ActRaiser
- Actraiser (2004 on J2ME)
Description official descriptions
ActRaiser was one of the early SNES games, drawing upon the success of side-scrolling platform action titles and the building model of Sim City. You play "The Master" (essentially God), and must save the world from evil.
First you purge the land by sending your spirit into a warrior with a big sword and magic powers. This side scrolling portion puts you in many different locales, from swamps and forests, to pyramids and snowy mountaintops.
As you eliminate evil from different parts of the land, you allow villagers to return and build their towns. You then control an angel who helps guide the villagers in their town building, and can send down miracles to aid them in their needs.
Spellings
- Act Raiser - Alternate spelling
- アクトレイザー - Japanese spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (SNES version)
53 People (37 developers, 16 thanks) · View all
Scenario | |
Programmer | |
Graphic Design |
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Music Composer | |
Enix Staff | |
[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 85% (based on 32 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 76 ratings with 5 reviews)
The Good
A game of two havles? Actraiser was one of those games which made you delighted to own a Super Famicom (if you were lucky enough to own one on import). It's a God Sim, it's a side scrolling platformer/slash 'em up. To be fair, looking at it now, it has it's attractions but the two parts don't now, in the cold light of day, gel that well. The best part of the game? The platform sections are by far the more interesting part of the game and even now they are still very good (if somewhat unresponsive when compared to, say, Castlevania: SOTN but it does still make you smile stupidly with it's action.
But, for me, the boss battles on their own (when the game was completed) was one of the highest points. The highest though has to go to the soundtrack. Yuzo Koshiro absolutely excelled himself with this. It is fantastic. Completely bombastic and over the top but it works wonderfully. One of the best game soundtracks of all time and well worth a hunt down on MP3.
The Bad
Th God Sim part. Ignore rose tinted spectacles it's pants.
The Bottom Line
A mish mash that worked well 13 years ago but not now. The game still has a lot of good things going for it but the God Sim section is very poor now. The slashing bits are well worth sticking with as these can still be great fun.
May sound daft, but pick it up for the music.
SNES · by Mark Whelan (2) · 2003
Swords and Sorcery and Awesomeness
The Good
Everything except the steep difficulty on Hard Mode. It should have been called Impossible Mode.
The Bad
(See above)
The Bottom Line
The first true great action-RPG, ActRaiser put you in the role of the Master, a godlike warrior who had to save the world froma devil named Tanzra. You set your blade to all sorts of mythical beasties in the side scrolling levels and built a world in the top-down strategy stages. A great game.
SNES · by Andrew Douglas (7) · 2006
The first God-game for the Super Nintendo is arguably still the best.
The Good
In terms of gameplay, Actraiser successfully combines traditional side-scrolling action with a fresh approach to the God-game genre. Just as one begins to grow tired of herding and caring for worshippers in the overworld portion of the game, Enix directs the player to action sequences where it's necessary for 'God' to take mortal form to deal with a unique threat. It's a smart combination the keeps things interesting throughout the entire game.
Graphics are, overall, generally above average, with intelligent use of scaling and rotation in the side-scrolling sequences. Sprites are very clean and colorful, but animation is oftentimes simply adequate if not less-so, especially in the overworld. However the action scenes serve as a visual breath of fresh air and outweigh any great negativity that can be said about the game's looks. It's almost as if two completely separate art teams worked on a particular gameplay type.
In terms of sound, effects consist mainly of high quality samples. The soundtrack is also very good--at times I would leave the game running while taking a break from play, simply to hear it in the background.
The Bad
The overworld portions of the game often feel very scripted. Past PC-based games of this type are conversely mostly open ended. However it's understandable to a point due to Actraiser's linear story progression, but the game could've benefitted from a bit more freedom; optional side-quests in particular.
The controls in the action sequences feel somewhat stiff in comparison to other 2-d action games, a good example being the Castlevania series. While it gets the job done, Actraiser could have benefitted from giving the player more diverse methods of control other than slash, jump/slash, duck/slash, spell.
The Bottom Line
Actraiser is a hybrid game that successfully combines two established genres into one fully featured product. By assuming the role of a deity, players can exert god-like powers over the land to encourage worship while protecting one's followers from the forces of evil. And when earthquakes and lightning fail to keep the peace, one can bring the sword to the enemy by taking control of a mortal avatar of god. One part 'God-game', one part 'Action/Adventure', Actraiser is all good.
SNES · by keith jones (5) · 2002
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Proof of how outrageously good this music was: | J. P. Gray (115) | May 20, 2008 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The SNES version of ActRaiser appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Soundtrack
Yuzo Koshiro, the soundtrack designer, also composed a live orchestral version of the ActRaiser music. For example it was performed during the opening of the Games Convention 2004 in Leipzig.
Awards
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #75 (Best 100 Games of All Time) (SNES version)
Analytics
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Related Sites +
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ActRaiser
article in the open encyclopedia about the game -
Actraiser Online
A fan site with detailed game information. -
Alexandria RPGClassics Game Database
Has various information on the game as well as a detailed walkthrough. -
Let's Play Actraiser
ddegenha's playthrough of the game on the Let's Play Archive
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by uclafalcon.
Arcade added by Michael Cassidy. Wii added by gamewarrior.
Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Xantheous, Alaka, Mobygamesisreanimated, monkeyislandgirl, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, FatherJack, Harmony♡.
Game added June 14, 2002. Last modified April 12, 2024.