My first Family Computer Disk System game review, Yay! Actually when you think about it. It’s my first review of any family computer game. So lets get this game started. The game evolves around Pit, an angel warrior who must battle his way through various stages and fortresses to fight the evil medusa and rescue the princess. Sounds straight forward. I would really hate to be a princess in the land of Nintendo. Your always being kidnapped and all.
Just for those of you that are wondering about regional differences, Hikari Shinwa actually features save files vs. the American version with it’s password system. The sound effects in the Japanese version are a little better but that’s because the family computer disk system has more sound power to produce better sounds (Sometimes that works against some games).
The game play itself is awesome. The controls are really simple. The A button makes Pit jump. The B button makes Pit shoot his arrows and the directional pad makes Pit move around the game screen. Strangely enough this is one of those games I noticed that got really easy as the game went on. Most people complain the game is too hard. Yes, the first couple levels were a little tough. But once you get your life meter up and a few power-up items and regular items the game actually gets kind of easy.
The fortress stages were the most challenging in my mind since they were very maze-like and often I found myself lost. The most annoying thing about the fortress levels are the eggplant wizards. If you get hit by one of their flying eggplants you turn into an eggplant yourself. The only way to remove the eggplant curse is to find the nurses through out each fortress or to simply die and start again.
The boss battles were not that hard and I actually beat the first three bosses without even dying! Medusa can be a challenge but she still can be beaten. I do recommend that you get as many hammers as you can though so you can free the guards in the fortress levels to make the boss fights even easier.
I will admit, the backgrounds are a little bland and I feel not much really went into level design. The majority of the challenge comes from fighting the various monsters you will encounter. The thief was a pain in the neck too, since if he touches you, you will lose one of your power-up items (Power-up items are known as “Weapons” in the American version). The music was great though. Nintendo really knows how to make memorable background music for all of their games.
Hikari Shinwa is one of those family computer disk system games everyone should play at least once. Despite the fact it can be hard to play at first, once you get some items and a bigger life meter you can sit back and enjoy the game. Finishing Hirkari Shinwa was probably one of my favorite moments in my journey into video games. It really is a rewarding experience to finish such a challenging game.
