Rygar (NES game)
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| Rygar | |
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| Developer(s) | Tecmo |
| Publisher(s) | Tecmo |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Release date | JPN April 14, 1987 NA July, 1987 EU March 30, 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Platform, Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
- For the 2002 PlayStation 2 game, see Rygar: The Legendary Adventure.
Rygar (アルゴスの戦士 はちゃめちゃ大進撃 Arugosu no Senshi Hachamecha Daishingeki?) is a fantasy-themed action-adventure platform game developed by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released on April 14, 1987 in Japan for the Famicom as Argos no Senshi and later that year in the United States for the NES. A European release came in 1990. Rygar is a rough adaptation of an earlier arcade game of the same name, but the similarities are few. The main character, his weapon, and much of the enemies remain the same, but the gameplay of the NES version is quite different. While the arcade version is more of a standard side-scrolling action title, the NES Rygar is an open-ended action-adventure game that plays similar to Metroid, which was also released at the time. At the beginning of the game, Rygar has access to some of the worlds, but as the game progresses, new areas open up as the result of finding items such as the grappling hook, crossbow, and wind pulley, which let him cross previously impassable obstacles.
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[edit] Gameplay
The player sends the title character (who did not have a proper name in the Japanese version) through a number of fantastic settings with the ultimate goal of defeating the evil King Ligar in order to restore peace to the realm of Argool[1] (Argos in the Japanese version). To accomplish this goal, Rygar/the Warrior must visit five "Indora Gods" who present him with essential items needed for completion of the game. Each of the Indora Gods is located in a different realm, and is almost always guarded by a boss. The player can choose the order in which some stages are played, but since certain items are required to reach new areas, choices are somewhat limited. After playing through the five major realms of the game, he must journey to King Ligar's flying castle for the final confrontation.
It should be noted that "Ligar" (the final boss) can also be romanized as "Rygar" because in Japanese there is no distinction between "l" and "r". The central player character is only known as "senshi" ("the Warrior") in the Japanese version.
[edit] Shortcomings
A serious downside to the NES version of Rygar is that it didn't allow for game saves. The complexity and difficulty of the game, along with the puzzles to solve and special objects needed to progress, require a great deal of time and unlike other complex adventure games of the time (The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, etc.) the cartridge did not contain a battery (Zelda), nor did it contain a password feature (Metroid). As a result, there have been players who felt forced to pause the game and leave their NES on overnight (sometimes going on for days or even weeks) being unable to finish that day. Adding to the difficulty of playing the game is the fact that NES games and systems sometimes may not work properly (the game may not run at all, or the game may freeze or reset unexpectedly).
[edit] References
- ^ (1987) in Tecmo: Rygar Instructions (in English). Tecmo, page 8.
[edit] External links
- Rygar shrine at RPGClassics.com
- Maps of the levels for the Nintendo (NES) version of Rygar at NESMaps
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