Sigma Star Saga (Game Boy Advance, 2005)

This is probably one of the most underrated games out there. If you have read reviews of this game, you'll probably know that most of them are good. Unfortunately, this game isn't a top seller which is a sad thing. Actually, most of the games made by WayForward are little jewels that are mostly ignored by the mainstream market. But they are great games nonetheless.

The game itself is a mixture of an space shooter (like the Gradius series) with RPG elements. And although at the beginning it can be a little unfriendly, after the first chapter you'll find yourself captured by the story and the gameplay.

Make no mistake, this isn't Final Fantasy. The RPG elements are not that big in the gameplay as they are in the story. The story, by the way, has elements from different sources that you'll probably recognize: from Japanese Anime to Star Trek and even Independence Day. And the way it's fused has positive results. The graphics are nice, although you might get a weird feeling watching the 2-D overworld and comparing it to the spaceship battles art and the art sequences that work like cinemas.

I do have one complain with the music. It's not that it's bad but some of the melodies are forgettable at best. The Intro, Fire Planet, Desert Planet and Krill World musics when you are in the spaceship are great, but the rest is not that good. You simply don't get the "epic" feeling in those other levels. The overworld music, with the exception of the Krill World, is also nothing special.

The weapon system is a great element in the gameplay. You'll be able to customize your weapon with a lot of combinations. However, you'll probably end up using only a few ones since they do make a different way of playing and you'll stay with the ones that are most comfortable to your style.

If you have the chance and you like shooters, light RPG's or space stories, give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.