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In the fewest words, "The Krion Conquest" is a Mega Man clone, lifting virtually all of its core gameplay elements from Capcom's classic series, and what aspects were changed were generally changed for the worse. Yet, even so, the game's sense of awkward charm almost manages to atone for its lack of truly original gameplay. Initially released in Japan as "Magical Doropie," the game lost a great deal in translation- or rather, it had a great deal deliberately confiscated from it at America's borders. Names were changed, virtually all of the story-driving cutscenes were removed, and (most annoyingly) the option to continue upon losing the game was cut, forcing the entire game to be played in a single flawless run to ever be completed. Not that this deprived American audiences the change to see the ending, as the ending was cut as well. Anyway, on to the game as it presently is. The introduction and basic premise of the story remains largely the same as it was in Magical Doropie, despite some unimportant name-changes. Earth is under attack from a race of alien robots called "The Krion," against whom all known weapons are ineffective. Humans are pushed to the brink of extinction by the brutal machines, until a ray of hope surfaces in a walking non-sequitur named Francesca. This cute and whimsical witch girl can single-handedly decimate entire armies of Krion based on the principle that genocidal robots have absolutely no natural defense against magic wands. Thus, the peppy and bright-eyed Francesca sets out to spark, bubble, and broom the evil Krion to their doom. So it goes. No more is said from there. Now, the player controls Francesca, running and jumping through a side-scrolling platform world and shooting evil robots with her wand. She can cast a total of six different spells, which function much like Mega Man's special weapons, and depending on which spell is equipped, her outfit will turn a different color. Unlike Mega Man's powers, however, there is no "weapon energy" gauge, as nearly all of Francesca's spells can be performed indefinitely. Furthermore, there are no "earned" powers- all spells are available right from the start. On one hand, this weapons system should supposedly make the game a bit more flexible, permitting players to use whichever form they choose for as long as they like. However, the levels are arranged in such a way that there is almost always a "correct" spell to use for each obstacle, and because there is no "continue" feature (and thus virtually no room for error), it is easy to spend too much time switching to the ideal form and not enough time simply enjoying the game. Furthermore, with a linear stage sequence and no password or save feature, the game becomes tremendously repetitive, demanding the same sequence of strategies each time the game is powered on. Artistically, The Krion Conquest is quite beautiful, with a cute and cartoonish world that flourishes even within its 8-bit confines. The controls can be slightly buggy, but in general it plays well. The music is nothing special, but certainly nothing to complain about. Because The Krion Conquest tries so hard to copy a successful franchise, it is certainly one of the more pleasant gaming experiences the NES has to offer, though it falls vastly short of the best. Even to a connoisseur, however, it is at least a refreshingly charming (if not wholly unremarkable) change of scenery from the mainstream classics it attempts to emulate.Read full review
"Acceptable" only in a landfill. These boxes have been chewed on by god knows what and that brown stuff ain't exactly dirt. NO collector would find this REMOTELY acceptable! I know this isn't the first time you've listed these and there's a reason they haven't sold before. I'll give you $5 if you promise to burn them!
Verified purchase: No
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