Legend of the River King
Game by Natsume
Reviewed by Webhead (webhead@one.net.au)
Size: 4 megabits
Save: 2 Save Slots
Released: 1998
Works with: All Gameboys

Opening Snide Remarks: An RPG crossed with a Fishing Game, should be
interesting.

Gameplay: This game is basically like Zelda. You roam around, talk to
people, and do what seems like meaningless tasks for them. However,
unlike Zelda, here, instead of fighting in dungeons, you go fishing.
This is done quite well. When you have the right combination of bait,
hook, etc, you get to "play" with the fish. Just pressing the button to
reel him in and you'll lose the fish. Instead you have to tire the
fish. This is pretty cool. There is also a fighting mode. Here we see a
picture of the oponent, a fist moves around the screen, and you press
fire to attack at that location.Another part of this game is a virtual
fish. This is kind of like a Tamagotchi. Like a Tamagotchi, you have to
look after it so that it can evolve. The interesting part is that you
can check on your fish at anytime in the game. Apparently it can
interrupt your game if it needs attention. But I haven't come accross
that yet.

Graphics: Again, above water, it looks like Zelda. Below the water we
switch to side view and the Fish look fantastic. The differences in the
fish are obviousand this allows you to really get the hang of what bait
etc you should be using.

Sound: The sounds are pretty basic but when it comes to fishing, the
sound is really important seeming as though you can't feel the tug on
the line. Instead you get BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! (Press
the button to reel him in).

Music: The music is kind of nice and not really intrusive. The music is
replaced with lapping water and bird calls when you cast that line.

Play Control: The control is exactly how you expect it to be. I love
the way the fishing is handled.

Final Analysis: I liked this game. The fishing adds something I haven't
seen on a gameboy before and it really is a change from your
standard platformer. A rumble feature that's coming out for GBC could
really improve that control of this game, but not by much. If you like
fishing, RPG's or are looking for something different or a change of
pace, then "do yourself a favor" and check this out. Be warned though,
like "real" fishing, this game can be a bit slow at times, possibly too
slow for some people. One more thing, try it on a GBC with the default
color pallette. The water's blue, the grass is green, and the fish are
brown. It looks pretty cool when you reeling in a nice brown fish on a
dark blue water background.

Score 
Gameplay:     *****
Graphics:     ****
Sound:        **  
Music:        ****
Play Control: *****
Total:        ******************** (20 out of 25)

Final Score:  80%


Currently Known Codes: None currently known.