Sigma Star Saga is quite an interesting game to begin with. Made by the fantastic Way-Forward, it's a unique shmup/RPG hybrid, that many people sleep on or complain about.
The graphics and music of the game are fantastic, with beautiful stage layouts and very catchy songs. The story is also interesting, with many plot twists, drama, and well-written and memorable characters. However, the gameplay is quite divisive...The shmup parts are fun at first, and the boss levels at the end of each chapter are very well-designed. The exploration is also decent, with large and interesting planets to explore. The gun data system is great as well. It's fun to collect new weapons for the ship, even if only a few of them are really useful. The main flaw of the game is the ridiculous encounter rate. Shmup encounters happen very frequently. They are short and fun at first, but get tedious after a while. This is most prominent on the Fire Planet, where the flaws are more apparent. The planet is huge, and there are only 2 save points, and the planet is a nasty difficulty spike. However, after the Fire Planet, the game gets much better. Though the encounters are still annoying, it is much easier to deal with them as you get better gun data, and you do change locations enough to keep the random battles fresh. The story also picks up here, and the bosses become more interesting as well.
SSS is still a pretty great game. It's flaws drag it down, but not too much. If you're a fan of Way-Forward, or shmups in general, I would recommend it. If you're patient enough, SSS is a unique, challenging, and memorable experience, with the signature polish and charm of Way-Forward.
VideoGame An Underappreciated Game Whose Flaws Don't Ruin It
Zelda and Seihou walk into a bar...
Sigma Star Saga is quite an interesting game to begin with. Made by the fantastic Way-Forward, it's a unique shmup/RPG hybrid, that many people sleep on or complain about.
The graphics and music of the game are fantastic, with beautiful stage layouts and very catchy songs. The story is also interesting, with many plot twists, drama, and well-written and memorable characters. However, the gameplay is quite divisive...The shmup parts are fun at first, and the boss levels at the end of each chapter are very well-designed. The exploration is also decent, with large and interesting planets to explore. The gun data system is great as well. It's fun to collect new weapons for the ship, even if only a few of them are really useful. The main flaw of the game is the ridiculous encounter rate. Shmup encounters happen very frequently. They are short and fun at first, but get tedious after a while. This is most prominent on the Fire Planet, where the flaws are more apparent. The planet is huge, and there are only 2 save points, and the planet is a nasty difficulty spike. However, after the Fire Planet, the game gets much better. Though the encounters are still annoying, it is much easier to deal with them as you get better gun data, and you do change locations enough to keep the random battles fresh. The story also picks up here, and the bosses become more interesting as well.
SSS is still a pretty great game. It's flaws drag it down, but not too much. If you're a fan of Way-Forward, or shmups in general, I would recommend it. If you're patient enough, SSS is a unique, challenging, and memorable experience, with the signature polish and charm of Way-Forward.