Legend of Oasis (Saturn, 1996)

The Legend of Oasis is the reason why I bought a Sega Saturn, and it was probably the best reason to buy one. I had played this game’s sequel, Beyond Oasis, for the Sega Genesis and I had to get this game. The Legend of Oasis is the prequel to Beyond Oasis, meaning that the events in it take place before those in Beyond Oasis. In terms of story the game is pretty simple; you have to gather the power of the six spirits in order to destroy Agito.

The Legend of Oasis is an action/adventure game like Nintendo’s Zelda series; most people compare this game to Zelda and they are both similar in premise. Oasis is played from a top-down perspective and looks incredible. The animations look amazing and everything is very detailed. You start out with nothing but your knife and you are instructed to go to the water shrine and obtain the water spirit. Each spirit is found in a shrine; the water shrine, the fire shrine, etc. The shrines contain a number of hidden treasures, puzzles and enemies. Each one also has a boss at the end which you must defeat before obtaining that shrine’s spirit.

The best part about this game is the game-play. Leon has several different weapons that he can use throughout his journey including a bow, a long sword, and a staff. Leon has a variety of attacks to use with each weapon. Each weapon can also be enchanted by your spirits’ magic to reach hidden areas. For example, efreet, the fire spirit can turn your long sword into a fire sword. So you are probably wondering what’s with the spirits? After obtaining a spirit, you can summon them and use their abilities. Dytto, the water spirit can be summoned from any source of water and can be used to freeze enemies or heal you. Efreet can be summoned from fires and has devastating fire magic. You can collect jewels that increase your spirits’ powers; each spirit has their own color jewel to collect.

Another great thing about Oasis is that there are tons of secrets and items to find. You just have to pay close attention to your environment. Cracks in the ground can be opened up by Bawuu the earth spirit so you really have to look everywhere to find the items. It is also worth mentioning that the sound in this game is amazing. The music is great, it probably won’t get stuck in your head all the time but it is really good. The sound effects are incredible, everything makes a sound; you can hear the sound of skeletons bony feet clicking when they walk; the sound of Leon running through water; everything sounds amazing.

Obviously you can tell that I love this game and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who owns a Sega Saturn; buy it now!

Pros:
- Excellent animated graphics
- Great sound
- Fun gameplay with tons of secrets

Cons:
- Where is the 7th spirit!!!????