Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection has proved invaluable in helping me patch the gaming gaps inflicted by my childhood loyalty to Nintendo. Aside from suffering at the hands of Altered Beast, I've been working my way through Beyond Oasis.
Beyond Oasis is an action-RPG that was released in 1995, a particularly rich vein of gaming history. Its top-down sword-swinging action is most often compared to The Legend of Zelda, though the large sprites, interchangeable weapons and focus on fighting over puzzle-solving remind me more of Secret of Mana.
With Secret of Mana being one of my very favourite instruments of torture video games, you would think that I'd latch right on to the Sega Genesis alternative about an Arabian boy with blue eyes and blonde hair. Alas, it has just not been so. Beyond Oasis works well as a distraction to pick at while waiting for my potatoes to boil, but something about it feels hollow. It feels strange to make this discovery, because I spent a lot of energy pretending not to care when the first big, beautiful screenshots of Beyond Oasis hit game magazines.
It's hard to name exactly what turns me off about Beyond Oasis. It might be the boxed-in feeling I get from maneuvering a big sprite on comparatively small playing fields. It might be the lame puzzles, or the unresponsive nature of Ali's elemental helpers. It might be the awful sound effects and voice samples. Really, Sega, if you can't conjure up a convincing “squeak” for your mutant rat enemies, don't stick me with something that sounds like a pen tapping the side of a glass.
I think I'm also irritated by the way the nondescript male townspeople swagger with their bellies sticking out a mile. The story isn't much to write home to mother about, either. Just something about the infinite scary power of a gold armlet, and a quest to find its silver mate. It's strange how A Link to the Past had a minimal story too, but it was presented in a manner that drove me from dungeon to dungeon, eager to find out what was next.
Even the graphics don't impress me as much as those old magazine pictures. The bright whites, greens and yellows are difficult for my eyes to digest. The world presented in Secret of Mana is painted in shades of unicorn puke, but the colours are soft and mesh well together. But hey, at least Beyond Oasis has this totally awesome anime intro, you guys. omg bettar than disney.
On the other hand, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection offers a library of varied titles, and it can be hard to shift from one to the other. I'm currently working my way through Phantasy Star IV, which takes place in an arid world that's nearly spent. Switching into the technicolour lands of Beyond Oasis after a slog through Motavia would melt the eyes off a cyborg. I'll choose my playtime a little more carefully, keep going, and see where I end up. I know I've seen screenshots of a neat dragon boss. I want to celebrate its majesty by stabbing it.
Related Links:
I Will Defeat You, Altered Beast
The Untold Story of Sega Killing Their Own Hardware Business
Gaga for Segaga