Beyond Oasis: The Story of Thor Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS]

Developed by Ancient and published by Sega in 1994

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Efreet Racing Track: 28:26
The Secret Pit: 2:20:30
The Secret Islands: 2:54:20
The Secret Crags: 3:11:47

For today's video, we'll be taking a look at Beyond Oasis: The Story of Thor, an action RPG/fighting game released relatively late in the Mega Drive's lifetime in 1994.

The game tells the story of Prince Ali, heir to the throne and occasional adventurer, who happens upon a secret cave and decides to adventure inside. There, he discovers a magical relic, the fabled Golden Armlet, an artefact of power and mystery. Having retrieved this treasure, Ali arrives home to find his homeland under attack from a mysterious army. Ali must discover the identity of the aggressor and restore peach to the kingdom, before it is too late.

The game itself is an interesting blend of action RPG, beat 'em up, all mixed together with a hint of Zelda. The game world is viewed from a three-quarters, top down perspective and the player can move between each of the game's interconnected zones, aiming to complete objectives in order to progress the story. Whilst the game isn't completely linear, certain areas become accessible only when Ali has acquired certain items, or, more succinctly, certain companions.

One of the game's most prominent features is the companion system, allowing Ali to summon one of several elemental beings to his side. Each companion possesses unique abilities and skills that can help Ali throughout the course of his adventure.

One way to reduce the amount of spell power consumed is to seek out the magical gems that are strewn across the world of Oasis. There are 60 gems in total, with 15 to be found for each companion; collecting gems reduces the amount of spell power consumed and improves the effectiveness of any skills.

Ali is by no means dependent on his companions when it comes to combat, being a formidable warrior in his own right. The player can tap the B button to unleash a flurry of blows in the direction faced, as well as perform special moves by entering a combination of presses on D-pad.

Whilst armed initially with a knife, Ali can acquire additional weapons from fallen enemies or chests. All of these have limited uses and will be consumed with each successful attack - a good strategy is to keep more powerful weapons in reserve for dealing with more powerful foes.

Should Ali take damage, he can restore lost health by consuming food items retrieved from enemies, or from treasure chests. Each food item may restore health points, spell points, or a combination of both.

The game features some beautiful artwork and animation for the time, as well as some great sound and music from Yuzo Koshiro. This is a title that certainly doesn't disappoint in the presentation department.

The game is not without it's faults, however. The combat can become fairly tedious after a while, to a point where it's easier to simply avoid enemies altogether. The game's story arc is also surprisingly narrow, padded out by a significant amount of wandering and back-tracking - those looking for an epic journey on the scale of Earthbound or Final Fantasy will be disappointed.

Beyond Oasis possesses all the makings of a epic experience, but manages to fall somewhat short of the mark. It's an engaging experience that ends up feeling little bit shallow.
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Видео Beyond Oasis: The Story of Thor Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS] канала AL82 Retrogaming Longplays