screen Colors.
The Battle Graphics take place on the same background as the overhead map you are
on. That at times might seem rather lame, but at least the enemies are Very well
detailed and they Shake. :-) Some movement makes it look very good.
Bosses are Huge and Very Detailed, the Main Characters are Very Animated and
have plenty of Facial Expressions and interactions with the background.
Music and Sound 93 out of 100
Move Over RPG's, The Music of Lufia is Outrageous.
The Battle Music is Captivating and Fast, and when you win the battle you can
cheer along with the wonderful music. The Town music is Great, and when the
characters are in town they move fast, they keep up with the beat.
My Favorite music of all is the Music when you are in the Flying Ship. It sounds
awesome... I just leave it on for hours on end.
Many times the music matches the mood perfectly, and is never overused, so its
not spoiled.
Game Challenge 85 out of 100
Theres not too many RPG's for the US SNES. This is Probably the 2nd Hardest one....
7th Saga Being the First.
The game keeps itself challenging. You don't learn a revive spell till past the middle.
Items are Expensive and you need to gain levels often sometimes. You fight a load of
Battles, but fortunately there is an Item to make less of them come around. *Theres
also one to make More come, that's 1 every step*
Some of the Last bosses you have to fight with only 3 characters... You will soon see why!
If you want a challenge which makes the difference between a Movie and an RPG.
*Cough* *Final* *Cough* *Fantasy* I suggest you play a great Challenge Like Lufia.
Game Play-Fun 80 out of 100
Sure, its a Really Fun game. Cheerful Music, Bright Colors, and a Steady Challenge
make the game fun to play.
The Game play is fast, and not too repetitive, Some funny characters keep in-store
a Non-Boredom Thrill ride with this game.
What makes it most fun is the fact that when you play this game, you get to have
even more fun Playing Lufia II or Vice Versa. The 2 games stories are so Intertwined
because of problems releasing them, it made it so worth it. You'll meet Relatives of
Characters and Even some hero's of Lufia II in Lufia I.
Frustration
Yeah, theres some downsides to this game too.
Sometimes the battles are very repetitive, but then again there is an Item to Prevent that.
Often you wish there were more characters... but sorry, theres only 4.
Replayability 75 out of 100
No RPG is that fun to Replay, but there are a lot of Hidden things like Dragon Eggs
to find that keep the game interesting.
Also the Story is so Interesting, and so much is Revealed within it, playing it
again the Second time lets you think the whole time and you realize certain
things you may have missed before.
Game Value
You can't buy it now but when it was released, like all RPG's it probably wasn't
worth the money, because its $50 for a few days of fun.
Renting its as always, a better value.
Compatibility with Sequel 100 out of 100
You don't get games like this that have such an Interlocked Storyline. And it
will be Continued in Lufia III.
Not Phantasy Star,
Not Lunar,
Not even Dragon Warrior,
Sure as heck not Final Fantasy...
Lufia has the best!
Its nice to play a game, and when you play the Sequel enjoy it enough to replay
the 1st one. :-)
Overall 89 out of 100
This game is very difficult and was one of the First real RPG's for the Super
Nintendo. It is hard to talk about this Game alone because Lufia is chapter II of
the Series. Lufia as a Series in my Opinion is the best ever. The Stories are very
intertwined. Both games have great challenge to them, The Music both done by
Shinzoro are ULTIMATE. The graphics are colorful and very well animated, but
What I like Most about this game is the Character Development, The Hero's
relationship between Lufia takes a lot of Sudden changes, and the Ending comes
as much a surprise. Raile Shaia Creates a Boat that can Fly, and even go Underwater,
and who knows what his Decedent Yu will do in Lufia III, There are secrets to be
unraveled and many funny Jokes in Lufia, There should be many more games like it,
As Arty said... The Hopes of my People are Strong! MORE LUFIA!