Welcome to the 82nd issue of the GBAtemp Recommends Revival Project! This is a weekly feature where we share some our favourite games and the occasional "something else". Some may be well known, others I feel have been ignored but all are fantastic (cough) and deserve at least a play.
Bortzy is back with another recommendation, this time with a game I don't know if I like. Remember this is GBATEMP Recommends, not Hadrian Recommends.
[prebreak][/prebreak]Sigma Star Saga is Wayforward's stab at genre blending space-shooting with exploration and a deep story line. Ian Wrecker (one of those super edgy names from an 80's action flick) is tasked to become a double agent against the alien invaders known as the Krill. Events dont unfold as planned though. Relationships for trusts that call motives into question, loyalties get broken, and lives get taken. SSS was met with mixed reviews, so if you were on the fence before (or never even heard of it), give me a chance to sell it to you again.
Sometime into the future, Earth gets gutted by a Krill attack. A hole the size of canada gets ripped into the atlantic sea bed, boiling most of the Earth's oceans away, almost wiping out humanity. Earth counter attacks and plants Ian as a "prisoner of earth" and gets recruited as a double agent against the Krill. Dawning on the Krill's parasite body armor, Ian makes nice with the alien military brass. Early into the game you start developing a relationship with a young female Krill, Psyme, who takes you under her parasite wing and shows you the ropes of being a Krill.
Not to much further into the game do you meet a human scientist female named Scarlet. Its not bad enough that your human CO, Tierney and and your Krill overlord Blune give you conflicting orders, the two chicks you are in contact with are often at each other's throats. To make matters worse, searching for the alleged "bio matter" earth was skewed for is at the top of everyone's list.
The gameplay is pretty simple. You either advance the plot, or explore a new area. When you arent talking to people , you are wandering around the surface of various planets. As the game goes on, sometimes you are required to backtrack on to previously visited planets to find new areas with the fresh items or abilities gained elsewhere.
While on the surface of the planet, you will enter random encounters. This is the other half of the genre blending. Its explained in game that the ships and your suit are alive and can communicate. When the mothership docked in orbit around the planet you are exploring senses aliens, it panics and calls you into a ship to protect it. You can be beamed into any of (i think) 6 ships ranging in sizes and speed. Beating the game once will allow you to be called into the human ship you pilot in the beginning of the game at random as well. Once in space, you are given an objective amount of enemies to decimate before the mothership calms down. Eliminating enemies leaves a trail of white orbs of light that you collect to level up you ship/suit.
The other cool part of the game is collecting gun data. You can find gun data upgrades or mods laying around the maps at specific points. You can put 3 of them together to get your own unique firepower for your random encounters. The best part is, no matter what ship you get, you always get the guns you have already configured.
SSS didnt get a perfect score for a reason. Remember these are mostly grips and not game breaking, unfortunately you cant just ignore them. Storywise the game is fine, but gameplay wise gets a bit hairy at points.
-Overworld is zoomed in too much. Areas can become confusing because of how close in the camera is set.
-random encounters are a bit high.
-coupled with the zoom of the camera, random encounters can leave you kinda disoriented at times.
-Because of the way random encounters work, you get placed in a random ship. Some of the courses your fly have some pretty tight navigation to them. The problem comes into play when you get a ship that is too big or slow to make it though gaps without damaging yourself.
-Overworld is zoomed in too much. Areas can become confusing because of how close in the camera is set.
-random encounters are a bit high.
-coupled with the zoom of the camera, random encounters can leave you kinda disoriented at times.
-Because of the way random encounters work, you get placed in a random ship. Some of the courses your fly have some pretty tight navigation to them. The problem comes into play when you get a ship that is too big or slow to make it though gaps without damaging yourself.
Thanks Bortz, I'll be back next week this time with a good game.
After that Bortzy will talk up another GBA title, which is an under appreciated gem.
If you enjoyed this week's edition of GBAtemp Recommends! please leave a comment in the thread. This helps us monitor feedback and ensures we keep posting these articles in the future. Wanna submit something? Send me a message.
Platform GBA
Released 2005
Developer Wayforward
Publisher Namco (US) / Atari (EU)
Genre Space Shooter/RPG
