Spaceworld 2000: Game Boy Advance hands-on impressions

[08.26.00] » Ever wondered just how good a handheld game system could get? Wonder no more...

    With the unveiling of the Game Boy Advance at Spaceworld 2000 on Thursday, Nintendo allowed attendees to get their first taste of the GBA's games. While only 10 of the 40 revealed games were on display, they provided a fine look at what the little 32-bit handheld is capable of.

    The GBA title that RPG lovers everywhere will be most excited about it Ougon no Taiyou. Translated as "The Golden Sun," this Camelot-developed, Nintendo-released game had my jaw laying on the floor after taking a single look at it. While there is nothing in the game that hasn't been seen before in an RPG, the graphical brilliance is something that hasn't ever graced a portable's screen before. When Nintendo stated that the Game Boy Advance was a 32-bit system, they truly meant it. Graphically, the game is on nearly par with Legend of Mana, and easily surpasses some of the other 2-D PSX RPGs. While this might seem like a strong statement to make for a handheld game, it is most definitely the truth. There is no problem with faded colors or holding the system at strange angles, either; the game shines right from the second you pick the unit up.

    Graphical brilliance aside, Ougon no Taiyou has all the makings of a strong RPG, though a slightly typical one. The main character is a young boy named Robin, who will save the world from impending doom. Magic and skills have been replaced by "energy," which covers anything from casting a Fire spell on an enemy to reading and moving things. The demo shown at the show consisted of two areas: a town and a dungeon. The town was nicely designed, and showed off some of the nicer graphics in the game. The dungeon contained a few puzzles, but nothing that RPG vets haven't seen before. The main puzzle included was simply taking the gemstone from one part of the dungeon and putting in in the statue that is missing an eye in the other part. Battles were nicely done, and were very reminiscent of the cutscenes in Shining Force I. Back in yet another game is the turn-based system. The player first inputs commands for his party (including Fight, Energy [Magic], Item, and Run), and then lets the enemies take their turns. The battle graphics use a very nice 3-D effect when changing between the enemies and players, as each character or enemy is actually a single-sided polygon. While it is 3-D at its simplest, it is a very nice effect to see on a portable, and gives hints of what future games might be like. Quite possibly the most impressive aspect of the game were the spells. The Fire spell results in the entire screen being filled with flickering, dancing flames, again on par with the best 2-D RPGs out there. Considering what else is available on the handheld market, there is truly nothing else like it.

    While Ougon no Taiyou was only shown in its 30% state, Camelot has even bigger plans for it: the Spaceworld Official Guidebook lists that it will be compatible with the upcoming Mobile System GB. While no details have been released, it should prove to be an interesting use of the portable phone adapter. Ougon no Taiyou currently doesn't have a set release date, though you can be sure that Nintendo will push Camelot to complete the RPG by the Game Boy Advance's lauch in March of 2001.

    Much lesser anticipated, and less impressive, was Nintendo's own strategy game, Napoleon. Unlike Ougon no Taiyou's high-quality, PSX-rivaling backgrounds, Napoleon looks more along the lines of an early SNES game. Players take control of a very small Napoleon who rides around and directs troops to attack enemy units. While the first battle was extremely simplistic, the second one began to show more what the game could be like, with multiple castles to attack and reinforcements that can be called from your own castle. The game uses a simple point and click system to direct the troops, ideal for such a small screen. The most amusing aspect of the game occurred when you pressed the R button; all of the troops yell "WAR!" and run off to hack away at the enemy with even more zeal. While strategy buffs should enjoy Napoleon, it is a shame that Nintendo hasn't utilized higher-quality graphics for the game, as the simplistic ones that are used to more to frustrate the player than to inspire them to take over entire countries. Napoleon supports both the Mobile Adapter GB and GBA Multi-player cable, and is currently 60% complete, with no announced release date.

    Though the majority of announced RPGs and adventure games were not shown (Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre Gaiden, and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon), or ended up as visual novels (Silent Hill ADV), the future already looks bright for those genres on Nintendo's new portable. Considering that this is merely the first batch of titles, there is only more to look forward to.