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ActRaiser Renaissance review: raise one for a great remake of a 16-bit classicWhen Square Enix asks if you’re a god, say “YES”
When Square Enix asks if you’re a god, say “YES”
1990’s ActRaiser is special. Most video games released in the late ’80s tasked you with saving a princess from a dragon. ActRaiser says, “Hey, would you mind playing God with the people living on the demon-scarred land you just liberated? They’re really squishy and helpless. Thanks, you’re a peach."
The game’s developer, Quintet, was pretty special, too. Once a branch of Enix before the latter joined with Squaresoft in 2003, Quintet was behind a lot of SNES-era RPGs that are still fondly remembered today, such Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. They’re all solid adventures that share a canon, albeit vaguely, and tackle some pretty heavy subject matter, including colonialism, poverty, and the slave trade. Alas, Quintet disbanded when Square Enix was born, and most of its team scattered to the winds. There’s been a Q-shaped hole in my heart ever since, so I hope I can be excused for yelling like a madwoman whenActRaiser Renaissancemade asurprise debutat the September 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation.
Actraiser Renaissance | Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube
Actraiser Renaissance | Launch Trailer
You play through ActRaiser Renaissance as “The Master,” i.e. God. You awaken from a deep, healing sleep to discover the demon who put you in the ground, Tanzra, has been throwing a millenia-long house party for his monster homies. You must rise up again, adopt a warrior avatar, and beat Tanzra over the head. But first, you must regain your lost power - and nothing boosts a god like a hearty bowl of faith soup.
The side-scrolling action in ActRaiser Renaissance might feel heavy and awkward to someone raised on the elegance ofHollow Knightor Celeste. But if you grew up playing 16-bit platformers, ActRaiser Renaissance feels like coming home. The Master has a clumsy heft that’s slightly maddening, which is exactly how my old bones like it.
That said, it’s easy to appreciate the modifications developers Sonic Powered and Square Enix made to the Master’s moveset. The new upward and downward slash moves are welcome additions, as is the Master’s ability to backslide away from danger. The action stages in ActRaiser Renaissance are moderately difficult (hint: the original SNES localization bumped down the difficulty, which is what you’ll experience if you set ActRaiser Renaissance on “Easy”), and they’re larger than the original game’s levels. Each level also holds collectables that can power you up permanently, so if you need a boost against a tough boss, all you need to do is delve a little deeper into the crevices before you.
ActRaiser’s build-fight-build cycle was satisfying in 1990, and it holds up in ActRaiser Renaissance. In particular, Sonic Powered have added an admirable amount of content to the town building sections, which now require you to defend them in scheduled tower defence sequences. This is where ActRaiser Renaissance splits me. Just hearing “tower defence” makes me groan, and my heart fell when I realized I’d be building towers and gates to strike down the rabble that oozes over the game’s townships. But I grew more fond of these interludes as I collected more Heroes - story-centric warriors anchored to each town - and gained the ability to whisk them into other towns' skirmishes. (What did the indigenous warrior ghost Migrana think when I teleported her from her frigid homeland to fight in the blazing dunes of Kassandora? I don’t know! Sounds like a whole lot of Not My Problem!)
ActRaiser Renaissance’s graphics admittedly make the game seem rough around the edges. It doesn’t look bad, but the boss sprites in particular lack the imposing size and weight of the original SNES roster. It’s very easy to judge ActRaiser Renaissance on a handful of screenshots, but there are also charming visual details that shouldn’t be overlooked. The townspeople are endlessly busy in the sim areas, and you can watch them as they cut wood, do laundry, till fields, and pet dogs. A righteous people indeed.
Tower defense controversy aside, Sonic Powered have successfully captured the satisfaction of “cultivating” your own strength through your people. And when their population plateaus, it’s time to blast their fields and houses so they build bigger, better fields and houses, and elevate your own level cap accordingly. As someone who grew up only knowing the God of the Old Testament, I can appreciate what the Master is all about.
