Praised for being "A Game of Two Halves" in issue two of Super Play, gaming magazines like CVG and Mean Machines were consistent in applauding SNES ActRaiser in the early 1990s for combining two contrasting gameplay styles. This effective structure is preserved in PS4 Actraiser Renaissance, as this remake retains the diversity of shifting from an action platformer in The Legendary Axe mould, to following Populous' god game bible by clearing paths to construct more advanced buildings, and contented civilisations, in a simpler alternative to SimCity.
It's with developer Sonic Powered adding a third element of tense Settlement Siege tower defence that the tighter pacing of the original is altered, especially as a story eulogising your battle as the Lord of Light to defeat the Dark Lord Tanzra is told through incessant, but skippable dialogue text — which interrupts the flow of play.
It's a vast experience across six Old Realms, with an extra mystery to uncover. There are difficulty spikes while managing three prophesied heroes during later Settlement Siege sections, plus an expanded move-set makes the 14 platforming Acts easier than the SNES game on Normal difficulty. It's especially rewarding to take your overpowered, level 25 Master to feel godlike in the unlockable Special Mode, for those who desire all-action like in ActRaiser 2.
Yuzo Koshiro's glorious re-arranged soundtrack binds the three gameplay styles together, as his majestic music shifts from dramatic to serene to elevate the package. Actraiser Renaissance also incorporates the classic SNES sound chip tunes, but any prayers that Square Enix would include the original SNES game have been unanswered.
There's a generous amount of content, which at 20 hours is four times the completion size of the original. Since this retro remake is a game of three thirds, it'd be a disservice if followers of the original lost faith from initial impressions of the unsightly side-scrolling action, and an overly gabby god game. Yet, fans won't be on cloud nine if a lack of support towards Actraiser Renaissance discourages Square Enix from being devoted to ActRaiser as a promising series.
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If anyone has any questions about Actraiser Renaissance – for example you may want to learn more detail about the intricacies of each gameplay style (action, god game, and Settlement Siege tower defence) – then please send your questions my way.
I found since Actraiser Renaissance is a longer than expected remake, that I had more fun playing it in shorter hour-long play sessions. Actraiser Renaissance is a game that I grew to enjoy more the deeper I got into it, and it's definitely worth completing too.
The level design of the action platforming Acts improves in the later realms, and despite my reservations about intrusive tutorials and too much character chatter, I was hooked on the story enough to not skip dialogue, especially in the sixth of the Old Realms — which is Northwall with the Arctic Wyvern arc.
Also, I'm interested in hearing people's memories of playing the SNES original. I rented the PAL version of SNES ActRaiser around about its late EU release in 1993, and took turns with my friend to complete it together, before it had to go back to the rental shop. I remember immediately loving Yuzo Koshiro's ActRaiser music – obviously the early Fillmore tune was an instant favourite – and we were really impressed by the action mode's 2D graphics, and background artwork.
Cheers everyone!
The art-style is what really throws me off on getting this game. It just looks...well...not great. It has a very "mobile game" vibe. I know gameplay trumps graphics every time, but...I don't know, I think nostalgia is preventing me from pulling the trigger on this one.
I wish the original ActRaiser would pop up on the SNES app on the Switch instead. It's such a classic that I feel withstands the test of time.
I’m really tempted to grab this, but my backlog demands a sale if I bite before I’m ready to play the game. Still undecided whether to get the PS4 (to play on PS5) or Switch version, too.
@GamingFan4Lyf I hear what you're saying about Actraiser Renaissance's art style, and it's more of an issue with the side scrolling platforming in the separate Acts, which have a hazy and sometimes garish visual presentation.
It's also a shame that the movement is prone to stutter, especially during busy moments, like a boss rush section.
The graphics do improve in later realms, because I think the art is more suited to the areas that have more interesting backgrounds, like volcano fire, gothic architecture, or snowy landscapes.
The god game simulation's top-down visuals are actually detailed and pleasing to the eye, although it can become visually busy due to hectic horde assaults during a Settlement Siege.
I played the game on my snes way back in the mists of time and i enjoyed it but the story was bonkers..its a fond teenage memory that i dont wish to destroy by revisiting..
The only problem I have with this game is the very unimpressive 2D side-scroller action portion of the game, the tactical portion is actually have good graphics and characters design.
@JamieO IMHO it's not the best remake every (that still goes to RE2 in my book, but their respective budgets are a whole different story), but I urge people to buy it anyways. SE should bring back Actraiser good and proper!
This game totally misses the mark. I loved the original but they've messed this all up. It's an insult to the original. They made it all animed out; not too big a deal, but a let down. The biggest problem is the sky palace parts. They force you to play this like an old school war strategy game 😖. You cant advance in the game if your city isn't leveled up enough and you have enough towers and the right kind of towers etc. It's tedious, time consuming, and a boring chore. You wanna kill demons with your sword and powers... not spend hours building up a city. That was just an aside in the original; a fun little perk. Now it's, "do this or screw you player." What were they thinking!? Other than that, with the technology we have now this game could have been SO much more. Instead it feels cheap and uninspired in alotta ways. Not worth the $25 I paid; more worth $10 or so.
@PanFriedSoup I agree when you say that you hope people buy Actraiser Renaissance, despite it having some flaws as a remake.
It was such a pleasant surprise, coming out of nowhere at the 'Nintendo Direct - 9.23.2021', especially as it was immediately available a day after on the 24th September.
I never expected a new Actraiser game to come out of the blue, and while I realise it can be divisive to fans when directly comparing it to the original, I feel that if people are able to spend time with it and share its positive additions, then we have more chance of Square Enix investing in future Actraiser games.
Overall, I'm happy Actraiser Renaissance even exists!
I went back to three retro magazines, because I wanted to remind myself for this remake review of how ActRaiser was received upon its original SNES release.
The first was the 91% scoring Mean Machines review from Issue 7 in April 1991. I think Mean Machines was the first review of ActRaiser I ever read, and they absolutely loved the music with a whopping separate score of 96% for its 'Sound'.
The second review was from CVG Issue 114 in May 1991, where it has a boxout comparing the action stages to the arcade feel of Taito's 1987 Rastan Saga coin-op. CVG scored SNES ActRaiser with a huge 95/100 overall.
Lastly, I read Issue 2 of Super Play from December 1992, which scored it 90%, and has the section that I refer to here discussing it as a special SNES release, due to its variety as 'A Game of Two Halves'.
The magazine reviews were so far apart, because ActRaiser had a staggered release from December 1990 in Japan, to November 1991 in North America, and then the long wait until March 1993 in Europe.
I also found an Enix advert for ActRaiser in an old 1991 Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, which was wise to point out its "monster symphony sound" as a strong selling point.
Reminds me a bit of Bloodstained in those pics
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