Magic Knight Rayearth

MKR is one of the last games to ever grace the Sega Saturn. And in the end, Magic Knight Rayearth comes off as a simple RPG meant for the younger audience. The graphics have a flat 2D style that is a little out-dated & features those trademark super-deformed characters. Won't RPGs ever break away from this? There are some pretty cool anime FMV cut scenes, but unfortunately those are far & few between. Most of the story is told through in-game graphics. Your characters' levels & stats completely depend on how far you are in the game. It's all predetermined for you. Really what fun is that? Same thing can be said for the linear gameplay. The story & path of the game is already pre-set. Meaning there's rarely a chance for you to freely explore. So forget about uncovering side stories & finding any other secrets. You're stuck on a one-way street here. An actual enjoyable part of the game is the character interaction. Which just gleams of so much charm you can't help but like the crazy, but adorable cast of gals. I will also give it some credit for the real time battles. In which you're free to move around & attack at will. You're not confined to that cliche battle menu system that so many other RPGs feature. Each of the 3 characters play slightly different & have their own unique abilities. Certain puzzles & situations will come up that will call for a specific talent which only one of the girls may have. This helps to break up the action a little & gets all of the three characters involved in the gameplay. The bosses are easy to beat due to their simple attack patterns. So anybody can quickly & easily dispose of these threats. Similarily, most of puzzles are simple & straightforward. There just isn't much here for the hardcore gamer. An average player good probably blow by this simple game in a day or two & won't find much to do afterwards. It's strictly for 10 year-olds who are just getting interested in the role playing games.

Overall 5.4