Fortune and glory
Reminiscent of old-school isometric adventures like Heimdall and Cadaver, Landstalker is a superb Mega Drive-era RPG that absolutely deserves to be played by anyone with an interest in such things. It combines cracking 90s visuals with deep, rich gameplay and a rewarding storyline to create a near perfect RPG adventure. The storyline is a fairly bonkers one, revolving around the exploits of a treasure hunter named Nigel who hooks up with a nymph who claims to know the location of the legendary treasure of King Nole so together the two set out on an epic quest for fortune and glory. What follows is a nice mix of elements including puzzle-solving, platforming and RPG-style moments. Much of the gameplay is spent in dungeons, where you'll explore, take on puzzles and battle enemies, while other parts of the game see you in villages talking to NPCs and buying items to increase your skills. There are also side-quests to complete, heaps of armor and items to discover and lots more. Landstalker really is an underappreciated gem from back in the day that has probably not been played by anywhere near enough players. Although the story is cheesy it's entertaining enough, with some very memorable characters and lots of amusing dialogue. The gameplay is very varied so you never know quite what to expect but it's always fun and challenging. The visuals are nice and colorful with lots of detailed environments to enjoy so really, when you add all this together you're left with a first-class romp.
