Prophecy I: The Viking Child
| Developer: Imagitec | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Electronic Zoo | Sound: |
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| Year: 1990 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
I bought this game at a flea market, the Game Boy version. Much later, I discovered it had been released on the Amiga. I wasn’t disappointed!
It’s a platform/adventure game that seems silly at first glance, but turns out to be surprisingly more fun than most of its genre peers. It closely resembles Wonder Boy: Monster Land (arcade, 1987), though it’s presented much better (as you’d expect from a later release).
You control Brian, a Viking kid who’s been asked to head down to Valhalla to kick the god Loki’s backside. Loki has destroyed his village and kidnapped all its inhabitants…
The controls feel a bit stiff in the first few minutes, the hero’s reach is laughable, and you’ll be hit quite often. Fortunately, you’re given around twenty health points, and the decent collision detection paired with the responsive controls means you adapt fairly quickly.
The monsters occasionally drop coins and other items to collect, and if at any point you see a door in the background, press “Enter” to make a few purchases at the local store (special weapons, health points, etc.).
In conclusion, this little game has it all: a charming look, a manageable difficulty, a password system, and a variety that’s often missing elsewhere. I even managed to put up with the music for several hours without throwing anything across the room!
The only downside, in my opinion, is being forced (once again) to choose between the music and sound effects. And contrary to what the title suggests, I don’t think there was ever a sequel… You’ll have to settle for the ones from Wonder Boy, on an arcade emulator, of course!
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