Name That Game

OK, this week we have a game even I had never heard of before, until I stumbled upon a review of it on a certain web site. But, maybe I was just sheltered. Could it be that one of you had this game and played it - staying up late at night, thinking that "this is the best game ever" - as a wee child?

This Action/RPG title was released in 1991, the same year of the SNES debut and a few years after the Genesis and the Turbographx were released - which the reviewer thought was the reason for this game being overlooked. It was published by Taito and is a single player game.

Storyline: The story starts when the kingdom of Lowrel is invaded by the witch Belzed. Hamlets are burned, peasants are murdered along with the king and queen and the princess is kidnapped. The knight Macren is summoned to save the day, but When he faces the first bunch of enemies he gets stabbed…and dies. Not everything is lost, though, since Macren’s younger brother, Thonolan, decides to accomplish the task and avenge the death of his brother. Thonolan is a kick master (some sort of kung fu expert), who must now test the maximum of his abilities against Belzed and her minions.

Gameplay: You travel through the land all the way until you reach Belzed's fortress, in fact the screen the game shows when you begin/finish a level is familiar to Ghost 'n' Goblins. The monsters you destroy will explode into three icons that fly down the screen. Some heal you, some replenish magic, and some hurt you. The best of them, however, increases your experience. As your level grows, you gain new kick moves. These are easy to execute, usually involving holding down a direction and hitting the attack button. Sometimes you may confuse an enemy dropped item for a good one, and hurt yourself by mistake. It happens. They only look quasi similar anyhow. When you destroy a boss about 18 or so items will fall, so hurry on and grab 'em!


-From NES Player.com

So, I think I've provided enough info.

Let's see who'll be the first to Name That Game!