Rygar is a classic NES platformer about a greek dude rockin’ a razor disc, jumping around and killing people. The brawler has gained two more iterations in the series, with Rygar: The Battle of Argus coming out soon for the Wii. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m here to discuss a Rygar game that’s chronologically in between the two aforementioned games, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure for the PS2.
With the birth of Capcom’s Devil May Cry series came the birth of a new type of game- the stylish action game. This sub-genre refers to games wherein you run around a 3-D environment and pummel your opponents, all the while becoming more powerful. The point of all these games is to do so while looking cool. Ok, maybe that’s not the only point to them, but it’s my primary motivator. Rygar falls into the genre along with Titans like DMC and God of War, and although lil Rygar may not be as big as these guys, he can keep up with them, for the most part.
At the beginning of the game, a blonde very anglo-saxon hottie is kidnapped by some dire forces, and as any good Greek Samaritan would, you trot off after her. Your primary weapon in your quest in Rygar is your diskarmor, a shieldarang thingy that, as time progresses, you gain several different forms of. The diskarmor moves pleasingly, and the combos with the different diskarmor types are satisfying to pull off. There’s a pretty good enemy variety, and a moderate amount of level diversity. You’ll get some kind of points as you progress, which you’ll use to become more powerful. You know the drill. You also gain some magic attacks that are both useful in combat and are utterly, accidentally hilarious. Whenever you get a new magic attack and sometimes when you use said magic, Rygar will scream with an intensity usually reserved for those receiving a surprise enema. He shouts like a man possessed, so don’t crank the volume up too high.
There are a few beefs with this game, though. As with any low-budget title there are some points where things could have used some polish (particularly against a boss fight that is a duplicate of an earlier boss fight, with the only difference being that this time, the boss is invisible. Seriously? Invisible? Yeah, and it ain’t fun, I’ll tell ya that right now) but as long as you come in not expecting a Devil May Cry or God of War quality game, you won’t be disappointed.
Rygar: The Legendary Adventure is a fun, quick, stylish brawler that ought to keep you entertained for a pretty good chunk of time. If there’s ever a time that you hear about a new stylish brawler that’s coming out soon and you’re too hyped up to wait until it releases, pick up Rygar. You can pick up Rygar: The Legendary Adventure for PS2 for about four bucks off of Amazon. Yep, that’s right, $4. Go ahead and pick up this game and cause some havoc in ancient Greece.
