Dark Half - This Obscure RPG Is Ridiculously Overlooked

[@Xygor]

Do you think Dark Half is an overlooked SNES RPG, or an overrated dud? Gain early access to my videos by supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through KZbin membership by clicking the JOIN button above!

[@Sparkbomber]

It's definitely closer to a dud than a gem. But it could be so much more if an improvement patch was added to fix the AI and slow the soulmeter. The graphics are just fine, but... eesh, not pretty.

[@MikeyAckersVe]

Downloaded & patched, I would consider this game a SERIOUS gem for its time!!! Rukyu for the win... 😈

[@Xygor]

@@MikeyAckersVe Right on!

[@residentgrey]

It certainly is because I did. It is in the ROM collection torrents and everything.

[@retroinspect]

This game would've killed on PC in the 90s. BTW it's pronounced "wess-stone" because the founders nicknames were Nishi and Ishi which is West and Stone in Japanese.

[@Xygor]

Gotcha, thanks for adding that info!

[@judgeprime3730]

Hmm has some ogre battle, some black tiger, some immortal and FF themes going on. Nice video

[@Xygor]

True, it has multiple influences and is pretty fun!

[@MaidenHell1977]

Graphics and music are actually pretty good.

[@Xygor]

Agreed!

[@ophidianmind333]

Thank you for covering this game, Dark Half is one of the most unique RPGs that I've played and I wish some modern games took a similar approach. As you said in the video, there are very few RPGs that allow you to play as both the protagonist and antagonist in a story. Aside from the ones you mentioned, the only one that comes to mind is Live-A-Live where you will play the backstory of the antagonist and also have the option to play as him in the final chapter to take down the heroes.

[@Xygor]

It really is unique! Live A Live is a decent comparison in some ways

[@AirMaxWoR]

Breath of Fire 4

[@jamzqool]

​@@AirMaxWoRkinda

[@Xygor]

@@AirMaxWoR as a comparison point?

[@AirMaxWoR]

@@Xygor Nah, just a game that lets you play as both protag and antag (although limited)

[@Ykesha]

Wow this looks pretty awesome. Definitely gonna check it out later this year. Thanks!

[@Xygor]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@UnparalleledDev0]

thought i seen it all as far as snes rpgs but never even heard of this one. looks pretty cool. great video.

[@Xygor]

It's so overlooked, so I can't blame you!

[@HWFchamp]

Never heard of this. Looks really cool. Definitely adding to my queue. Thanks for the video!

[@Xygor]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@flutebasket4294]

Good find, this is an actually hidden gem (at least compared to most hidden gems in the internet age)

[@Xygor]

Yes it is, I agree!

[@alanl.4252]

I like the look of the sprite art, I’ll definitely keep it in mind going forward.

[@Xygor]

Give it a try!

[@Ronsilk-pu5hr]

Actually I think this game looks really good. I would love to play it

[@Xygor]

Give it a try!

[@obake6290]

Just when I think I'm reaching the end of my SNES backlog, this jumps out. I'd never heard of this one, but it does look like it might be worth playing.

[@Xygor]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@dreadpirates_]

the only other game that does it that i can think of is STARCRAFT 2 when you play as the zerg in the 2nd expansion.

[@Xygor]

Nice!

[@backinthedaygamer]

I've had Dark Half for many years. Now I can finally play it! And no what's going on lol

[@Xygor]

Glad I could help!

[@The_Badseed]

You're right, this is an unorthodox but really enjoyable JRPG. The graphics blow and the combat mechanics are passable, but there was nothing like executing the NPCs while they begged for mercy. (I did feel bad about the nice old ladys and children) Keeping the meter full was a pain and it limited exploration but the game is pretty linear without too much to explore anyhow.

[@SuPeRNinJaRed]

7:19 while I totally respect your critique on the graphics I gotta say that was what I thought made it stand out even more actually (since isometric games were usually the rarer viewpoint also Japanese games often (arguably) had better “graphics” or sprites just due to the care and craftsmanship Japanese developers so often achieve, even duds still look good!)

[@Mugen-0088]

That looks interesting. I like games where you play as the 'bad guys', the older Disgaea games are some of my favorites. I'll have to check the translation out.

[@Xygor]

Right on!

[@jamzqool]

it's not really an rpg but maybe you wanna check kagero:deception 2

[@Xygor]

@@jamzqool I will have to look into that one

[@jamzqool]

@@Xygor cool👍

[@deiradinn]

Speaking of underrated, this channel is. Great work dude.

[@Xygor]

Glad you think so!

[@chaoschalice]

God you just made me realized, how rare it is playing both main protagonist & antagonist in a videogame. I knew it existed because of BOFIV but now that am thinking about it, I don't know any other game beside BOFIV 🤯

[@Xygor]

Exactly!

[@unacceptablefailurerate6453]

Yeah it is hard to think of one switching back and forth, usually its one or the other. The only one off hand I can think of is Heavy Rain.

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

Hey thanks for sharing this! I uses to love deep diving into 16 bit RPGs Ive never heard of from old ROM sites online. This sounds awesome.

[@Xygor]

Glad I could help! Give it a try! Also you will find lots of other 16 bit RPG coverage on my channel.

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

@@Xygor it's subscribin' time! Man, there's nothing quiet like diving into RPGs from that era.

[@samfrito]

I can tell if this game had come out stateside in 96 it might have missed (due to better newer hardware being the focus) but it would have been super unique. I'm surprised Westone was behind this, but thats probably because I remember those Wonderboy titles so fondly. Crazy that Falco gets to speak to the people Rukyu leaves behind. That alone is surprising. You can't consume everyone or the Falco portion could be sparse. Great review. Thanks.

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts, glad you enjoyed it!

[@DragonDoFogo]

Interesting, so sad that there’s plenty of games we just don’t know about cause they weren’t localized. Great video! 👏🏼

[@Xygor]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@aproy42]

You should try Dark Law Meaning of Death. It is a sequel to Dark Half and the last game of the "Dark" games with Dark Lord being the frist on the nes. Both have there translation in english done and i was waiting for the middle game to get translated.

[@Xygor]

Interesting, never heard of this, thanks for letting me know

[@aproy42]

@@Xygor In Drak Law if you die in the last boss there is a secret ending to the game.

[@evandrorosa549]

One RPG i enjoyed lot was"Dragon View",very good for me its was the gameplay.

[@Xygor]

Agreed, that's excellent! I've reviewed that on the channel too.

[@evandrorosa549]

@@Xygor great ,amazing

[@Xygor]

@@evandrorosa549 hope you enjoy that one too!

[@greenpoolball5136]

Beat this game before, I think about this game from time to time because of the ending. Song played in the video is from the ending I believe. Falco as a character lacked any character but Rukyu was just interesting as who he was got me feeling a way. I'm not religious but the religious aspects in here is provoking to me, maybe not even that deep but cool to be in a snes game.

[@calvinmatthews1527]

It definitely looks good for its time.

[@Xygor]

It was really unique and it's so overlooked!

[@juliusplattwhittlebred1581]

I always love your “Overlooked RPGs” videos. Any chance you can do a video of the Metal Max Returns games on Super Famicom? I literally just discovered these games, and there are barely any videos on them.

[@renereyes2648]

This looks like the same dev team that made the SNES Record of Loddoss War.

[@Xygor]

I need to give that one a try.

[@renereyes2648]

@@Xygor it's pretty awesome the first chapter is pretty brutal but once you get past it the rest of the game is pretty balanced you'll understand why the first chapter is as hard as it is if your familiar with the source material

[@matthewbrookeart]

I actually really like the graphics/artdesign

[@Xygor]

They are dark and sinister!

[@rgbcrafts]

It has been on my waiting list, but there are A LOT of gems on the SNES. I'm still playing Trials of Mana by now.

[@Xygor]

True, there are so many great ones!

[@CenturianEagle]

How have I never heard of this!? I thought that I played through all the rpgs when I was younger, even these kinds of games like treasure hunter G and bagamut lagoon, so I would have played this for sure if I had known about it

[@Xygor]

This one is even more obscure than those!

[@CenturianEagle]

@@Xygor definitely! 😆 Is it more obscure than 7th saga 2 mystic ark?

[@truerwb8457]

Does this one feel like a prototype “Souls” game? Maybe not the difficulty but the taking of souls and using them for power?

[@Xygor]

Never thought of that, but I don’t know much about the Souls games.

[@LazurBeemz]

That seems like a very superficial link. Check out King's Field if you want to see the Souls precursor.

[@Xygor]

@@LazurBeemz thanks for this suggestion

[@matt92hun]

I think Fahrenheit lets you play from different perspectives of the same story. And Spec Ops: The Line starts making you think you're playing as the protagonist.

[@felipepereira214]

What a gem! That's why I like this channel.

[@Xygor]

Thank you!

[@jeffcourty6321]

Good Lord! I tought I ran dry of rpgs on the snes years ago! It's still christmas!🎉 I'm really impressed with the graphics too!

[@Xygor]

Right on, there's so many on the SNES you can keep playing!

[@Dermetsu]

This definitely looks like a hidden gem, thanks for pointing it out.

[@Xygor]

No problem! Give it a try.

[@MrFaceNumeroUno]

OK I gotta get in on this Dark Half action lol

[@evlinalw325]

Me too, you seem like a smart, interesting fellow who is probably cool as hell!

[@MrFaceNumeroUno]

@@evlinalw325 as do you old boy!

[@holidayinn4293]

Overlooked because it was a Japan only release. It was a Japan only release for obvious reasons. Firstly it was a late release. Secondly it's dealing with dark and even religious themes that NOA had all kinds of crazy censorship policies for at the time. Thirdly doing things like localizations on text heavy games takes money and time. A lot of companies didn't have the resources or connections to get things like this done unless they were certain the game would market well in the US. JRPG's and or tactical simulations did not market well in the US in this era of gaming.

[@AzureSymbiote]

Seems interesting. I'll check it one day.

[@Xygor]

Give it a try!

[@poppers7317]

That soul meter is a total deal breaker for me.

[@PaladinLarec]

They finished the translation???? I gave up on this game ever getting translated eons ago. Guess I need to stay active in the romhack community.

[@Xygor]

Yep!

[@bag-manbaron2547]

I've always wanted to play this game, guess I'll have to hunt it down

[@Xygor]

Give it a chance for sure!

[@DSG0805]

I had a physical of this sfc game. It looked really cool

[@Xygor]

Box art definitely looks cool!

[@donaldpetersen2382]

Reminds me of Brain Lord's art style

[@Xygor]

True, I can see that

[@nomorenames5568]

awesome to see someone make a video about this, I have it but haven't tried it out yet but this video makes me want to. Have you seen the new Samurai Shodown RPG translation that came out?

[@rafaelkuhn5154]

Thank you for yet another insightful video about one of the more obscure SNES-RPGs! Keep up the good work!

[@Xygor]

More to come!

[@PRONTOQ]

Hey looks like a really cool game, and channel! Any chance you could tell me what track plays at 3:30?!

[@Tom_Van_Zandt]

It's amazing that there are still games on the Genesis, SNES, NES, Famicom and Super Famicom that I've ever heard of. JRPG's used to be my favorite genre, but I'm not much of a fan of modern games - I prefer the old sprite graphics like this. I remember when the PS1 went 3D with a lot of their JRPG's, and the graphics did not hold up. Yeah, I still love Final Fantasy 7, but the block hands are weird. Somehow they were acceptable back in the day, but now I wish Sony hadn't tried to force developers into making all their games 3D. The technology wasn't there yet, and there are very few 3D games on the PS1 that don't look like ugly turds.

[@Xygor]

You would like this game a lot then!

[@TheSmokeyDawn]

Wonder if Ryuku wasn't a sort of influence for Ainz Ool Gown from Overlord. Similar design and ruthlessness.

[@Xygor]

Don't know what that is, but thanks for the comment!

[@TheSmokeyDawn]

@@Xygor Overlord is an anime where the main protagonist is a guy stuck playing as an evil boss of sorts in a virtual mmorpg. His character design is similar to Ryuku's.

[@rabbitcreative]

This is a SNES game? I've never heard of it.

[@Xygor]

Yes, but only came out in Japan. But it has a full translation patch.

[@rabbitcreative]

@@Xygor Ah Japan... those lovely people. I'll have to find it. I love the pixel work.

[@Xygor]

@@rabbitcreative I agree, those beautiful pixels of that era just can't be beat!

[@SonofSethoitae]

A very minor correction; it's actually pronounced "Wes-Stone". It's a portmanteau of Ryuichi Nishizawa's & Michishito Ishizuka's names, translated into English. "Nishi" means "West" and "Ishi" means "stone".

[@Xygor]

Didn't realize that, thank you!

[@ukrpgfan4029]

Great game, really enjoyed this a few years ago....

[@Xygor]

Yes it is! Thanks for leaving your thoughts about it.

[@blakefoard56]

What was the game playing before the robotrek box art? That game looked super interesting!

[@BDBD16]

What about Rock Me Amadeus by Falco?

[@Xygor]

Not that one either!

[@BDBD16]

@@Xygor 🤣🤣🤣

[@Carewolf]

Alles Klar, Kommisar?

[@perfectblue8443]

Very ambitious game

[@williamoverton7775]

wow I had never heard of this.

[@Xygor]

Give it a try!

[@personagemsecreto]

good video, thank you

[@Xygor]

Glad you liked it!

[@songshungama5288]

Looksgoodand also try vixen 357 its super underrated

[@Xygor]

Never heard of that one!

[@songshungama5288]

@@Xygor it's super underrates

[@Xygor]

@@songshungama5288 I'll check it out

[@CodexSan]

This grid like layout reminds me of another SNES title. A Japanese exclusive. It had a more cartoonish look, the combat was similar and quite good. And you played with a girl. Unfortunately, I don't recall much of the game, as I don't speak Japanese.

[@Taelhyr]

Energy Breaker, perhaps?

[@Xygor]

There's so many SFC RPGs it's hard to answer off that alone. But man there were a lot of them in Japan!

[@theuglykwan]

i had this in the 90s. prob didn't play it since it was in jjapanese.

[@Xygor]

All these years and now it's in English!

[@MalachiMolina]

It’s pretty cool

[@Xygor]

Agreed!

[@grouchygamer2404]

it would be cool if someone could mod in Raziel and Kain.

[@Syrin23]

Where can you play this? Is it on PC's?

[@Xygor]

It's an SNES game so there are roms for it, I can't supply those but the translation patch is in the description

[@evandrorosa549]

I like this game,i did finished 3 times more,sadly only japan,some rom translated not untill the end.

[@Xygor]

Great! Maybe you can play it again in English and have fun.

[@liamschulzrules]

How do you patch a cartridge?

[@Xygor]

There are services that do this but I don't know where they are

[@Moarzgg]

Wait when did we decide to do a face reveal?

[@daywalker3735]

Dark half is almost as good as New half

[@beniplays25]

does everyone who talks abour this game has to make the starfox falco joke? XD

[@tompuce84]

[@Xygor]

Thank you!

[@theangriestgamer]

Didn’t Chrono Cross do the same thing?

[@Dunsparce206]

Not at all, at one point the protagonist, Serge, gets body-swapped with the villain, Lynx. You are not actually playing as a bad guy while Serge is stuck in Lynx's body. He doesn't do anything antagonistic whatsoever.

[@di3727]

Is there any reason why the video is completely dark?

[@Xygor]

Something must be wrong with your computer

[@di3727]

​@@Xygor Apparently, there was something wrong, thank you and here's an apology.

[@Xygor]

@@di3727 no worries! I actually think there is an issue around 5:48 with the rendering, but that shouldn't make everything black

[@FiggsNeughton]

I hate to say it, but a lot of RPG innovation died when Square bought Enix, and then Square made Final Fantasy 7, which was targeted toward casual gamers who didn't mind winning by hitting the attack button over and over again.