40. Lagoon (SNES)
Lagoon isn't exactly - shall we say - "well-liked." One-star reviews are both numerous and verbose, explicitly chronicling all the game's failings. It tops countless "Worst RPGs Ever" lists. Various YouTubers, those beacons of critical games analysis, have ripped Lagoon to shreds. As have the "pro" critics, 1991 to present. And I'll admit it - I wasn't sold on Lagoon at first. After repeated playthroughs I began to warm up, and have reached the point where I'm willing to call this a "decent game." One common complaint is that Lagoon pales in comparison to the likes of Secret of Mana, A Link to the Past, and other 16-bit action-RPG titans. This may be true, but Lagoon simply isn't that type of game. It's a computer action-RPG (albeit one that was ported to a console) and is thus infused with all the requisite elements of the genre: a lone hero, a short linear quest, a small cache of available items, rest-healing, rigid keyboard-y combat, the ability to save almost anywhere, and a heavy emphasis on grinding to the max level. This is not a AAA console RPG. It's the forgotten offspring of Xak, of Ys, of the big boss bumper Hydlide.
Lagoon was originally released on the brilliant Sharp X68000 in 1990. It's the second game developed by Zoom who is also responsible for the nigh-unplayable Genocide, the bizarrely-packaged Phalanx, and the blood-sucking simulator Mister Mosquito. The Super Famicom and SNES releases of Lagoon appeared in the same month (December 1991), which is a bit odd given how lengthy the JRPG localization process tends to be.
The protagonist, Nasir (a Square tribute, perhaps?), finds that the water supply of his hometown has been poisoned. He heads off to find out why, and eventually becomes embroiled in a quest of semi-epic proportions. Some friends are met along the way, including a guy named Thor who turns out to be - wait for it - some kind of god. Eventually it's revealed that a species of generic "great evil" is attempting to take over the world, but I can't remember the specifics. Things get a little too verbose (and nonsensical) as the story progresses.
The first town is arguably the weakest part of the game. Navigation is odd, especially since half the houses can't be entered. Those that can alternate between Ys style "pop-up windows" and actual explorable dwellings. There's a series of mini fetch quests and an ungainly heaping of dialogue. Eventually things get rolling. Lagoon features the traditional town-dungeon flow, but with a twist. Backtracking is not necessary or even feasible - most dungeons are double-ended and dump our hero out into a small "field" section which connects to the next town. There are several "point of no return" moments along the journey, though nothing essential can be missed.
The townsfolk vary by location. First it's humans, then elves, hobbits(!), dwarves, and gnomes (I think). NPCs are quite loquacious and plenty of weapons and armor are available for sale - though the best stuff is always located in dungeons. The dungeons themselves aren't bad. Most contain plenty of branching walkways, though it's difficult to get lost and the extra space provides ample opportunities for level-grinding.
Graphically, things are pretty solid - especially for 1991 standards. Everything is crisp and colorful and enemy sprites are well-drawn. There are also several anime cutscenes - typical for this type of game - which look great even if the artwork is a bit Manga 101. Some subtle touches spruce things up too - Nasir's sprite changes depending on what armor is equipped and every single dungeon key he obtains has a different design to it.
Music is unexpectedly awesome, probably the best attribute of Lagoon. Like Terranigma, it sometimes seems to verge on CD quality. Songs are fast and upbeat throughout, which meshes well with the game's general pacing and aesthetics. And like Soul Blazer there's some heavy abuse of slap bass, though it sounds a hundred times more appropriate here. In contrast, the game's scattered "shrines" showcase some gorgeous ethereal tunes.
For many, the biggest point of contention is Lagoon's combat. Notice how I said Nasir could buy "weapons" in town instead of "swords." This is because his blade of choice may not be a sword at all, but a toothpick. Its range is incredibly short and requires one to be right on top of enemies to make contact. Nasir is also right-handed and "pokes" his blade outwards rather than swinging it which makes things doubly difficult. I "got used to" this (always attack from the side and get a rhythm going) though many consider it game-breaking. Ultimately, Lagoon's combat rests in this weird gray area between the Ys bumping and the more traditional Zelda-esque swordplay. Either system would have worked out better here. And video footage tells me that things weren't so awkward on the Sharp X68000, where Nasir could opt to hold his blade out for extended periods of time.
There's also offensive magic, which ameliorates some of the dicey swordplay issues. The magic system is interesting; different spells are crafted by combining rods and elemental jewels. Early magic is the typical fire/ice projectile fare, while late-game spells are screen-fillers that can hit nearby enemies without aiming. The more powerful spells are actually worse, however. They're slow to cast, with excessive onscreen animation, and deduct massive chunks of MP from Nasir's total. Certain enemies are immune to certain spells, though there doesn't seem to be much logic to this system, and while it's not as irritating as the sword-swapping of Crystalis it's still intermittently frustrating. Additionally, there are rings to equip to boost various stats. These drain MP rapidly and are generally useless outside of boss battles.
Despite the inherent awkwardness present during combat, it's very difficult to be defeated by standard enemies. HP and MP slowly fill as long as Nasir remains motionless, and unlike Ys this occurs regardless of location of equipment. Let me emphasize the "slowly" part -- towards the end of the game a well-beaten Nasir will need to chill for about two real-life minutes before he's ready to roll again. Thankfully, due to enemy AI and respawn patterns it's always easy to find a "safe spot" within any given dungeon. All dungeons house at least one boss. They're huge, fast, ugly, and present quite the dilemma. The automatic healing is dropped during boss battles, naturally, but for some bizarre reason magic itself also becomes disabled. Even more confusing is the rings: some can be utilized during boss skirmishes, while others lose their effectiveness. Hitting the run-of-the-mill scoundrels that roam dungeon hallways is tough enough, but it pales in comparison to how terrible the boss hit detection is programmed. Even the largest foes have just one specific "spot" that needs to be sliced in order for damage to be dealt, and finding said area requires multiple tedious attempts. It's easiest to just throw all "strategy" out the window - grind excessively, and then run into each boss fight swinging your sword wildly and hope for the best. While this method generally "works" just fine, the final boss (or final cluster of bosses, actually) can only be beaten once Nasir's maximum XP level has been reached. This string of battles is exponentially more difficult than anything faced prior, and arguably somewhat broken. When the third-to-last boss is slain, the penultimate boss immediately spawns onscreen. Should Nasir find himself standing in the "wrong" place it's instant death and the whole posse must be faced again.
It's easy to rag on Lagoon, and I've surely done my part, but I ultimately enjoyed my ten hours with it. It's a delightfully grungy old RPG. It's weird, perplexing, and more-than-occasionally irritating - but it's also persistently charming. Probably more "historically interesting" than "good" I guess, but the ARPG nerd in me is totally cool with that. The music, history, and reputation alone make this one worth picking up at least one. It ain't Ys, that's for sure, but it also ain't worth skipping.
