Virtual Hydlide
| Developer: T&E Soft | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Sega | Sound: |
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| Year: 1995 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-adventure | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
4/10 | |
This is one of those games with an impossible-to-remember title, which took me ages to find again. That’s actually why I’m referencing it on the site. I’ll know where to look when I forget its name again.
It’s a remake of Hydlide, a Zelda derivative that was released in late 1984 on microcomputers in Japan, before being adapted for the NES in 1986 (then translated into English and exported in 1989). It spawned a first sequel, released only in Japan, then a second one, known in Europe as Super Hydlide (Sega Genesis, 1990–1991).
The entire series carries a very poor reputation. Video content creators particularly enjoy mocking Virtual Hydlide for its kitsch appearance and its rickety frame rate (about twenty frames per second in the best moments). It must be said that the developer was known for their golf games, and they likely reused one of their 3D engines, which was certainly not designed to meet the needs of a role-playing game … or action game … or anything featuring a multitude of animated creatures.
The story can be summarised thus: evil wizard, kind princess, three little fairies. Actually, that’s not a summary, that’s the entire script.
Graphically, the environment consists of an assortment of greyish or greenish pixelated textures. Objects are represented by sprites (2D images) that the console tries its best to resize in real time to create a perspective effect. Superimposed in the middle of the screen is Jim, our hero, the proud result of digitising an actor, dressed in a cheap costume and photographed in heroic poses.
I didn’t find the game so ugly at the time. I’m certainly not the best judge, given the look of my website… Nevertheless, let’s say that the Sega Saturn was well supplied with pale and wheezing 3D. This game at least had the merit of conveying a visual identity (perhaps unintentionally), so much so that I readily accepted the illusion of roaming an open and sinister world, many years before The Elder Scrolls series…
Oops, The Elder Scrolls: Arena came out in 1994! I was thinking of Daggerfall (1996) and Morrowind (2002).
Moreover, the clumsy camera movements and jerky animation hadn’t bothered me excessively. Once again, I was used to it. I also remember appreciating the random world generation and even the weight management in the inventory, which in principle led players to choose between a heavy weapon and light armour, or vice versa. The idea unfortunately remains unexploited. However, one must admit that the “unmatched gameplay depth and longevity” boasted on the back of the box [In French. – Ed.] is slightly exaggerated.
There are no non-player characters (except for the damsel) and therefore no dialogue. Combat doesn’t yield experience points or loot, so there’s little reason in slaying monsters except to increase the “score”. You’ll realise later, however, that this score equates to the number of gold coins accumulated, which can be spent in the game’s only shop. Two items in particular improve the level of your weapon and armour/shield. So there is indeed a form of (very expensive) additional progression, intended for players who want to kill everything that moves. That said, I’m not sure these items remain available in difficulty levels above “easy”. Try it and let me know!
Honestly, if I liked the game, it was surely because it’s very forgiving (in the default easy difficulty setting). The health bar regenerates on its own (after sheathing your weapon) and the direction to the objective is permanently indicated on the compass or map. The “procedural” world doesn’t prevent the adventure from following a linear and directed progression.
So, what about it today, after revisiting it? I know you came to this page to read mockery, so I’ll oblige: I had a better time than with Baldur’s Gate 3! Yes, I’m at it again. Despite the choppy animation and visibility issues, would you believe I actually hit my targets more often! No dice rolls, no pompous dialogue, and above all, no jars! Can you sense how liberated and happy I feel since I decided to stop forcing myself to play Baldur’s Gate 3? I’d almost want to get my hands on Excalibur 2555 AD again. I said almost!
I owned heaps of mediocre games in my youth, particularly on Saturn (I found them second-hand and prioritised quantity), but few of them left me with good memories, or any memories at all. Virtual Hydlide stands out for its status as a video game turkey; very imperfect, but made with heart and a tiny budget, or at least finished in a great hurry (you can tell the ending is rushed when the game literally teleports you to the final boss’s “dungeon”, consisting of a single corridor).
By the way, a modern game whose atmosphere strangely reminds me of Virtual Hydlide: Valheim. Take that as you will…
I know what you’re thinking while admiring these images. It’s not that I was ashamed to wear my stylish fairy armour; I simply missed it, even though it was waiting for me in one of the game’s first dungeons. I went back to get it, just before facing the final boss.
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