Rise From Your Grave
The story begins in the temple of Morrigan, Goddess of Witchcraft. She reveals her motives for having brought the player back from the Cosmos. A Dark Lord has taken over the land and made things unpleasant for the population. Now you get to clean up the mess, but Morrigan doesn’t leave you twisting in the wind; she bestows upon you a special gift: the power to use the strength of your enemies. She also drops a hint that you should seek her children, the other gods. Finally, she kicks you out into the cold, unforgiving world.
And you can't remember a thing about your past, typical.
Do the Bump
Where you land after Morrigan is done talking to you. Time to go save the world.
The bump combat of Ringlorn Saga returns for Gaiden. Walk into enemies to inflict damage and avoid being walked into. The three damage types return as well: slash, stab, and bash. Monsters are vulnerable to one or more types, which means continually switching between them to defeat foes. Your strength determines how hard you hit; defense keeps you from losing your head. The attack/defense mode helps keep you safe when not in combat. Stay in defense when traveling around, and switch to attack when you need to make something die.
It’s when monsters die that things get interesting in Gaiden. Morrigan promised you the power to use the strength of your enemies. Whenever you kill a monster in your normal form, you become the monster and inherit all of its abilities for a time. If you’ve played Ringlorn Saga’s Temple of Rebirth mode, then you already have an idea of how this works. The only monsters it doesn’t work on are the spectral undead: wisps and ghosts.
Wandering around a village as a dagger-wielding kobold let's me pry open locks.
Being a monster has loads of benefits. First and foremost is that while you’re a monster, you can’t die. If your hit points reach zero, you revert to revenant form. Second, some monsters are plain better at dishing out punishment and taking it than you are. Finally, some monsters have special abilities, which include flying, opening locks, and being able to squeeze into small spaces.
A citizen of the village, all of them are ghosts.
However, monster mode is temporary; your hit points drain while in monster form and eventually run dry. It’s best to keep an eye on your current health and plan on whose skin you’re going to jump into next. You can also release a monster form early, so there’s no danger in getting stuck with something you can’t use.
Even if you do meet your end, Morrigan sends you back at the cost of some experience because otherwise there wouldn’t be much of a game.
Where Has the Magic Gone?
Meeting up with one of the gods.
You’d think that the Goddess of Witchcraft would bestow you the gift of magic on top of changing into other stuff, but no; you start off devoid of magical talent. She’s left that to the other gods to handle, which is a major portion of your quest. Each one will give you some kind of relic, granting access to new spells. You’ll also see a memory of your past, filling in the backstory.
Spells are the same as before: stuns, heals, buffs, and the like. To be honest, I used magic very little except to heal myself, and the delay in recharging the magic meter makes casting of limited usefulness. Some monsters give access to magic as well, which means you can cast more spells when you switch, but even then it’s more of a side-grade.
Getting a relic and some exposition.
As the Bat Flies
Ringlorn Saga Gaiden’s world is as small as Ringlorn Saga’s, but the place is far more open. Mountains, trees, and water can block your path, but you have the power of transformation. Bats frequent most of the world and provide the power of flight. So, if mountains have you down, fly over them. This change also means no more having to dive into caves just to get to the other side of somewhere and makes gameplay a smoother experience.
Sneaking into a locked house as a bat. A bat-burglar, if you will.
More Mood Music
While the previous game had some chiptunes alongside some moody pieces, all of the music in Gaiden is downright sullen, befitting the darker world. Again, nothing quite stands out, but all of it is decent.Déjà Vu All Over Again
Other elements make a return for Gaiden, like buried treasures and medicine to keep you from re-dying on the spot. People still don't like talking to you with your weapon out, even if they are all ghosts. Since the world is open, there’s no searching about for keys to get into each dungeon. Gaiden only has one boss to fight, and he’s not difficult to find.
The cross makes a return as well. Without this, you can't harm undead creatures.
Not Feeling Quite Yourself
The transformation mechanic plays a big role in the game. You’ll often come across locked doors or chests, and the only way to get them open is to either find a specific item or become a monster armed with a dagger to force them open (which is much easier). There are doors in one dungeon that require the strength of a golem to open. You’ll also find a lot of windows in the game, windows you can fly into and out of if you’re a bat. At one point, I ended up jumping down a well and taking a lot of damage I could have avoided if I’d been a flying monster at the time. It’s a nice mechanic, and Gaiden uses it well to keep things interesting.
Making my way through the Dark Lord's castle.
Over and Done With
Gaiden is shorter than Ringlorn Saga. I clocked an hour and a half from start to finish, and there is, once again, no replay value to speak of. While I had a good time, I don’t know if I had five dollars worth of a good time, which is what Gaiden is currently priced at.
Ringlorn Saga Gaiden is well made and a lot of fun for the short time you’ll get to enjoy it, and it's basically more of the same with an interesting gimmick attached, but if you’re concerned about getting the most for your money, then you’ll want to wait until it’s on sale.
