BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Medium to Hard COMPLETION TIME 45-55 Hours OVERALL 2.5/5.0 Rating definitions

   In 1993, Enix localized the Asmik-developed RPG Lennus as Paladin's Quest, which didn't exactly receive the best of ovation. Towards the end of the Super Nintendo's lifespan, Asmik developed a sequel, Lennus II, which would remain in Japan, and Americans, frankly, didn't miss a whole lot, despite some small improvements.

   Like its predecessor, Lennus II features a turn-based battle system with all characters having to use HP to cast spells (with no MP to speak of), with all characters inputting their commands and going at it with the enemy, and unpredictable turn order, as usual, alongside the escape option not always working (though since the escape option is individual for each character, you can get up to four chances for escape), plaguing battles. Though the permanent hero, Falus, can hire up to three apostles near the game's beginning, players may find the need to release them for want of more powerful mercenaries across the game's worlds.

   Falus can acquire up to eight magical elements throughout the game, although he can only equip four at a time at special terminals (starting at one in the beginning, though as he defeats the spirits needed to gain more elements, this limit gradually increases), and level them up the more he uses his spells; while your mercenaries can also increase their elemental levels, their elements are unchangeable. Each character can also equip a belt with up to nine bottles, which can perform functions such as healing HP and ailments.

Falus and his, er, pointy-eared companions

   Whenever a character regularly attacks or uses a spell, a gauge to the left of the HP boxes shows how effective the ability used is against an enemy. The main attack elements, I should mention, are fire, wind, and light, though damage from different mercenaries by the same element seems to vary at times. The encounter rate is also fairly high (though it's possible to buy items to nullify random encounters temporarily), though most random battles don't drag on forever, despite their redundancy, and overall, the battle system is playable, albeit not completely enjoyable.

   The interface could've also been better to an extent. The menus, for one, take a lot of getting used to, what especially with the fact that players navigate them only by using the control pad (with the same going for the battle menus). Additionally, while there's a convenient option for automatic healing from your party's bottles, doing so forces players to endure individual dialogue boxes for each healing unit used, and the developers certainly could've saved some time and annoying by having all healing occur simultaneously. Some of the dungeon design is a bit annoying, as well. On a minor note, moreover, inventory space is limited, though I didn't reach this limit until late into the game. Mercifully, though, you can save your game most anywhere and tell how equipment affects your characters' stats before buying it. Overall, though, things certainly could've been a bit cleaner in terms of interaction.

   As for originality, Lennus II largely derives from its predecessor (HP-consuming magic and mercenaries) despite the presence of some minor changes such as being able to change the hero's elements.

   Like its predecessor, Lennus II isn't very heavy on story. You play a warrior named Falus awakened from a seal of sorts on a floating archipelago, who must search for four orbs and go beyond. There seem to be some minor links to the original Lennus, not to mention very imaginative worlds and races, although story scenes are scant, and considering that the sequel came out near the end of the Super Nintendo's lifespan, a lack of story isn't entirely excusable.

Falus realizes he'll have to leave his Walkman behind

   The soundtrack, though, is more passable, with much of the music containing a fitting alien feel, although its instrumentation, not to mention some of the sound effects in battle, leave a bit to desire, and there's only one normal battle theme (the original Lennus had two, I recall) that gets old after a while. All in all, the game sounds okay, and could've certainly sounded better.

   Lennus II, however, looks much better than its predecessor. The color scheme is more appealing, for one, giving the game's various worlds an alien appearance without inducing vomit. Admittedly, though, many sprites could've used more detail, and battles remain in first-person perspective despite giving players a nice view of their party members before disappearing below the screen. Overall, the sequel looks very nice.

   Finally, Lennus II's difficulty hovers somewhere between medium and hard, with a few challenging bosses towards the end, and playing time ranges anywhere from forty-five to fifty-five hours, though with few sidequests.

   Ultimately, Asmik wasn't wrong to keep Lennus II in the Land of the Rising Sun, despite what small improvements it bears over its predecessor. Sure, the graphics are pretty, but being top of the class in art, quite frankly, is reason to buy an artbook, not a game.