Exile

The Good
The graphics: generally, the sprites are large and look good (at least when standing still). All in all, it looks better than Ys 3.

The music: I like the music better than the sound effects. It's not grating or too loud. It's pleasant, if not memorable.

The Bad
Too linear: Okay, I admit I normally can't say this, but I found myself figuring out step by step exactly what I needed to do to complete an area within two seconds of learning the problem. Unfortunately, the programmers want you to do things to unlock your ability to perform these simple steps. An early stage involves having to find a sheep and to figure out how to reflect light onto a stone tablet. Found the sheep before I even entered the stage, and it had something in its mouth, which I knew was probably the reflector. But it won't let go of it. I mean, I'm supposed to be this great warrior, but I can't force a sheep to give me something that I need to rescue one of my NPCs? Not until I go through the motions as set out by the programmers, the performance of which does not give me one iota of gratification--no reward, no experience points, no bromide, no character revelations.

Gameplay: I love side-scrolling hack and slash games. I love Castlevania, Magic Sword, Golden Axe, TMNT the Arcade Game, Actraiser, Super Ghouls and Ghosts, etc. But they all have complex gameplay and good mechanics. In Exile, you swing the sword, jump, kneel, or you can jump and swing or kneel and swing. If you hold the button, you swing continuously, even without a turbo joystick. You also have magic, which either heals you or gives your sword a small projectile.

NPCs: Okay, now this is really irksome. Before you leave on your first mission--make that, before you CAN EVEN leave on your first mission--you have to talk to every body in the town. Seriously. Because two of those non-descript sprites are going to join your mission after you talk to the guy who sends you off on your mission. You can't leave until you pick them up, so they must be important, right? Nope. These two guys do nothing between the time you pick them up and the time you send them to guard somebody's base a few levels later. And the girl who starts the quest with you is apparently only there to be kidnapped after the other two guys leave.

The Bottom Line
If you prefer Zelda 2 or Ys III: Wanderers from Ys over Final Fantasy, then you're the minority that might really enjoy this game.