Sword of Vermilion (MD)

This was one of the best RPG's on the Genesis! I'll grab this one as soon as it hits the VC!!

I've never played the game but from what I saw, the graphics just look dull and flat. I know the Mega Drive is capable of more vibrant and livelier graphics but sadly not here.

In the early 90's sword of vermillion was one of the best RPG's to play. The game looks, sounds and plays even better than phantasy star and final fantasy. For a RPG the graphics were very good and the sound was superb. The sound fits perfect in this type of game (medieval RPG) and makes playing it that much better. This wasn't a rockhard RPG, but a perfect game to start your future RPG addiction.

In its time this SoV was ground-breaking. Sega had a series of full page magazine ads that showcased just how good the Genesis graphics were on its newest games. SoV and Strider are the two spreads I remember clearly.

Vermillion's strengths:
Combat is action oriented--a welcome break from many of the menu driven RPGS of that time.
Boss fights were gorgeous for the day.
Some of the music is top notch.
More serious than most RPG's.

Weaknesses:
The first-person views are a bit clunky and disorienting when navigating the maze-like world.
Ditto for the dungeons.

It's like a weird mix of dragon quest, doom and brainlord... lol. All of your basic enemies are there: slimes, Drakee-looking things, wizards, skeletronz! and my favorite, the giant squishy eyeballs. At first I was kind of put off by the combat system with the lame animation making it seem like you're killing things with the hilt of your sword (or light saber from the looks of it) instead of with the actual sword itself. I realized that if they had given me a bigger swing I probably would have never received damage! If you get the hit detection working for your advantage you can have some great battles. I had one instance where 8 of those dragon-whelp things attacked me and I did a spin move killing 3 at once and I came out unscathed lol! I was like "did I do that?" It's tricky to find the maps so you can see where you're going, and the dialog seems very cliche and uninspired, but they do give good hints. After I played for 4-5 hours straight I realized I was addicted, and my first boss battle absolutely got me hooked.

So, I'm having tons of fun with this one! It's a nice game and it has a lot to offer, but the combat system (besides the boss battles) could really use some work. The score is accurate 3/5 but it's definitely worth your points.

I'm sorry Damo, but your console RPG knowledge must be seriously lacking. SOV was the greatest Genesis RPG of them all and that is why at the time it received 90%+ reviews from almost all sources. (I don't consider the Shining games or Landstalker to be RPG's by the way).

At the time of release the graphics were very good indeed and the soundtrack far more thoughtful than the crash, band, wallop of most others.

However,I can't blame you...I looked at another website for my sins and they gave the game 7.5. The visitors of the website however voted 9.5- and that was exactly how good it was in its day, about 95%.

Anyone who buys this game, remember not to look through rose tinted specs and to expect 64 bit graphics. The gemesis/megadrive simply wasn't what you remember. For those however who can remember this great game and this great console for what they were.....GET IT, IT'S GREAT!!!

Jimbob, I think you're off your rocker with that nonsense about SoV being the best Genesis RPG. I would rank Phantasy Star II, PSIII, and the Shining Darkness series well above SoV.

The soundtrack is very nice though!

...This game is the worst RPG I have ever played. (No, I have not played Double Dungeons and never intend to as of now)

This game has a review. Go to the youtube video, pick menu then pick "Crappy Games: Sword of Vermillion (Genesis)".

I actually liked this game, but I may be biased since it was the first 16-bit RPG I ever played. I beat it over and over. I agree with the comments noted in the review, though. At the time I looked past all of that stuff. I don't think I'll be downloading it again, though, because I have already beat it so much. Maybe someday I will, but not soon....

I feel compelled to point out that I think this game had pretty good music, too.

I think it is worth playing in my opinion, but any RPG fans who approach should be advised that it has both pluses and minuses....