...to my blog that is.
ArnoldRimmer83 recommended this FDS game Lutter to me in the comments section of my last blog, so I figured I'd give this a try tonight. I played through Castlequest for the NES a few months back so I could record the ending for my endings guide on gamefaqs...actually, shit, I think that was more like a year ago. Someone asked me the other day if I ever skied...skiied...how the hell is that spelled?? Anyway, I replied "I went about 10 years ago, my freshman year in college." They looked at me funny and then I thought about it for a second: my freshman year in college was '91-'92. Let's try 19 years ago! Am I losing my mind?? Has time really gone by this Fu**ing fast?? So yeah, keep this in mind the next time I tell you that I played through a game a year or so ago, in case you know it was more like 5 or 6 years ago. Just don't want you to think I'm lying.
Back to Lutter. Mix Castlequest with Lode Runner and add a pinch of Hydlide's battle system to the concoction, then sprinkle in some Gradius/Silkworm style bosses and you have Lutter. When I played through Castlequest last week (???) I wondered how I had the patience to beat this back in the late 80s. I ended up using codes for infinite keys and stuff to get through the game so I could record the ending. That was last month (!!!). Tonight I felt the same inadequacies trying to play Lutter. The first castle wasn't too bad and I got through it in a decent amount of time, but the 2nd castle kicked my ass. Like in Lode Runner, you cannot jump and if you get stuck in a hole you are fizucked with no way out. I tried to play through this legitimately, I really did, but these puzzle games just require hours of concentration, memorizing and experimenting, something I just can't dedicate to such a game.
That being said, the game is really good for an old FDS game. The boss battles let you move anywhere on the screen to fight the bosses, hence the comparison to the 2 shooters above. There are a total of 6 boss fights. You fight 2 of them in Level 1, 1 each in Levels 2 & 3, then 2 more boss fights in Level 4. The boss fights in Level 4 are technically the same boss, just two different forms.
Beeton's fiery dragon form, the final boss of the game.Along the way you can actually beat enemies Hydlide-style (running into them and hoping you make the damage instead of taking it) to get experience points and gold. Get enough exp points and you will level up, increasing your strength, speed and several other attributes. There are also sword, shield and armor upgrades to be found in chests scattered throughout the game's mazelike levels. Seriously, if you have the time and like this sort of game, the game really has a ton of good features. A translation patch by Mute was made for the game, which lets you understand what the random people scattered throughout the game are telling you.
Now that I'm playing through FDS and Famicom games for their endings again, I don't really feel like going back to trying to beat those 8 NES games that are dogging me. Valkyrie and Kalin, you tempted me with your 8-bit goodnes. Labyrinth and Herakles, you taunt me with pleasant quests and the promise of a good time. I shoulda just kept grinding at those other games while I was in the mood. Now it might be awhile before I try to deflower Gemfire or Silent Service.
No, this is not from Lutter!
Deflower haha. I'm pretty sure those games are virgins yes.
ReplyDeleteI finally have a follower...yay!
ReplyDeleteLutter can be a little tricky. Definitely have to be careful when using the items, since you can screw yourself over. I guess its a good thing the game is very short, if you're forced to restart. Only major flaw with the game, other than the music which admittedly is very grating. I do like the level up tune though.
ReplyDeletePersonally I didn't really have any serious problems until after I killed the third boss when I first played the game. I remember stumbling around the last castle for awhile. Still glad you enjoyed it for the most part. I think what really got me hooked on the game was the fact that this is one of the few video games I've played where you can visibly see your character becoming ever more powerful. There's just something immensely satisfying about how you start off so slow and weak, and before you know it, you move at crazy speeds tearing through enemies. I guess I can see the appeal of Ys for a lot of people.
Also I don't recognize that last screenshot. What Famicom game is that from?
Arn, I looked at the date the pic was taken and cross-referenced it on my game endings list hoping I could match up the date of the pic with the date of a game beaten around that time (May 2005). Nothing matched, so I knew it was a game that I had previously beaten but played through again for the ending. After all that I remembered that it was Vegas Dream.
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