A Classic Revisited

ActRaiserOne of the most underrated games ever on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Enix’s ActRaiser has been re-released on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console, giving millions of gamers a golden opportunity to experience this amazing title for the first time.

Combining elements from platforming games like Pitfall and Castlevania with a god-simulation mode that will remind many of classics such as Roller Coaster Tycoon and Sim City, Act Raiser is a one of a kind game that is a must own for any Wii-owner.

Trying to reclaim your god-like power after a powerful demon stole it, the protagonist in ActRaiser is responsible to clear the land of monsters and after, must bring people back to it, so they can manage it for themselves. Using a sword to fend off monsters in the platforming stages, the action in these levels is pretty straight forward, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a blast. Using your sword and magic to defeat bosses like the Minotaur and Manticore and having to make difficult jumps across wild terrain, these short platforming stages are a great way to break up the action during the simulation part of the game.

For the most part, the simulation part of the game is where most of ActRaiser takes place and here is where most of the fun happens as well. Using your god-like powers, such as the sun, wind, rain and lightning, you can alter the land so they can support life. Once people begin to move back into the area, you will be responsible for directing them and helping them defeat the monsters in the area with the help of your angel sidekick. In addition, you’ll be responsible for helping to build homes, plantation and bridges in the towns, in an effort to rebuild the population.

Having two different modes of play interlaced with each other like this provides an amazing gameplay experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Every time it feels like you’ve been playing the simulation part of the game too long, a challenge will appear that forces you to go down to the surface and fight a boss.

With that being said, it’s obvious that the gameplay in ActRaiser was extremely ahead of its time and is definitely worth checking out for anyone that missed it when it was first released in 1991.

Aside from the phenomenal core gameplay available in ActRaiser, the killer soundtrack and solid graphics also have a hand in making the game something truly special. Easily one of the best game soundtracks during the SNES era, ActRaiser’s score, composed by Yuzo Koshiro [who has also composed the amazing Shenmue soundtrack on the Dreamcast], is top notch and is worth the price of admission alone. While the graphics aren’t amazing by any stretch of the imagination, being early SNES caliber, they do a more than gracious job of making sure the gamer likes what they see.

Overall, ActRaiser still does a great job of providing an amazing gameplay experience and is easily one of the best games available on the Wii Virtual Console.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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