Secret of the Stars
Graphics
Well, the graphics in this one really don't compare to those in most other RPG's on the
system. The main problem is a lack of detail in most places. The towns, overworld, and
dungeons are seen from the normal overhead view found in almost all RPG's of this era. These areas certainly don't look terrible, but I think the overall look of the game could have been much better. You sometimes get the feel that some parts of the game could've been done almost as well on the NES. The overworld, which most people don't even pay any attention to, is actually one of the few aspects of the game that looks really good.
The battle graphics are set up slightly different from normal. You see the enemy at the top portion of your screen, very much like the games in the Dragon Warrior series. After you give your party members their commands, they will perfoarm those actions and appear onscreen briefly. Unless a party member is actively attacking, using an item, or casting a spell, they are not visible onscreen. If casting a spell, an orb of energy appears in the hands of the character, and you then see a halfway decent looking spell effect. Flames for the fire spell, an Tornado for the wind spells, etc. It's a little different looking from the average RPG's battles but it's not really bad in any significant way. The game's more powerful bosses are actually impressively designed and actually look very powerful.
Gameplay
The battles are set up like the typical game in the genre. You have up to four Characters in your party for each fight. Everything is menu based, and the ATB (Active Time Battle) system is not used. You decide what your characters will do, and when everyone has been given a command, the round of battle proceeds. You can fight, cast magic spells, and use items. During the course of the game, you will be able to combine different kinds of spells. For example, one party member can cast ''Fire'' and one can cast ''Wind'' at the same time to create a powerful combination spell. I really liked this idea, and it makes some of the boss battles considerably entertaining.
During the course of your travels, you will meet up with people called ''Kustera''. They aren't as powerful as your 4 main characters, but they each have different abilities, and can be useful at times. There are many of them found throughout the game. You can make a party using four of them, and eventually, you will be able to add or remove Kustera from your party, and switch between using your party of 4 Kustera to using your main party. Occasionally, you will need to switch parties in order to get through an area. The most noticeable problem with this system is that the Kustera are generally weaker than your main party, and so most gamers will not use them at all. Actually getting them leveled up is very problematic since there are so many, and it can take a very long time to level up in this game.
Most people will not find any of the areas really challenging, but there are some difficulties. The boss battles are extremely long at times, and in some cases, they can be very difficult. It's not much fun to battle a boss for 15 to 20 minutes only to lose and have to do it all over again. Also, the game is sometimes very vague about what to do next, so you will probably
have to use a lot of trial and error to figure out what to do. This is the aspect of the
game that will probably frustrate most gamers. It was even worse back when the game was
originally released, since you couldn't simply go online to get help if you really got stuck.
Story
The game starts on a small island where the main character is told about the evil Homncruise, and how he must be defeated in the future to save the world. In order to defeat the evil creature, four warriors called ''Aquitallion'' must meet and combine their powers. That's really about all there is. It's really exactly the same as most other stories, but the problem with this one is the lack of quality writing. There are difficulties faces by the characters along the way, just like in almost every other RPG on the market. However, the dialogue is very poorly written in most cases, and there isn't much character development at all. The dialogue is some of the worst I've ever seen because of how simplistic it is. If more time had actually been spent on this aspect of the game, it might have really ended up being an intriguing story. Instead, it's the definition of average.
Sound
The music in the game certainly isn't spectacular, but I wouldn't consider it bad, either. It's pretty simplistic when compared to masterpieces like Final Fantasy 6, but definitely not bad at all. In some cases, it actually makes the game a little more enjoyable. Music is one of the most important aspects of an RPG, and what you hear in this game is certainly satisfactory. Some of the sound effects are actually pretty good, too. One that sticks in my mind is what you hear when your characters are just about to cast a spell.
Conclusion
Most people will probably not enjoy this game much at all. Compared to the Final Fantasy or Breath of Fire games, it's not nearly as good. However, a few people put there may be able to see past the game's problems, and find a decent RPG to play. This is definitely not a game for people who aren't huge RPG fans though, since you really need to love the genre to be able to see this game's good points. My first time playing it was during the SNES era at a time when there were no other RPG's available. It seems quite excellent at that time with nothing else to compare it to. I certainly wouldn't go as far as to call this game one of the worst ever made, as some people have.
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