Comparable to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Breath of Fire, and Star Ocean - Genesis RPG fans rejoice!
Crusader of Centy is a Zelda-style RPG for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Compared to the success of Zelda, this game should have gotten a lot more attention (in my opinion). Is it wrong to say I liked this game more than the original Zelda? Zelda is a very entertaining and addicting game, but Crusader of Centy also has a way of entertaining and (although comparing an 8-bit game to a 16-bit game should'nt be fair) in an even funner way than Zelda. You start at the beginning of an entertaining story, and move on to fight many monsters in a role-playing action-filled adventure. Sadly, it's not too popular due to the fact of Nintendo's oh-so-popular-and-addicting Zelda series, and was over-shadowed. It should have gotten more attention (or maybe even a sequel) but sadly, Zelda existed. Not sad for us, Zelda's awesome, just sad for the game.
Gameplay - 8.9
Gameplay is rather simple. You won't need a manual for this game. Communicate, kill, repeat. The story is also very easy to grasp. All you have to do is talk to people to get what's going on. It seems to be a Zelda clone (and a good one at that), but combined with Final Fantasy (not the battle system, but everything else). Slash your sword to kill enemies and exterminate greenery in your assist of global warming (just a joke, but very much similar to Zelda in the aspect of chopping those bushes). The monsters, at the beginning, look a little comical, but don't worry--you'll be facing some serious ones later on. By serious I mean epic boss battle Ganon/Garland-esque time. I guess the developers wanted to throw something in there so it wouldn't seem too much like a rip-off of Zelda, so you also have the feature of communicating with animals. Wise choice, developers. Talking to animals really adds a kiddish but interesting and fun twist.
Graphics - 8
What kind of graphics would you expect from a retro top-down RPG? These 16-bit graphics are similar to those in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The people, animals, scenery, enemies, and overall color is well done.
Story - 10
For the time it came out, I've gotta give the story a 10. It starts at a base similar to that of Zelda's, but grows onto something else. The main character, Carona, loses the ability to communicate normally with people, but realizes his ability to communicate with animals is just beginning. The story is extremely immersive and, though the story does starts slow instead of jumping into it immediately like Final Fantasy, follow the story with patience and it will get interesting.
If you're an RPG fan and own a Genesis or Mega Drive, this is probably your best bet. Play Crusader of Centy to be impressed.