Too Little Too Late Episode 7 - Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals [Archived]

Lufia, the RPG that pretty much defines my childhood. If it wasn't for this series, I wouldn't be anywhere near the gamer I am now. My dad brought this game home after it was traded in, and I was hooked from day one. I had no idea what experience points, levels, or HP or anything was before this and if it wasn't for this game, I probably wouldn't be interested in RPGs at all. Lufia II was also the first game I ever got from Ebay, and I liked that game just as much!


Now... when I heard they were remaking Lufia II for the Nintendo DS, I HAD to get it. I missed my chance on playing the GBC and GBA iterations of the series (they're on my list, trust me.) But this. This is a game I could not pass up. It made me all nostalgic inside.

Too Little Too Late
Episode 7: Lufia Curse of the Sinistrals

Storyline:


The storyline of Lufia rarely changes from game to game. Every game has a red-haired hero (Maxim, or his descendant(s) depending on what time period of the game) who must use a Dual Blade to defeat the Sinistrals, four god-like beings who destroy the world. The movie below is pretty much the prophecy from the first game, released in 1993.

What is noticeable about the Lufia series is the first game is the sequel to the second game. The beginning (above) starts with the "end" of Lufia 2 and tells the story of Maxim's descendant, 99 years later. Lufia II focuses on how Maxim was able to do that whole journey, so in sense it's a prequel. The Lufia game I'm reviewing is Curse of the Sinistrals, which is a remake of Lufia II.

The characters are:

Maxim - A red haired monster hunter who "seemingly" takes on more than he can chew when he goes and fights against Gades, one of the Sinistrals. After being defeated, he needs to go on a journey to find more strong warriors to take down Gades and the other sinistrals.

Tia - Maxim's childhood friend. Has a big crush on him throughout the game. Is a whiny spoiled brat, pretty much.

Selan - Maxim's love interest. Commander of the warriors in Parcelyte and does not like anyone's help, until she falls for Maxim.

Guy - Dim witted strong buff guy. Yellow hair.

Artea - An elf, he has a lengthened lifespan and gets to also live to see the future battles of Doom Island.

Dekar - Self-absorbed master of weaponry. He considers himself to be the strongest warrior in the world, and is a flirt.

Obviously, the storyline is very cliche. But the game makes light of this the whole time and really breaks the fourth wall at times to make it seem as such. However, the ending is kept in tandem with the game it is based off of, and I won't spoil it, but it's a tear-jerker.


Gameplay:

The gameplay in this installment is noticeably different from the other Lufia games, even the Lufia game it is based off of.

Here's some comparisons:

Lufia II Gades Fight (Original, SNES, 1995)

Now here is the same boss battle in the remake.

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals Gades Fight (DS, 2010)

As you can see, instead of a traditional RPG approach of the original, they made it more of an action game, not unlike Zelda/Kingdom Hearts. Despite the change, the game stays true and most all the main storyline sequences are the same and have enhanced voice acting.

Some more gameplay...

Music:

The music of this game is done by Yasunori Shiono, who did the composition for all of the Lufia series. This game largely has remixed/updated versions of music from Lufia 1 and 2.

Here are some of my favorite themes from Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals. Note: The last theme is a sad one.

Conclusion:

I'm usually not a fan of action RPGs, but this game series seriously holds a place in my heart (as well as a lot of old school 16-bit RPG fans) This game has easy controls, and has a difficulty that revolves around your pace. I strongly recommend this game to anyone who has a Nintendo DS and wants a good RPG. You will not regret it!

Now if only they remade Lufia 1...



(Didn't bother giving a score, it'd be way too biased.)