Tuesday 25 October 2011

Sega Mega Drive: Faery Tale Adventure

Year: 1991
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
Our Rating: 8/10


Mini Review

Back in the ‘90s there was a raft of retro games trying to jump on the grand adventure band wagon. The first Legend of Zelda for the NES had previously opened up a real commercial market for the adventure genre. One of my favorites to take the genre to the next level was “The Faery Tale Adventure”. The premise revolves around a magic Talisman that is stolen from the village of Holm, without it the village is defenseless. Luckily three brothers are ready to take on the grand adventure, fighting with the undead, dragons and more to see its safe return.

Kevin, Julian and Philip all suffer from incredibly wooden animation and seem to be drunk when walking and fighting but it all adds to the intrigue of the game. This is certainly a game of note as it contains a wide variety of good ideas. There are health systems that link to luck, non playable characters (NPCs), a range of weaponry, a wide inventory, a sandbox approach to gaming with a wide land to roam. There is a real sense that the land lives and there is excellent detail in the various castles, taverns, forests and mountains that you will venture through. Without the sword or mace this game is simply impossible when fighting. The inventory system is wide and interesting with items allowing you teleportation, night vision and magic (all of which you will need at some point in the game).
Having played this game numerous times (along with 100s of other retro adventures) I can honestly say that this game is a cut above almost every other launched suring the same period (the original editions being launched 1987). The game is big enough to feel very lost at times but has enough clues to keep you coming back for more.

Overall the Faery Tale Adventure is well worth a look.




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