Dark Savior

The Saturn had its share of role-playing games; not many, but it made up for that with quality. One of those Saturn RPGs just happens to be Dark Savior, an interesting little game that is fun but not what you might consider high quality. While I found the gameplay particular engaging when first released, the platform jumping found within render it less enjoyable in the days of better camera angles and more fluid character movement in general. Not that I am counting any of that against this title, not at all, it simply stands as another game that hasn't aged as gracefully as the rest of its ilk.

Assuming the role of acclaimed bounty hunter Garion and his whimsical talking bird Jack, Dark Savior begins with the duo escorting the dubious villain Billian to Jailer's Island; sort of like Arkham Asylum for you Bat-folk. While the initial transport is un-eventful, something terrible happens (surprise, surprise!) and Billian escapes, catapulting Garion and Jack into a desperate search of the ship, attempting to find Billian before he escapes. Billian has many conventional super villain powers at his disposal, including his notorious "body snatching" ability. Of course, Billian is able to escape before being apprehended, and it is up to the super team on board to find him and bring him to justice. I know it sounds like every RPG that isn't about someone or something trying to destroy the world, but it's the manner in which the story unfolds that matters. Scratch that; the story is actually very familiar for anyone who's played a role-playing game.

To reiterate, if you're one of those people that doesn't read the first paragraph in a review (are there people that don't read the first paragraph?), I found, and still find, this game to have a most pleasing feel. It reminds me of the wonderful time I spent with Xenogears on the original PlayStation. I am not that fond of how the platform maneuvering was employed here, though. Taking a 3D isometric view, the environments are mostly visible, but the camera does suffer a bit when it seems a specific angle is dire. Having to negotiate the same damn platform over and over due to the camera's shortcomings becomes quite frustrating quite early in the game, which does not bode well for the more challenging areas later on. The overall style is enjoyable, though, with vibrant colors and necessary but not overly impressive music and sound.

Dark Savior is worth experiencing if you still have your trusty, durable Saturn in tow. I personally preferred Mystaria over this title, but that doesn't mean this game is not worth the effort to obtain; just be prepared to attempt a lot of the same platform jumps in your pursuit of Billian.