Beyond Oasis

The Story of Thor,[1] known in North America as Beyond Oasis, is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The game was produced and had music written by Yuzo Koshiro. The Story of Thor was later released in various emulated collections. A prequel, The Story of Thor 2, was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.

The Story of Thor
North American cover art
Developer(s)Ancient
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Yuzo Koshiro
Designer(s)Kataru Uchimura
Programmer(s)Yukio Takahashi
Artist(s)Ayano Koshiro
Writer(s)Juri Ogawa
Composer(s)Yuzo Koshiro
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release
  • JP: December 9, 1994
  • EU: March 1995
  • NA: March 15, 1995
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

The player takes the role of Prince Ali, who has discovered a buried gold "armlet" which once belonged to a wizard who waged a long war against the evil wielder of a silver armlet. The silver armlet was used to create chaos and destruction, while the gold armlet had the power to summon four spirits: the water spirit, "Dytto"; the fire spirit, "Efreet"; the shadow spirit, "Shade"; and the plant spirit, "Bow". Ali travels the land of Oasis, gradually acquiring the ability to summon all these spirits, in an attempt to stop the person who has discovered the ancient silver armlet and is once again using it for evil.

Gameplay

The game has action adventure elements similar to The Legend of Zelda series. The player controls Prince Ali and control him across the map to fulfill his quest. Along the way the player picks up special items to restore health and mana, special weapons to help defeat enemies, and four magic spirits found in shrines to aid Prince Ali in his mission.

Prince Ali's default weapon is his knife, which can perform special attacks and has unlimited usage, but during the course of the game the player can equip Prince Ali with special weapons such as swords, crossbows, and bombs. Some crossbows (and a sword) can ignite their targets on fire. However, unlike the knife, these weapons do generally not have unlimited usage and will break after a set number of uses, unless unlimited versions of these weapons are found.

Reception

Game Informer gave the game a "very good" score of 8.75/10.[6] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 38/50 (7.6/10 average), praising the vast game world and strong plot twists.[4] A reviewer for Next Generation contended that the combination of RPG and action elements results in a game which is average on both fronts. He added that, "The use of magic, whether it be the fireball or meteor storm; a user-friendly interface; and an ever-ready map put Beyond Oasis beyond others of its type. But ultimately, poor fighting and an uninspired storyline leave this title looking more like a mirage."[9] GamePro commented that the game "is definitely not for hardcore RPGers" due to its small game world, limited challenge, and greater emphasis on hack-n-slash combat and puzzle solving than on RPG elements, but would be a good game for players new to the RPG genre. They praised the "intriguing" gameplay and the 3D feel of the graphics.[12]

IGN gave the Virtual Console re-release an 8/10, calling it "very stylish," and expressing "surprise" that despite a lack of polish in certain areas, its "unique" mechanics "deserve to be mentioned alongside such classics as Secret of Mana."[14] In 2017, Gamesradar rated Beyond Oasis 38th on their Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time and giving praise to the games graphics and sound.[16]

References
  1. ストーリー オブ トア 〜光を継ぐ者〜, Sutōrī obu Toa ~Hikari wo Tsugu Mono~
  2. "La Legende de Thor". Consoles +. No. 41. March 1995. pp. 92–4.
  3. Computer & Video Games, issue 160 (March 1995), pages 78-80
  4. "Review Crew: Beyond Oasis". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 68. Ziff Davis. March 1995. p. 36.
  5. "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: The Story of Thor 〜光を継ぐ者〜". Famitsu. No. 313. December 16, 1994. p. 39.
  6. "Ultimate Review Archive." Game Informer. Issue 100. August, 2001. Page 55. Original review published March 1995.
  7. GameFan, volume 3, issue 3 (March 1995), pages 18 & 38-41
  8. GamesMaster, issue 27 (March 1995), pages 54-55
  9. "Beyond Oasis". Next Generation. Imagine Media (4): 94. April 1995.
  10. "La Légende de Thor". Player One. No. 51. March 1995. pp. 78–81.
  11. GameFan, volume 4, issue 1, pages 104-106
  12. "Beyond Oasis". GamePro. No. 70. IDG. May 1995. p. 103.
  13. "Beyond Oasis for Genesis". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  14. Thomas, Lucas (March 21, 2007). "Beyond Oasis Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  15. Musgrave, Shaun (October 17, 2017). "'Beyond Oasis' Review – A Sight for Thor Eyes". TouchArcade. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  16. GamesRadar Staff (2017-06-21). "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time". gamesradar. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
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