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The saga continues, even though it's a new one.
September 10, 2005 | 11:36 PM PSTby: Stephen Smith
When Sigma Star Saga was announced, I was intrigued by the thought of a RPG game and a classic 2D shooter in the same mix. I read every press release and played the demo at this year’s E3 expo. My excitement over this game culminated when I finally got my review copy in the mail. How did this hybrid fare? Read on to find out.
Sigma Star Saga does weave an interesting tale, even though it starts off with an ordinary premise. You assume the role of a human pilot who is captured by the enemy. As you begin to spy on the Krill you quickly realize perspective can easily change on this conflict. The lines between right and wrong blur and even intersect at times -- hardly what I was expecting from a game like this.
The surprises don’t stop there. As stated earlier, Sigma Star Saga is a hybrid of a 2D shooter and a RPG game. More specifically, you can divide the gameplay into two distinct types; on-foot missions, and 2D shooter levels. The adventure portion of the game uses key items to either restrict or allow passage through the many different areas. Fighting off the enemies in these on-foot levels is easy, and therefore puts the focus squarely on exploration. You will also find the simple puzzle elements that Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda is so famous for introducing.
The other side of SSS is the 2D shooter stages. These excursions occur randomly during the on-foot missions. Essentially, you must pilot a ship where you defeat a certain quota of enemies. Once this quota is met, you return to the primary on-foot mission. The ships you will assume control of vary as well as the enemies you will face.
There is level building in Sigma Star Saga, but it only occurs during these shooter stages. As you defeat enemies, you gain experience, and go up levels. This directly causes your chosen weapon system to become more powerful with every level you gain.
What makes Sigma Star Saga more compelling is the way you can build a somewhat custom weapon system for the 2D shooter stages. To do this you must collect gun data. These three types include the following:
Cannon Type: The main part of the weapon system that delivers the bullet type to its target. The cannon typically determines the number of bullets, and direction or directions.
Bullet Type: This type determines the bullets' behavior. Bullet types can include all kinds of projectiles like mines and charged energy blasts.
Impact Type: Finally, this last type determines what happens when a bullet collides with an enemy target. If you are thinking just different degrees of explosions, you are in for a surprise. Everything from splintering, igniting, and an explosion shot are all in your repertoire.
The breakdown for the different gun data goes as follows: 28 types of Cannons, 20 types of Bullets, and 28 types of Impacts. This allows for quite a number of combinations available to build your desired weapon of choice. You can edit your gun data only during the on-foot missions. There is also a preview window so you can see demonstrations of what your weapon will look like, but no real way to test. Worse yet, once you begin a shooter level you cannot edit, or change your settings. This can make the game feel very frustrating when you choose a combination that is less than adequate.
The graphics in Sigma Star Saga truly make the game. The adventure side of the game is bright and very colorful, complete with large detailed sprites. The shooter levels are above average, but not on the same scale as the on foot missions. Though these two different aspects of Sigma Star Saga do seem to mesh to make it all seem like one adventure.
As you play the part of Ian Recker, the protagonist in Sigma Star Saga you will notice something quite odd. Recker shares the same life gauge with the ships he helms in the shooter levels. This seems like a good idea to limit unnecessary facets, but once your life gauge is depleted, it’s game over. This wouldn’t be that bad if you could save at any point during the game, but unfortunately you don't and this makes the game very tedious. Several times I would come upon an enemy in the shooter levels I was ill prepared for, and after being defeated I had to replay a significant amount of the game.
Closing Comments
I refuse to believe there has ever been a perfect game. To me this would only be possible if the game was designed for a particular individual. Even then it wouldn’t be perfect for anyone except the intended recipient it was created for. With that said, Sigma Star Saga does have its good points as well as its negatives. Mainly its trying gameplay, which is at the top of my complaint list, but if you are willing to put forth the effort, you will be rewarded with a gaming experience unlike any other.
Sigma Star Saga does weave an interesting tale, even though it starts off with an ordinary premise. You assume the role of a human pilot who is captured by the enemy. As you begin to spy on the Krill you quickly realize perspective can easily change on this conflict. The lines between right and wrong blur and even intersect at times -- hardly what I was expecting from a game like this.
The surprises don’t stop there. As stated earlier, Sigma Star Saga is a hybrid of a 2D shooter and a RPG game. More specifically, you can divide the gameplay into two distinct types; on-foot missions, and 2D shooter levels. The adventure portion of the game uses key items to either restrict or allow passage through the many different areas. Fighting off the enemies in these on-foot levels is easy, and therefore puts the focus squarely on exploration. You will also find the simple puzzle elements that Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda is so famous for introducing.
The other side of SSS is the 2D shooter stages. These excursions occur randomly during the on-foot missions. Essentially, you must pilot a ship where you defeat a certain quota of enemies. Once this quota is met, you return to the primary on-foot mission. The ships you will assume control of vary as well as the enemies you will face.
There is level building in Sigma Star Saga, but it only occurs during these shooter stages. As you defeat enemies, you gain experience, and go up levels. This directly causes your chosen weapon system to become more powerful with every level you gain.
What makes Sigma Star Saga more compelling is the way you can build a somewhat custom weapon system for the 2D shooter stages. To do this you must collect gun data. These three types include the following:
The breakdown for the different gun data goes as follows: 28 types of Cannons, 20 types of Bullets, and 28 types of Impacts. This allows for quite a number of combinations available to build your desired weapon of choice. You can edit your gun data only during the on-foot missions. There is also a preview window so you can see demonstrations of what your weapon will look like, but no real way to test. Worse yet, once you begin a shooter level you cannot edit, or change your settings. This can make the game feel very frustrating when you choose a combination that is less than adequate.
The graphics in Sigma Star Saga truly make the game. The adventure side of the game is bright and very colorful, complete with large detailed sprites. The shooter levels are above average, but not on the same scale as the on foot missions. Though these two different aspects of Sigma Star Saga do seem to mesh to make it all seem like one adventure.
As you play the part of Ian Recker, the protagonist in Sigma Star Saga you will notice something quite odd. Recker shares the same life gauge with the ships he helms in the shooter levels. This seems like a good idea to limit unnecessary facets, but once your life gauge is depleted, it’s game over. This wouldn’t be that bad if you could save at any point during the game, but unfortunately you don't and this makes the game very tedious. Several times I would come upon an enemy in the shooter levels I was ill prepared for, and after being defeated I had to replay a significant amount of the game.
Closing Comments
I refuse to believe there has ever been a perfect game. To me this would only be possible if the game was designed for a particular individual. Even then it wouldn’t be perfect for anyone except the intended recipient it was created for. With that said, Sigma Star Saga does have its good points as well as its negatives. Mainly its trying gameplay, which is at the top of my complaint list, but if you are willing to put forth the effort, you will be rewarded with a gaming experience unlike any other.
February 8, 2010
