Faria A World of Mystery and Danger for NES - Review | hungrygoriya

[@the1ucidone]

Goriya, you are literally becoming my favorite retro reviewers of all time. Mostly, I don't see folks creating reviews like you do anymore. When I go to some of the older channels that "used" to review and give an explanation of how the games made them feel it was cool. But, most have just become gaming news channels and seemed to have lost their original path. This channel really is a breath of fresh air for people like me who just wanna see a review and the opinion of someone else's experience for a retro game. Thank you so much and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

[@hungrygoriya]

You are too kind! I try to keep my reviews more on the personal side and that has really helped me to keep the "formula" the same even though I don't really have any specific structure I follow... it's just my experience and things I liked, and hoping that other people can relate or might take those opinions as worth something. Thank you so much for saying that. It really makes the video editing feel worth it! Merry Christmas to you as well. All the best in the new year!

[@7thangelad586]

My brother and I rented Faria several times as kids, and we just didn’t stand a chance with no internet available to grab some maps. I always refer to it as Unfairia ;) But I actually revisited the game about five years ago, equipped with iPhone-sized sprawling maps, and I finished the entire game! It was a personal goal :) Now I include it under my list of games called “-If I Only Had a Map.”

[@hungrygoriya]

I can totally understand not being able to get through a few spots without one. The cave maze and the last tower are nightmares if you don't know where to go or what to do. Congratulations on finally making it through! It sounds like you'd have an interesting video series if you ever chose to go that route, haha

[@TheReNesance]

I'll never understand your patience. The amount of rooms/floors in those towers would have sent me running from this one. Not to mention the putrid assault on the ears. I do appreciate the mention of G DansGame W, though.. well done, as always!

[@hungrygoriya]

My patience is never-ending. I don't know why I like the nitty gritty stuff like dungeon mapping, but I just have that curse I guess. If the music had been better, it would've been a lot more tolerable. I put that part about Golden Axe Warrior in just for you, haha... that footage was from my first few minutes into the game, getting obliterated. Thanks for all of the continued support!

[@richardgallimore5976]

I just tried this game for the first time today. I definitely think the progression of dungeon size is FAR too harsh, it took me 2 hours of making a map on a piece of paper to get through the first tower. I think this first tower has 70~80ish rooms? The original LoZ for example has a dungeon 1 of 17 rooms, which is a much much better "level 1". Level 9 of LoZ is 8x8 with some rooms missing so maybe in the 50s which is fair for a final dungeon. Level 1 of a similar type of game shouldn't be bigger than Level 9 of Zelda imo... In saying that, I just spent 4+ hours straight playing this game and I think it's one of the best games on the NES (I've played over 200). I'd still rather go through a long dungeon where I'm controlling my character than going through a long cave with turn based battles (I'm currently playing Dragon Warrior II, nearing the end and a cave can take 3+ hours sometimes to figure out where to go and the battles are far less engaging). Super impressed with this game so far, a solid 8/10 from my 1 day of playing, lol.

[@shirenthewanderer4770]

It's called GameFAQs, the dungeons of this game are beyond atrocious and the bosses are anticlimatic, but it IS a good game at it core. You are right about the towers and it's music, those are torture.

[@shirenthewanderer4770]

@@richardgallimore5976 LoZ actually had dungeons designed well enough you did not need a walkthrough to play them, because all the rooms had character. Even the rooms that most people would see burn the pits of hell for all eternity (Shutter room in Level 6 with 3 Blue Wizrobes, 3 Yellow Wizrorbes, and 3 Like Likes and 2 Bubbles, I'm looking straight at you) have character. The Dark Forest in Secret of Evermore had character. You can be a scrappy level with a scrappy dungeon as long as you have a memeworthy experience. Faria's dungeon are essentially spaghetti code and needed to stop and look a the map every room with nothing that stands out is rediculous.

[@richardgallimore5976]

@@shirenthewanderer4770 After playing more of Faria I take back my 8/10, haha. I ended up only playing through the 1 dungeon & walking around to the next portion of the game & had my first encounters with invisible enemies. It's a solid 7/10 imo, but yes I agree LoZ has more character & better design, imo LoZ is more like a 9/10 for the NES.

[@Tru3_Detective]

I remember sitting with my cat Chelsea and saying "meow, meow, meow-meow *MEOW MEOWWWWWWW*" to the tune of the publisher's jingle... did the same with Milon's secret castle. Chelsea didn't care. It was more for me anyway.

[@Satiator123]

I'm glad to see a new channel covering this type of content. And a game I've never played or seen covered no less. Very nice!

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad you found me here! The channel will be going for 8 years in a few months.

[@jaylucien669]

How have I never come across this? Wow this one would've been, at the least, a welcomed play through back in the day.

[@hungrygoriya]

I forget where I first learned about Faria but I was immediately intrigued as well. I hope you can play it sometime if you want to. It was definitely a lot of fun even if I felt like muting my TV once in a while.

[@jaylucien669]

@@hungrygoriya It seems like this one would be a good candidate for Switch Online. If it ever pops up there I'll defiantly give it a go.

[@RedAuxPDX]

One of my favorite parts of this video are the up close shots of the manual. It’s so nice to see such a detailed manual for a classic game, what a treasure to have in your collection! Thank you again for the excellent video detailing the experience of this game.

[@hungrygoriya]

I love showing off the manuals, especially when they're good ones that do the job well. Thank you for hanging out here and also during the streams. I can't say enough how much your support means to me!

[@shirrenthewanderer414]

HG reviews a game for the sake of reviewing a game. No "angry" review or hype, or anything else. Most relaxed experience.

[@hungrygoriya]

That's just the way I am. I'm just here to share my experiences, and that's what shapes the emotion of the review!

[@bezoticallyyours83]

​@@hungrygoriyathat is what makes you one of the better reviewers

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

I think this game's visuals make it "ahead of its time" in that regard. It's like a blend of the art styles that Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy developed gradually. Instead of just trying to imitate Dragon Quest, the character art clearly takes inspiration from a respectable study of Akira Toriyama's art portfolio at the time. Final Fantasy wasn't even experimenting with sci-fi visuals yet, but this game clearly took a lot of inspiration from Toriyama style tech from original Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump. It's almost like what an NES Chrono Trigger prequel might look like.

[@hungrygoriya]

The art was really impressive. There's a whole really beautiful outro to the game over the credits that I only showed one image from so that I didn't spoil too much. If you're into it and want to see what else the game has to offer, definitely look up the ending sequence too. It's adorable. Definitely some of my favourite art in an 8-bit game here.

[@user-a5Bw9de]

Eccentric design, a forte of manga artist Yoshitoe Asari, who've done basic character design for this game. I can't believe that he've done many works for edutational mangas on the other side of spectrum.

[@warrioroflight3489]

I love your channel because it’s talking about all our oldest nostalgic games

[@hungrygoriya]

Hey thanks! I love this era of gaming and it's a real joy to talk on the games that really stand out to me, or that don't really have much of a presence online.

[@warrioroflight3489]

@@hungrygoriya thank You to

[@minusp895]

I absolutely adore the art direction of older JRPGs. Retro anime is the best. Modern anime is so conveyer belt.

[@hungrygoriya]

I don't have a ton of experience with anime except for maybe watching the English dub of Sailor Moon as a kid, but more modern anime-based video games don't draw me in as much as these older games do. The older ones are incredibly charming in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

[@glorbojibbins2485]

Agreed

[@kainemaxwell]

yeah a lot of older jrpgs have a more medieval art direction and sometimes tolkenish. though i don't mind an early anime art direction like say loddoss war.

[@Kuikkamies]

If you look at the whole era of retro anime, it is no less conveyer belt than what we have now. The only difference is the sheer amount of products now compared to what used to be.

[@ObsidianContraption]

Just when you think you've played every NES game, another emerges. This actually looks cool

[@hungrygoriya]

If you play this one, good luck with it. It's great asides from a few tricky dungeons that I couldn't be bothered to figure out on my own.

[@sirrealkiller8357]

Thank you so much for these deep dives into obscure RPGs. I love the genre, but when it comes to the 8-bit era, if I didn’t play them as a kid, it’s really hard to hook me. I’m going to dig into this one. Love the channel. Merry Christmas!

[@hungrygoriya]

I don't know what it is that draws me to these games with so much fussing involved, but I love them. I always find something to talk about because there's so much good in them despite what others might find frustrating or a deal-breaker. Thanks so much for stopping in, and Merry Christmas to you too!

[@ArkThePieKing]

Ooh Merry Christmas to me! Always a good day with a Goriya upload. This is honestly the most positive review of this game I've seen. You really know how to see the best in anything you play, it's admirable!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! I think it's easy to dwell on the negatives for older games but there are also so many positives that are worth highlighting. Thanks so much for the kind words, and for hanging out in the streams too. It's been lovely seeing you all around the internet.

[@seriousshuck3484]

I remember helping my mom map out the dungeons for this game like... 20 or 30 years ago... Then finishing it on my own when the NES was moved into my room. Those were the days.

[@hungrygoriya]

They were! I spent many hours playing games with my mom and on my own as well when I was a kid, about that many years ago. What I'd give to go back for a day.

[@robnelms1418]

I actually played and beat this game with no strategy guide. The ending and who the hero turned out to be I will never forget. I was totally unprepared.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a fun little twist eh? I really enjoyed my time with this one. I needed help in the repeating green dungeon and also the ice caverns, but the rest I figured out on my own. Nice work doing it without help!

[@Molandria]

The NES glitchyness at the end of the video cracks me up so much. I might give this one a try. A legit one.

[@hungrygoriya]

The perks of using the real system, haha... good luck to you! I hope you enjoy it!

[@Busterbufallo]

I've been going back through your reviews here this week since I found your channel. I am so happy with your reviews. Even the ones I disagree with, you find a way to be positive while explaining the negatives if that makes sense. Faria was a game I loved. I played it right after I played Crystalis. That was such a good time.

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you for checking out other videos on the channel! I've been doing this for many years now, so there's lots to watch. I appreciate the kind words. I really liked this one too. It was quirky and unique from so many other games I've played and to this day, I've never really found anything else quite like it.

[@lexluthermiester]

@Hungry Goriya "...putrid assaults on the ears..." I love that description! Classic!

[@hungrygoriya]

There was one song I specifically left out of the review because of how horrible it is... it's one of the altered overworld tunes late in the game. That and the dungeon music were just the worst!

[@TheSocialGamer]

I really enjoy your style of casual reviews, clear and concise. Love your channel.

[@hungrygoriya]

Hey thanks! I appreciate the feedback :) Glad you're enjoying the channel.

[@JohnMarineTube]

I remembered watching your streams of "Faria" on Twitch. This was a fabulous review. Thanks for introducing me to a game I never heard of until you streamed it!

[@hungrygoriya]

My pleasure :) Thanks for watching!

[@AmyraCarter]

(before video) Underrated gem of a game. Faria is honestly one of my favorite RPGs. I even made a character in one of my game projects based on the main character of Faria.

[@hungrygoriya]

Oh right on! That's awesome! I thought this game was great as well!

[@paulmilazzo4422]

Happy to see you back, especially because I keep missing your streams! Merry Christmas I hope you have a wonderful holiday!!

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, it was a long stretch between the last one and this one, but work was ridiculous for me for a while. It's calmed down at least for the holiday. Hopefully the next one won't be so far out. Merry Christmas to you as well! Thanks for the wishes :)

[@andrewanimations9524]

I only was ever able to play this for a weekend as a kid from a rental......I'm glad this was shown I'm going to play it again now ty

[@hungrygoriya]

Enjoy and good luck!

[@freddiejohnson6137]

Just discovered this one recently myself as I had honestly never heard of it before and was pleasantly surprised at it's quality. It seems to be one of those games that no one seems to mention. I agree with the combat sections being a bit awkward at times though and the energy bar was essentially useless later on. Still a good choice of an action RPG if you have played all the obvious choices.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm happy to hear someone else also recently discovered this game and had similar experiences to me. I definitely enjoyed it and while I don't think it'll make it into any regular rotation for me, it was a good playthrough while it lasted. It might be fun to come back to when I've forgotten enough of the plot points down the line.

[@chutton988]

Wow, this game is completely new to me! Thanks for the great review and I love the glitches at the end. Relishing scrambled graphics is one of the nice touches with your channel.

[@hungrygoriya]

I wish I remembered how I first learned about it, but it was a pleasant surprise when I did. It was at least as much as I was hoping it would be despite the difficulty in the dungeons. Nothing quite like a good graphics corruption, right? I was running so hard for the inn since I had just beaten a boss when the game decided to slowly start glitching. I made it! :D

[@LeoStaley]

Just found your channel and that faxanadu death music for your intro just brings me failure nostalgia.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's also the password music if you want to spin that around into something more positive, haha

[@snoopyrogain541]

Wow! A great early Christmas present. Thank you for this and this great review. I hope you have a great Christmas.

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww that's very sweet! I hope you enjoyed the video. Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@altalksgaminglive6870]

PROS: Meme-able NPCs Lots of Detail in environment portraits Helpful instructions with no non-sense item lists CONS: Lack of dynamics with sword fighting Inventory Can't pet the cats This was a great play thru to watch/listen to and I like how at the end of the review you snuck in the footage of corruption, the game's true, harrowing escape.

[@hungrygoriya]

Not being able the pet the cats was truly the worst part! And this is a great summary :) A list just like this usually how I plan my writing! Thank you very much for hanging out in the streams and also coming here to watch the video. That corruption part was so scary, after beating the boss and trying to get to that save... haha! I love putting stuff in that was memorable to me or people on the stream at the end usually. That definitely made the cut this time around.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

Never heard about this Game here in Germany

[@hungrygoriya]

That's too bad. It's a fun one and worth playing if you get the chance to.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

@@hungrygoriya ok thanks for the Info 👍

[@Mamiya645]

Happy holidays, fave reviewer I subscribed to in 2020 if I remember correctly. The modern console jank has me and others going back to the olden days to feel "playing a game" and not "hello please sit down with popcorn and wallet", and your channel is a great big list of forgotten and mostly unheard of classics to go through.

[@hungrygoriya]

That is very kind of you to say. I'm honoured :) Thanks so much! I hope that next year will bring lots of new and exciting games to review here. Thanks for the continued support!

[@hungrygoriya]

@Boco Corwin That's very nice to hear. I'm sorry that the uploads haven't been as regular lately, but hopefully I can get back on track soon. I appreciate your enthusiasm though. It makes it all worth it!

[@mcneleon]

Excellent review! Loved the nod to the glitch save run at the end. Have an amazing Christmas and stay safe!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much for the Christmas wishes... I hope you have a lovely holiday as well! And thanks... running for that inn after just finishing a boss as the cartridge was giving up was so scary. I'm glad we made it. Rarely do games hang on that long!

[@tallgeese199x9]

I’m traveling the KZbin wormhole, Daria brought me here...amazing content. +1 sub.

[@hungrygoriya]

Daria's a wonderful person. I'm so grateful for whenever she's taken the time to mention me or send people my way! Thanks for stopping in and for the kind words.

[@yaelm.oyolacintron8461]

I really love your reviews on retro gaming. Thanks for your work!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thank you very much!

[@docheckfire3979]

Great video! I hadn't known much about this one and it looks pretty cool. I feel like so many games had cave mazes like those ice caves - can't understand how anybody ever found that fun lol.

[@hungrygoriya]

It was hands down the most unfun part of the whole game, no question! Door mazes are in soooo many games too. Ugh.

[@st1ka]

Great video! I'd quite like getting my hands on this.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! I hope you can find a copy... it was fun overall. I would recommend it!

[@JeremyNoblitt]

I could listen to you talk forever. Great video. I wanna get this game now. Looks really fun.

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you enjoy the game if you do play it. It's definitely a wonderful time!

[@HybridAngelZero]

I love the style, humor and character design here, it's so charming, but hoo boy this one looks rough to actually play. Kudos to the localization team on this one, though, it seems to be far above and beyond other localizations of its era

[@hungrygoriya]

You nailed it... parts of it were unfairly complex and I don't know if I would've had the patience to map everything out on my own if I hadn't streamed the games. I would've totally looked up maps online I think and saved myself the trouble, but where's the fun in that? :D

[@HybridAngelZero]

@@hungrygoriya Definitely feels like it was designed to sell strategy guides or Nintendo Power issues xD

[@davidlanier7508]

i loved this game when i was a kid. if you enter your name as GaoGao you will start with max health and all your magic spells (so you can see those darn invisible enemies) i wish i still had my copy of this game i remember spending all my weekends playing it. thank you so much Hungry Goriya for taking all of us on a trip down memory lane :) Keep up the great work.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's my pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to watch, and for the tips. Do you know the significance of the name for the cheats?

[@davidlanier7508]

@@hungrygoriya i am not sure of the origin of the word GaoGao, or the significance of it to the game.

[@davidlanier7508]

@@hungrygoriya any chance you tried that code out to see how much easier it makes the game?

[@hungrygoriya]

@@davidlanier7508 I haven't come back to it yet, unfortunately.

[@davidlanier7508]

@@hungrygoriya thats ok keep up the awesome work :) i love your content :)

[@thewingedavenger1007]

This is the only actual review of this game as far as I can tell. I've heard general abuse launched at it a few times, but no one seems to give any real info about it. I knew next to nothing about this one, but you've put it high on my bucket list, since you mentioned many aspects that I look for in an RPG, including features that annoy most people, i.e. complex, confusing dungeons and the risk of your last torch running out in the middle of one. Your reviews do a great job of telling people whether they'd like a game or not if they played it. Even when I disagree with your overall opinion of a game, your review does what reviews are supposed to do. It boggles my mind why most reviewers seem incapable of understanding why they like or dislike a game, and putting it into words.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you found the review useful and informative. I think you'd really enjoy this one based on our previous chats in the comment section of a few videos. I've always tried to personalize my reviews for this very reason rather than just summarizing a plot or talking about history. All of that's available online already in various forms. It's useful information, but not quite what I'm going for. I hope you enjoy this one if you play it!

[@donsnover2585]

Wow zi never heard of this game and it sounds right up my alley, thanks for the review I'll have to try it

[@hungrygoriya]

Enjoy your time with it! Other than a few rather miserable areas I tried to highlight, the rest is really good.

[@WallyWallcakes]

Heck yes. I lurked a lot while you streamed this and I'm going to add this to the 7th Saga list of games that I "don't need to play because Hungry did it for me". Great video, once again! Thank you for sharing :)

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you've been able to live vicariously through me. I do the same with you and some of those wrasslin' games you play :) Thanks for stopping by!

[@azaze88]

Just found this channel and it's great, thank you

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad to hear your're enjoying the videos here. Thanks for checking it out!

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

I love reviews like this, because this is one of those games I'm interested in but don't think I'll ever play through myself :P Every once in awhile I'll hear about something interesting like Radia Senki/Chronicles of the Radia War, Brave Battle Saga, or this and be like, "I should look into playing that!" and then I'll remember that playing through older RPGs is a _pretty big_ timesink, and oftentimes features something kinda tedious like loads of grinding or map-making or just obtuse design elements to grapple with. It's just too hard to keep that kind of thing in my rotation along newer stuff. So I really appreciate good reviews of obscurities like this. Thanks for showing off another interesting title, especially on Christmas Eve! Your present to us is another great video :D

[@hungrygoriya]

You're absolutely right.. these games can be a huge time sink and I think I'm immune to feeling that way since I stream multiple times a week and put time aside for these older games... I don't know that I'd play through a lot of these games without chat for company, but it's much easier to grind with others, you know? Happy to help play through some stuff most people might not want to though! Every game deserves its day in the sun. Thanks so much for your kind words, and the happiest of holidays to you! I'm honoured you consider my videos a gift. It truly means the world to me.

[@XyNoST]

The combat system looks a little bit like Tecmo's Chronicles of Radia War (Radia Senki: Reimehen) on Famicom !

[@hungrygoriya]

I can't say I'm familiar with that one, but I really did enjoy the combat here!

[@infinitecanadian]

Really, you like seeing a building fall down when you beat a boss? Diva of Destruction!

[@nipulkradmsinatagras8293]

The open world (that looked a golf course of an *NES Golf* game) is what caught my attention at first.

[@hungrygoriya]

Black Box Golf or NES Open? There's a ton of either game here, you're right!

[@nipulkradmsinatagras8293]

Ah yes! *NES Open* is the one!

[@bazdaniels7420]

Wow I never looked at this game before, I'm sure I would have loved it back in the 90s. I like the glitced-out screen at the end, nice touch x)

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm sure you would've gotten on great with it. It was a pleasant surprise! And I can't describe how scary it was trying to get back to town to save while the game was freaking out. I had just finished a dungeon or something and was trying to get back to town to save... the commentary there was mostly "oh no OH NO RUN GO" hahaha

[@Appl908]

I loved your voice. So relaxing. I can fall asleep with it.

[@Bubblerlol]

Wow you know its a tough game when Hungry Goriya actually looks up that ice maze!!

[@hungrygoriya]

I was not happy with that part... I went through four or five doors and squinted at a tiny map in the manual and went: nope. Not doing this hahaha

[@Bubblerlol]

@@hungrygoriya I am so happy youtube decided to shove you into my feed, even when i go back to 2 or 3 years ago your content is consistant as hell!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Bubblerlol Oh nice! I'm trying to learn a little bit of new editing with every video but I'm glad the tone and feel is consistent. That makes me happy to hear!

[@plateoshrimp9685]

Great as always! I’m amazed that you’re able to dig up NES games I’ve never heard of before that aren’t total junk!

[@hungrygoriya]

I wish I could remember where I heard of this game for the first time. I was so excited to try it out since it seemed like just the ticket, and overall the experience was very positive! I'd recommend giving it a go.

[@mattlockwood6089]

Castlevania symphony of the night must have gotten the idea from Faria for the glasses revealing hidden elements of the game. I personally haven't came across any other game that did this

[@hungrygoriya]

It's definitely possible! I wonder what the first instance of that mechanic is.

[@iami3rian394]

Ok, between this, and dragon crystal I'm in love with your channel. A new game for me on the master system makes sense, but to find out about an awesome NES game I skipped? Incredible. I'm loading up a new save right now. = D Our tastes in games align so well, I just have to watch your reviews and I'll know what to expect.

[@hungrygoriya]

Hooray! Glad you're enjoying the channel. I hope you have good luck with Faria as well... it's a game I really enjoyed but it's a little mean in places. I try to keep my reviews mostly spoiler-free in terms of plot/story and occasionally show things out of context from later in the game, so as long as you're okay with that, the videos should keep the experience pretty pure. Enjoy Faria!

[@iami3rian394]

@@hungrygoriya I don't mind spoilers here and there. I kinda... binged all of your reviews, already. = ) I have a couple questions. First, when do you usually stream on twitch, do you have a schedule or anything? I'd love to catch one or two. I'm probably gonna go peruse your vods in a bit. Secondly, have you played Zillion 2? I'm curious if it's more of the same, or if they went way out there, a la Zelda 2. Oh, have you played any of the rest of the Ultima series? Exodus is great, and I think it would be right up your alley... once you figure out what needs to be done. I'm gonna give it a run (it's one of my faves, I've actually spent quite a bit if time drawing my characters), before quest of the avatar. You totally talked me into the new(er) alignment thing. Always kinda thought it was... not for me, let's say. And then of course warriors of destiny. Might even hit up the Gameboy games as well as the SNES games after that. So many games, so little time. You'll be happy to hear I'm in the beginning of a Golden Axe Warrior run right now as well. = ) EDIT: I don't suppose you ha e a PDF of the instructions? The only site I can find them on wants my credit card and says when the trial is over they'll charge $49.99 a month (in VERY tiny print, so that's shady as heck). EDIT2: NVM, I managed to talk my phone into downloading it anyway. = D

[@hungrygoriya]

@@iami3rian394 It'd be great if you could stop by the streams sometime. I'm usually up Sunday/Monday/Thursday around 7:30 ET, and Friday afternoons at noon ET. That said, I am having my gallbladder removed this week on Thursday so after my stream this evening, I'm taking a little hiatus, but I'll be back as soon as I can be. I'll be starting up Ultima V when I'm recovered so funny you asked! I haven't played Exodus yet. I've played a bit of Zillion 2 but couldn't make it too far in. There seems to be a sidescrolling platformer in there after an autoscrolling section at the beginning, but what lies beyond in terms of the meat and potatoes of the game is still a mystery to me. Glad to hear you're going to give Golden Axe Warrior a shot. I hope you have a blast with it! And good to hear that you didn't spend a bunch of money on resources! Sega Retro (the website) has almost all Sega manuals archived if you ever need to access one for free.

[@RoninCatholic]

Oh man, those caves' light mechanics look like about 80% of my ideal cave exploration resource management mechanics. Let the player see a SINGLE space when out of light fuel (LAMP OIL in my case for meme reasons) and have the cone start slightly larger and gradually shrink as a given application of fuel runs low and we're really cooking with darkness...

[@hungrygoriya]

Oooo perhaps something to add to your list to play then?

[@RoninCatholic]

@@hungrygoriya And a feature to consider as a developer. I really loved torches in Dragon Warrior 1 and miss how they (and illuminatino spells) have been absent from the dungeons of the series since, and most of the genre. It always felt like something that needed refinement, not removal.

[@ghoulsarefree]

Nice video quality. I'm glad you took the time to make maps and appreciate the game for what it is. Have you played Crystalis or Radia Senki?

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much! I've played Crystalis but not the latter. That game was also very fun and some of the combat there came flooding back when I played Faria.

[@ghoulsarefree]

@@hungrygoriya It occurs to me that Radia Senki didn't make it from Famicom to NES, so the only version for English speakers would be a ROM hack. Usually it's 16-bit consoles that are associated with action RPGs, so these ones on NES intrigue me.

[@fernfernacelli]

Cooooool - I was wonder about this one, actually! Yet another AMAZING review (of note: orders of MAGNITUDE bette than the old-school magazine reviews... awesome. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! :D

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww thank you! That is very kind :) Happy holidays to you as well!

[@glovarm]

Merry Christmas, Goriya.

[@hungrygoriya]

Merry Christmas to you as well! Thanks for stopping in.

[@w.qualls7930]

That art is impressive, even if some of those guys look like Dr. Giro meets Uncle Fester. The sword would've definitely been better with a wide, sweeping arc like you see in the Gameboy Zelda titles. Or maybe an aiming square like in Rune Factory, where things are on a grid but move as if they're not. Oof, darkness mechanics and invisible enemies with projectiles? Bold design choice.

[@hungrygoriya]

I had to look up Dr. Giro and I agree haha... I appreciated how grumpy that one character always looked. And in Golden Axe Warrior like I mentioned, you go from a poking sword to the axe which has that sweeping range at least, or even in Faxanadu, your weapons get longer as time goes on. It would've been great to see some of that here but alas. At least things died faster! Those invisible enemies were the absolute worst. They're still horrible even when you can see them because they teleport all over the place. Definitely bold!

[@w.qualls7930]

@@hungrygoriya dang, big Wizzrobe energy there. At least they didn't pull a Hydlide and expect you to kill them all in a single attack before it counted. Small mercies. 😂

[@gwgux]

Never heard of this one! I've been discovering a lot of things I haven't heard about by watching these videos!

[@hungrygoriya]

I can't recommend it enough. It's got such a great sense of humour and apart from the invisible enemies and the mean maze, it was totally manageable.

[@redmage777]

With the recent release of the remake of Star Ocean 2, I was reminded of this game and was wondering if it might me related in some way? The action based battle system and over theme of the game feel like it _could_ be an earlier work by (part of) the same team.

[@hungrygoriya]

I actually haven't played Star Ocean at all, but I'm curious to know as well!

[@Nodjia]

This game looks like a fantastic localization with an interesting looking overworld. It has an uncanny valley effect on me, as I cannot help but see the spritework of the first zelda game in the combat screens (specifically the sword poke and the invisible wizrobe beams), and the UI elements are strikingly similar to Crystalis (another fine game of it's time). The cave sections remind me a lot of Sword of Vermillion (a genesis game), though it didn't look like they tried to do a tank control scheme with it.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'd say you're right about all of those things! I'd recommend it if you liked any one of those games even a little bit, and it seems like you do!

[@TheMultiGunMan]

Great review as always. Thank you for sharing with us. I really like the old school RPG's.

[@hungrygoriya]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching, as always!

[@RT55J]

Great review, and merry Christmas!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks, you too!

[@Nesseight]

Last time I was this early to a video someone had set out some food.

[@StiffAftermath]

Like many NES games, the ideas are solid, but all they need is quality of life tweeks to make them into true masterpeices! I found Lua Scripts (for emulators) that have done just that but Id love NES remasters (retaining the og graphics and (mostly) music assets) of Faxanadu, Willow, Rygar, Star Tropics, Ultima IV, Faria..

[@hungrygoriya]

I'd love all of those remasters as well. Just a little tidying up here and there would bring all those games up a few pegs in my books.

[@bigbadhodad3894]

Ive had this rom for a long time, I always thought it was an old game, so I avoided it, however, it looks like Crystalis so I will probably try it out soon. thank you !

[@hungrygoriya]

It has some similarities to Crystalis but some key differences as well. I hope you enjoy your time with it!

[@skeletorment]

It kind of reminds me of Sword of Vermilion in the way it handles combat and cave exploration.

[@hungrygoriya]

I have not yet played Sword of Vermillion! That's really interesting though... I have that game and enjoyed Faria enough that I'd like to give it a try as well.

[@skeletorment]

@@hungrygoriya It used to be one of my favorite games back in my "poor days." I think you'd really enjoy it.

[@kenkooldad8900]

What a great channel. Thanks for the awesome content.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks very much :) I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Protoman00]

This is a great Christmas present! Merry Christmas!

[@hungrygoriya]

Merry Christmas to you too :)

[@HWFchamp]

Just discovered this channel through SNES Drunk/NES friend. Fantastic stuff! Can't wait to go through the back catalog!

[@hungrygoriya]

It's always nice when people find me through that podcast... what a wonderful opportunity that was! I am forever grateful to SNESDrunk and NESFriend for having me on! Enjoy the adventure!

[@miketate3445]

I'm shocked I've never even heard of this game. Will play... with a guide!

[@hungrygoriya]

The guide will be helpful, especially for those caves and dungeons. They can be quite sneaky! Good luck to you!

[@mariofisher6340]

the ice cave in this one seems like going threw impa's ways in zelda parallel worlds.

[@hungrygoriya]

I haven't tried that hack out yet. This comparison makes me not want to, haha

[@mariofisher6340]

@@hungrygoriya yeah the game is brutal. i almost completed it but my hd failed and didn't want to put myself threw that again. for a good part of the beginning the only weapon is pots.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@mariofisher6340 That doesn't sound like much fun at all. Sorry you lost your save :( That sounds terrible.

[@CalaveraSancho]

The princess reminded me of Caterpie, or something out of Nausica. A fun RPG though, on par with Crysalis in my book.

[@CRYOKnox]

Very interesting. You tube suggested it and because i realy like ild games i followes it. Absolutely worth it. Thanks for your review i will add tbis game to my look out list. Jappy end of the year celebrations.

[@hungrygoriya]

Right on! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck tracking down a copy for yourself.

[@CRYOKnox]

@@hungrygoriya thank you it will be hard not knowing atm if this game ever had any european releases. But i think the possibility may come sometime. Sorry for allnthe typos above it was allready after 1 am (now after 3 am here) and definitely not the time for second languages or typing on a phone partly awake😅 Stay save and sane.

[@miroslavzima8856]

Very pleasant review :) I really can't believe how patient i was back then xD

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, this one took some serious patience. And good job getting out of those ice caves... holy smokes!

[@miroslavzima8856]

@@hungrygoriya I can tell you exactly - 13 hours. My parents were away and I was at home with my younger brother. So this kept him busy, too x) I´ve seen more of your reviews and they are really great! Pleasant to hear, informative and cover everything possible. I almost forgot how deep some of those games were even for OLD games!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@miroslavzima8856 Those sound like some wonderful memories though... congratulations on getting through! And thanks very much for the compliments. I'm thrilled that people are enjoying what I'm doing here, and I hope to keep doing it for a long time. I'm also pretty surprised at how fleshed out some of these games are too, especially when I get into something pretty layered on the Game Boy or something!

[@miroslavzima8856]

@@hungrygoriya Gaming is like album of memories for me. Friends, brother, even parents - my mom was MUCH better at games than we together xD And helped us when we got stuck. Dad was like child in candy store, when we got wheel controller and Need for speed 3 - and both didn't liked games AT ALL! Please continue! There isnt enough of gameresses.Even though I like that snarky, brutish reviews, yours are relaxing and welcoming fresh breeze :)

[@Jasonhoods]

I absolutely love your channel. How old are you? I'm 37 so I remember all these games you're covering and many of them are never talked about.

[@hungrygoriya]

We are around the same age! And thanks about the channel!

[@brucemckinlay9739]

I played this as a kid and could NOT for the life of me finish the second dungeon. I tried drawing a map and everything. Had to quit and never played it again.

[@hungrygoriya]

The second dungeon gave me a ton of trouble as well. Once I got a handle on the floors being stacked, it made a lot more sense and I was able to get through, but before that I had no luck at all.

[@skuzzbunny]

this looks lovely, thank you so much!!!!!

[@hungrygoriya]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@HaldamirElensar]

Loving your Videos... Let. Me ask you... In which game was mostly annoying to be "Mapping" (I mean drawing the map by yourself) between FARIA n SHINING IN THE DARKNESS?

[@hungrygoriya]

I'd say they both had their challenges. Shining in the Darkness' maps were just huge, so I messed up counting steps a lot and my maps are a bit weird. This game just had a lot going on in a much smaller scale so I'd miss details more often. Shining in the Darkness' were definitely trickier to keep track of though.

[@HaldamirElensar]

@@hungrygoriya thanks for the answer I'll keep watching your videos. Liking and subscribed!

[@Harie0]

I'm not sure I've seen this game before. Most of it looked unfamiliar until I saw the old man sprite. I definately never saw it in play before. I'm really tempted to give it a try. The caves remind me of the first Dragon Quest/warrior where you had to use torches or the light spell to see in them, but neither illuminated the entire screen. Having to map dungeons, needed something to see inside, fake walls, and one way walls. Yeah, definately inspired by old first person RPGs on PC.... well they weren't old at the time.

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you do get a chance to try this one... it's a lot of fun if you have the patience for it, which I do in droves. And I agree with you about the Dragon Warrior torch. It was the same in Ys: Vanished Omens for the Master System, and I was also terribly lost in those places as well! Good luck if you give it a go!

[@fandarzelig]

Yay! Merry Christmas!

[@hungrygoriya]

Same to you! All the best in the new year!

[@winterland3253]

This game looks awesome, I wonder how many other forgotten jrpg gems are still to be discovered

[@hungrygoriya]

It's pretty great for a lot of reasons. The dungeons and caves are quite cumbersome, but I still really enjoyed it overall. I recommend it for sure!

[@phonotical]

I love those illustrated maps that came with games, game you a bit more of an immerse feeling, maybe also a false memory? I am also struck by how blocky some maps are too, why not use a square tile but with some random curves rather than rounded corners, sure it would mean a little more space, but an invaluable asset

[@hungrygoriya]

For sure! There was a map you could mail away for and I think I linked it in the description... it's beautiful! I would've totally wanted to get my hands on that as a kid if I'd owned this game back then.

[@phonotical]

@@hungrygoriya trouble is now as an adult you want these things and then you have to get a half way decent special size frame made up for them, rather than damage something you just paid for by tacking it to a wall 😅

[@hungrygoriya]

@@phonotical I ran out of wall space a long time ago!

[@heavysystemsinc.]

I had this game on cart for a brief moment, and yeah, the invisible monsters at the beginning definitely kept me from giving this one any chance at all. Even Hydlide was more inviting (a game I *did* indeed actually complete instead!). Now that I know much of the game is maze navigation, it still doesn't really feel like one I'll ever play through, at least not without save states. I have it on a multicart now and skip right past it every time I throw it in my machine. A lot of games have annoying elements that are forgivable, but for me, I think Faria is death by a thousand paper cuts in some ways. I'm impressed you managed to go through the whole game. As much patience as I have for a lot of genres and developer quirks, Faria always had and probably always will rub me the wrong way.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, the mazes and invisible enemies are the trickiest parts. Definitely not a game for everyone, but I liked the story and its sense of humour. That saw me through! I still need to play Hydlide one of these days.

[@ChrisLeeW00]

I've never heard of this game, looks interesting!

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a fun one! Thanks for watching!

[@matthewstorkson7889]

You should do some reviews on the games that are on the switch nes app. Like the Immortal. I watched Avgn play it but he also hated Bill and Ted but you figured it out.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'd love to try out Immortal honestly... I do have a game list I'm actively working through but I can always throw some extras into the mix. Let's see what I can manage! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Noichi08]

1:46 was that Caterpie the pokemon?

[@hungrygoriya]

Looks like it eh?

[@Retrofun69]

Never played this one but it reminds me of a fan translated game called CHRONICLES OF THE RADIA WAR. Please play it! its a gem!

[@hungrygoriya]

Cool! Never heard of it!

[@jaychild78]

Awesome video!!

[@EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay]

Will she ever review an 8 or 16 bit ARPG without mentioning "Golden Axe Warrior"? I don't think she will.

[@hungrygoriya]

I just really like that one. What can I say? :) There's a lot to draw from that experience to these other games I've played.

[@BoboBreez]

10:59 whos that pokemon?

[@CurlyFromTheSwirly]

Elephants with dinner plates for eyes. 🤣

[@hungrygoriya]

They're so excited!

[@phonotical]

were the graphical errors a result of the capture method or was the game actually like that the whole way through? it would have infuriated me! sounds like this game did its fair share of aggrovating you! happy christmas far away friend!

[@hungrygoriya]

The graphical errors at the end? That was right after I beat a boss and the game started corrupting. I was recording from an NES with the game, so I guess it just wasn't seated well. I miraculously made it super far without the game freezing on me completely. Total relief :D And happy Christmas to you as well! Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a happy new year as well!

[@phonotical]

@@hungrygoriya before then I mean, like with the edge of the image clipping as you walked about, I hope the new year is kind to you! 🌹

[@TronixGuy93]

It's funny you talk about the combat system of a game from the mid 80-s as if it were from 1995. Considering it was a PONG of it's day as a combo zelda-ff clone.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think it has some pretty interesting mechanics! Being a mix of two different kinds of games, it does both sides pretty well in my opinion.

[@adamb89]

"The good sorcerors told the king Should the Wizard ever escape from within this special sword, only a warrior from a faraway land will be able to defeat him!" The king thought about this, and realized his sorcerors are stupid. So he fired them all, and hired the A-Team instead. They blew the wizard up with some kind of weird contraption, and everyone was happy.

[@oggggo]

Looking at this game, it reminds me of Crystalis.

[@hungrygoriya]

The battles certainly feel like it! Totally!

[@thequestion2859]

I did a quick search and found unfortunately this game has no Romhacking scene. If someone out there fixed a few issues with this one and cleaned up the graphics maybe reworked a few things I'd definitely play it!

[@hungrygoriya]

What's troubling you about it? It's not too bad in its current form except for that one horrible cave I mentioned.

[@phonotical]

Thinking about it, I think this is why link from zelda swings the sword, so you have the full range of the block in front of you, one way that might be shown to be true is when you can use your sword to poke the wall, where there it can be very specific I thought I'd not seen anything from you in a while and then I saw this, turns out, nope I did see it, but I think I fell asleep (no slight on you!) voice way l too comforting in a sleepy mood 😅 I do love your way with words, do people in the real world say you are well spoken too? Hoping this new year is better to you than the last 😊

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, I wish there had been a bit more range for sure, but it was definitely manageable with some practice at least! And yep, I've got another video underway, hopefully coming out this week sometime. And I'm not worried at all about people falling asleep listening. I can see playlists people have added my videos to, and a lot of them are "sleep" hahaha :) I am told very often that I'm extremely polite. I don't mind it though!

[@phonotical]

@@hungrygoriya it has been a rough few days... And weeks for me sleeping wise, anxiety and insomnia, woo... but you throw in something that gives you good details without being, how to explain, harsh or in your face(?) , something that just feeds the brain with good things, while being entertaining, I imagine that is what a good book must be like 😊 You are incredibly polite, certainly from what I have seen here and your interactions with me, you are admirable! Good luck editing your video🍀

[@backinthedaygamer]

So I refuse to look things up bc there was no internet back in the day. Do I even have a chance of beating this? The one dungeon that has 80+ choices!? Other than that I like what I see lol

[@hungrygoriya]

I mean, somebody had to get through it back then so I'm sure it's possible... I just had no patience that day given how much other playing I'd done without resorting to maps. I hope you'll give it a whirl. Good luck if you do!

[@Lucasub-Seiyuu]

The portraits are really nice. ^^

[@hungrygoriya]

I like them so much! There were some other really beautiful portraits from the end of the game that I only showed one of here since I didn't want to spoil it, but there's more great art in the ending credits/sequence if you want to track that down.

[@Lucasub-Seiyuu]

@@hungrygoriya Oooh! I definitely will check it out! I have always loved games that had nice artwork. The Ys games had nice portraits, as well!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Lucasub-Seiyuu Enjoy! Miracle Warriors for the Master System also had some nice portrait art, but it's nowhere near this quality.

[@Lucasub-Seiyuu]

@@hungrygoriya Thank you very much, Hungry Goriya!