by When The Astyanax made the jump from arcades to the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1989 (early 1990 in North America), it underwent a massive transformation.
The original arcade game was a colorful, two-player hack-and-slash affair boasting six vibrant environments. Predictably, the NES version of The Astyanax scales back the visuals and drops the co-op mode. However, developer Jaleco tried to make up for the hardware limitations by giving the NES port a completely fresh identity.
Instead of the arcade’s straightforward fantasy plot, the NES version introduces a narrative overhaul: you control Astyanax, a 16-year-old high school student pulled into a mythical realm. Guided by a fairy named Cutie, he must rescue Princess Rosebud from the clutches of the evil wizard, Blackhorn.
On paper, the story seems weak, but it’s actually pretty good. The game relies heavily on dialogue-driven cinematic cutscenes to advance the story between stages. This narrative style is actually reminiscent of Tecmo’s legendary Ninja Gaiden trilogy.
The Astyanax’s Missed Potential
Unfortunately, while the story presentation soars, the core gameplay stumbles. The design introduces a few unique concepts, but they ultimately strip the game of any real challenge.
The game gives you a massive life bar that stretches nearly all the way across the screen. For experienced players, this safety net alone makes surviving the adventure incredibly easy.
Additionally, your strength is tied to an auto-filling gauge. If you wait a brief moment between swings, your attack deals maximum damage. It doesn’t really add much to the gameplay in my opinion.
There are some options for weapons, but nowhere near the diversity of a Castlevania game. Even in the first Castlevania, there are five sub-weapons. But in The Astyanax, you start the journey with a modest axe, which can eventually be upgraded into a spear, and finally into a sword, which is the most powerful weapon in the game.
You’ll use this modest arsenal to carve your way through highly linear levels plagued by a relentless onslaught of floating pests and skeletons. Sadly, enemy variety is severely lacking, and you’ll find yourself fighting the same handful of basic sprites from the opening level to the final corridor.
Flashy But Forgettable
There is something to be said about the art style, even if it was not quite as colorful as the original arcade version. The sprites are large and more detailed than you’d expect from a typical NES game.
The game’s aesthetic strengths are on full display during boss encounters, which feature giant, detailed, and genuinely intimidating character sprites. Yet, actually fighting them is an exercise in monotony. Boss attack patterns are predictable and uninspired. Rather than requiring clever positioning or tight reflexes, most encounters can be easily won by simply standing in place, button-mashing your primary weapon, and spamming your magic spells until their massive health bars deplete.
Overall, The Astyanax is a mediocre action game wrapped in a premium package. It frequently goes above and beyond with its impressive visual presentation and cinematic storytelling, but the shallow, uninspired gameplay prevents it from becoming a true NES classic.
