1.
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
2.
Gyromite (NES)
3.
Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- (Steam)
4.
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Famicom)
5.
Radical Dreamers (SNES)
6.
Video Games 1 (TI-99/4A)
7.
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
8.
Exile (TurboGrafx CD)
9.
Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (TurboGrafx CD)
10.
Xak (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
11.
Xak II (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
12. Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
In my last post here, about
Xak I・II, I described the game as an entertaining and competent homage to
Ys Book I & II.
Neutopia, on the others hand, is directly modeled after a different game,
The Legend of Zelda, and ventures more into "rip-off" territory.
See, the protagonist of
Neutopia is a young man tasked with saving a princess from some "supreme evil" type villain. To reach said foe he must first break a "seal" by collecting some MacGuffin objects scattered around in labyrinths. Movement is screen-to-screen and there are alternating overworld and dungeon sections. Advice is doled out occasionally, generally by wise old sage men and women. A sword is permanently affixed to one action button, whilst the other can be remapped to accommodate various secondary items. Dungeons conclude with a boss and a permanent health upgrade. Navigation of said dungeons is done by aid of a map and compass. Hidden passages can be bombed, and keys must be found to open locked doors. As this is not a "true" action-RRG, enemies do not relinquish experience points upon defeat but instead surrender money. This should all sound very familiar.

There are some noticeable differences here though. First of all,
Neutopia is presented in glorious 16-bit. The game is bright and colorful and gives off that late 80s Hudson Soft vibe. Everyone's got a big head and bosses are more cute than intimidating. The music is alright. There are a few tracks I really dig, and by "a few" I mean literally three. The title screen theme is incredible but is only about 25 seconds long and doesn't even have the courtesy to loop. Call it the "
Neutopia jingle." Controls are adequate but not perfect. There's a nice "bounce" sensation when hitting enemies, though the hit detection itself is questionable at times.

Instead of one huge overworld here there are four smaller ones, all connected by a central shrine. They're based on the four elements: earth, fire, air, water. Exploring these overworlds is the highlight of the game. Though far from detailed they're designed well and the crisp clean color palettes really pop. Unfortunately the developers missed a chance to craft some really neat thematic dungeons. Instead they're all same-y looking stone "mazes." Navigating these is pretty simple, the only occasional "puzzle" being a block-pushing sequence or figuring out which wall to bomb.
Neutopia lacks the shops of
Zelda. The only thing to spend money on is HP-restoring potions which is a bit of bummer. Remember how in
Zelda you could go on a scavenger hunt and become an absolute beast before even setting foot in the first dungeon? No opportunities like that here, as everything is extremely sequential.

There also aren't too many secondary weapons. In fact, there's
one. A fire rod can be obtained early in the game and it's absolutely essential as the hero of
Neutopia lacks Link's lazer sword. The rod's strength and range is based on HP, which is a nice touch, and it can be fired diagonally as well. I have no idea if bombs can be used offensively (whatever the case it's impractical and never necessary).
There's a lot more text and dialogue here compared to
Zelda, but it's all pretty rough. NPCs have way too much to say and you're forced into a conversation if you enter a room where one resides. Old men and women literally say things like "I am an old man" or "I am an old woman" as if this wasn't apparent. And the dialogue never changes regardless of game progression. There's a man guarding the second dungeon who says something like "I cannot let you pass as you lack the fire rod" - regardless of whether or not you have it.

What
Neutopia lacks - and what
Zelda has in spades - is atmosphere.
Zelda's overworld feels
huge, littered with secret items and cryptic dwellings. The dungeons are tough, creepy, and claustrophobic. Enemies are aggressive and terrifying. Items are meaningful and revered. These elements are all missing in
Neutopia. It's hyper-linear with low static difficulty. It's characterized by a simplistic straightforward flow, with little room or reason for exploration.

In anything though,
Neutopia is a "fun" game without any egregious flaws. There really aren't too many "
Zelda clones" and anyone who enjoys that formula should find something worthwhile in this little TurboChip.