Fun obscure niche JRPG from the 90's.

[cypsiman2]

There's a game that I really, really like from when I was a kid called Paladin's Quest. It's a SNES JRPG which plays like just about any other; turn-based combat, equipping items to adjust stats, altering party formation so that the tougher party members are up front, but it's the little things that make the difference.

For starters, the game's art style is unique; it uses pastel color schemes and french science-fantasy inspired aesthetics, so that everything looks and feels fresh. Then there's how magic works; there's no MP, all spells you cast come out of your HP and every time you cast a spell you increase your power with the spirits associated with that spell, ultimately increasing your overall power. Overall, this means that your characters are going to be casting new spells regularly throughout the game to develop your spirit affinities as efficiently as possible, which makes things pretty interesting, and the fact that your casting out of your HP means that you need to be more thoughtful about your magic. And of course, no healing spells. Healing is handled via refillable potion bottles of varying degrees of power and so managing your healing resources is also important.

Overall, it's a pretty fun game and if you at all enjoy old-school JRPGs, I'd definitely give it a shot.

Comments

[stavekoff]

HP as magic is a good idea, especially if the numbers for health are low.Risk reward etc

[cypsiman2]

Paladin's Quest does a pretty good balance on that front; spells are at the right cost relative to when you get them that you can and should use them, but during boss fights and such you definitely need to pay attention to your HP when considering magic.