Approximate Release Date: February 1, 1992
Genre: Action RPG
Developer: Zoom Inc.
Publisher: Kemco
Lagoon being released so soon after Ys III: Wanderers From Ys just highlights how similar the two games are, even down to the UI.
Thankfully, Lagoon is a better game. The problems I had with Ys III aren’t here, though this game has its own wrinkle; the character’s sword attack range is short.
Really short. Potentially the most pathetic sword swing in video game history.
It’s annoying and hard to adjust to at first. But Lagoon seems to recognize the player has an effective attack range of a wet noodle and features regenerating health when standing still and really dumb enemies. It quickly becomes second nature to defeat an enemy by running through it over and over again, pausing a few moments so the health bar refills, and then moving to the next bad guy. It’s not a bad flow once you get used to it.
But what does have a bad flow is the first dungeon. You’re tasked with rescuing a villager who is trapped in a cave full of monsters. Not remotely original, but it’s made worse by the fact you then have to escort him out. And not only does he walk like he has super glue on his shoes, but he’ll also get trapped on 90-degree angles for some reason. It’s infuriating. And after he shuffles off to town, you have to go back in to fight the boss.
Despite that, I had fun with Lagoon. If you can put some time into getting used to the combat, this is an interesting lesser-known action RPG to check out.
But if there are more escort quests after the first dungeon, I apologize for recommending the game.
Tomorrow: Do I really have to play WWF Super WrestleMania? The things I do for you people.
I remember this being one of the earlier games on the SNES that I got, it was a bit of a challenge but once you got the pattern down, it became a bit easier.