Developer: SEGA Enterprises
Publisher: SEGA of America
Released: 1989
Completed: March 3, 2020
I have this weird quirk when it comes to playing games in a series. Regardless of how much or how little subsequent entries may tie into previous ones, I feel I must play them in chronological order. Such was the case with SpellCaster, which is apparently the first game in a duology with Mystic Defender on the Genesis.
Now I like Mystic Defender a lot. It's tough, and I've never beaten it (yet), but I enjoy it quite a bit. For a fairly early Genesis game, it's lots of fun. I expected SpellCaster to be essentially an 8-bit version of the side-scrolling action game - not as pretty to look at or listen to, but a solid title. The box itself touts itself as "adventure role-playing," and I like both of those things.
Now that I've played it, I can confidently say SpellCaster is a game that exists and you can play it. If you want to. Or don't. It is the most six-out-of-ten game ever. It's so average and forgettable in nearly every regard, I could barely remember it even 24 hours later, much less a full year (yes, I am writing this in March 2021 and backdating the entry; sue me).
SpellCaster mixes adventure game elements similar to those of LucasArts' games with a series of verbs such as look, talk, move, etc. These sequences take place on static images and black backgrounds where you advance the game's story. The rest of the game is made up of short side-scrolling action levels. The combination itself isn't a bad idea. The execution is just so bland it's like the gaming equivalent of eating a sponge. And not a used sponge either. That might have some food crumbs or been used to wipe up something flavorful. No, this is more like a fresh out of the package sponge.
SpellCaster doesn't do anything particularly poorly, but it doesn't do anything particularly well either. Everything is competent, no more, no less. There's one level towards the end - the obligatory instant death lava level - that can be maddening, and if you're not familiar with adventure games, some of it may seem inscrutable to you. Anyone who grew up with Sierra or LucasArts adventures on PC will know to use every verb on every item in every scene until you get a result (or just use a walkthrough and save yourself a headache). Mercifully, there is a password system so you don't have to play this all in one sitting. I'm not sure if anyone can handle that level of unexcitement all at once.
Despite the Master System being slightly more powerful than the NES, I never found a lot of its games that attractive. Often they'd have garish colors, or looked washed out by comparison, and sprite flicker was just as problematic as it was on Nintendo's gray box. SpellCaster doesn't change my opinion one way or another. It's fine. The cinematic adventure portions are fairly nicely detailed, and the action stages are serviceable, but neither is going to knock your socks off. Even less impressive is the PSG music which, like the game itself, exists but is of no real consequence.
One of the most common problems with any Master System game is the controls. Thanks to SEGA's idiotic decision to make the d-pad on the SMS controller a giant, mushy square, you'll find yourself pressing down hard in the direction you want to move during the action scenes. Some Master System games can be played with a Genesis controller, though I didn't attempt it with this one to see if it worked or not. If it does, that's definitely a better option because the OEM d-pad is not good for anything.
Yep, SpellCaster is a game, alright. That's what it is. A purely average, utterly forgettable game. If white bread were a game, it would be called SpellCaster. There's nothing really wrong with it, but it's not the type of thing anyone ever says, "I could sure go for some of that right now!"
SpellCaster was completed on a real SEGA Master System with no cheats.
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