StormLord
System: Genesis
Release Date: June 1991
Developer: Punk Development
Publisher: Razorsoft
Genre: Action
Rescue the entombed princess by walking around in StormLord! Razorsoft put out a somewhat enjoyed game by the name of Technocop. This is their follow up on the Genesis and it sure does disappoint. You have to embark on a perilous journey to defeat the Evil Rotting Crone. To do so, you have to go through 12 levels of puzzle action that will test your resolve at every turn. Do you have what it takes?
You know it’s going to be good when the instruction manual cover tells you “To begin Level 1, move left to key.” And by good, I mean designed in a way that people aren’t going to like. Because it is designed quite poorly. The main character, StormLord, moves like he’s trudging through 3 feet of snow, uphill, both ways! This ginger movement leaves you wide open to get hit by enemies that respawn constantly. You need to throw your magical throwing stars by pressing Button B. These move in an arc and are interrupted by most everything that exists in a level. You can also hold Button B for a moment to launch a sword straight ahead. This is a more powerful and typically more useful weapon.
The goal of each level is to rescue a certain number of fairies trapped in bubbles. This isn’t a straight forward search and rescue, but instead requires item management and following a specific path. What’s the path? Trial and error your way to figure it out. These platforms summon a bird to transport you to another part of the level. Sometimes there’s a platform to take you back, but not always. There are items placed around the stage that you can pick up, one at a time. The proper order of picking up and placing items is important to success.
Be aware that keys are one time use items, so if you open this door, you’re locked from beating the level because you can’t open this door. Honey pots attract bees away from where they are swarming. You must put the pot down by switching with other items. The bees then swarm the honey, but you need to move quickly or be collateral damage. Winged boots increase your jump height and open up more areas for you to explore. The umbrella protects you from water droplets, because getting clean means death for the StormLord. The bucket of water stops these gargoyle heads from breathing flames.
If you can manage to collect all the fairies before getting hit enough times to trigger a game over, you’re sent to a bonus stage. Here, you want to save as many fairies as you can from falling into the fire pit below. If StormLord had a bit of pep in his step, this would be better, but as long as you can collect 20 before the time limit runs out, you get an extra life. Speaking of time limits, each stage has one and running afoul of it is an instant game over. At least you can continue… you know what, I choose not to.
Graphics: 3.0
It’s stylized in a way that looks cool.
Sound: 2.0
The music is fine at best, but some of the sound effects are quite annoying.
Gameplay: 1.0
You move so slowly that avoiding enemies is a hassle and your projectiles are often stopped by a waist high platform causing you to die.
Difficulty: 0.5
The constant respawning of enemies in certain sections, as well as the obtuse nature of trial and error to find the right sequence of items and fairies, makes playing a chore.
Fun Factor: 0.5
I did not enjoy my time with this one at all.
Overall Rating: 1.4
StormLord earns a D+. This is not a good game. I would stay far away.