This game is really fucking hard, but it's been growing on me. The structure is pretty unique for a game of its type from this time period. You're dropped in the literal middle of an island and can pretty much go in any direction collecting key items in any order (sort of like Zelda 1). Because of this, I'm not sure how far I am into the game. I've inserted all the spheres into the statues and am now in some type of dungeon with mummies. The platforming can be bullshit and rescuing the animals is pretty frustrating because they can be missable. There's a lot the game doesn't tell you outright, for example, if you bonk a rescuable animal and leave the area, the animal is permanently missed, locking you out of the real ending. Pretty fucking bullshit. The presentation is great though and the soundtrack is memorable. Have you played Wonder Trek?
>>12452164Never, and a google search only reveals a modern kid toy or something. What yesr did it come out? Im sure thatll provide better search results
>>12452164nvm i found it. Wtf i grew up when psx was new and ive never heard of it. Im going to see if i can run it on my phone, it sounds interesting.
Ah, it was a japanese only release. I got really into b.l.u.e, so im sure this will be another good japan only release.
>>12452202I hope you have a controller because it would be really hard to play on a phone touch screen. It was translated a pretty recently.
>>12452164Played through it a few years ago when some guy started posting these. Pretty cool game.
>>12452205Yea i ran it, checked the button schematics and realized the issue. Ah well.
Just beat the game with all 18 animals rescued. The Phoenix was by far the hardest boss in the game, but thankfully the last 2 bosses (actual final+true final) weren't very difficult at all. The unlockable for getting all the animals is nice. Overall I'm glad I played the game, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone though due to some poor design choices. The professor is more of an annoyance than anything and doesn't add much to the game. The rescuable animals are way too easy to miss and it's not clear what they actually do unless you happen to know from a guide or online info. Combat is pretty bad and it takes up a lot of the game, made worse by a complete lack of progression mechanics (no health upgrades, no better weapons, no other combat options - nothing). But the presentation is very good and is otherwise a polished experience, very weird this seems to be Zest's one and only game. I would have liked to see how they could have improved with a sequel.6/10
>>12452164my foid loved it last year, her GOTY. I must say it's a legit great game, even if it could be better (>>12452829). Openess, graphics, concept and a rare one for games, message, are strong points. Also it has that misterious under-explained ambience of early 3D games I find fascinating
Apparently the director of this game went on to direct the Patapon series and worked on other big Sony titles like Bloodborne. He also directed SkyGunner.https://www.mobygames.com/person/68635/hiroyuki-kotani/
>>12452202A fan translation came out about a year ago
>>12453847Yea i know i played it translated.
>>12453847Was the manual translated? I'm playing it but it feels like there's some information that i'm missing about the game.
>>12455613I was struggling with the same thing. I thought the manual was translated but I couldn't find it anywhere online. Here are some crucial tips I had to figure out on my own:1. If the professor gets stuck, press triangle to call him to you so he doesn't get lost2. R2 = sneak. This is important for 2 reasons: disarming traps (or walking through spikes) and manually hanging on a ledge, which is important for having the professor latch on to you from high ledges.3. Rescue animals right away as you see them because there's a risk they could be permanently missed (even if you don't bonk them). Do note you need the professor present to rescue 1 or 2 animals.
>>12455632Thanks anon. Didn't know about that.
>>12455632based effortposter
>>12458885Based on what?
