Adventure Islands
Anyway what made this game great for me were three things.
1. Approach: To me the game is sort of "Indiana Jones" mixed with "Zelda".
This game was obviously a Zelda like adventure game only instead of being solely in fantasy "Startropics" was based on pulp fantasy, which was sometimes based on the modern day meeting the fantastic, there always carried with it an innocence and naive charm to it not to mention a creative freedom. This game has all that which sets it apart from most other Action RPGs. The plot line is strange but interesting all the same where you have to save your archoligist uncle from evil ancient aliens that want to rule mankind.
Another thing was truely broke cleches as I stated in setting. Action RPG always for me had that fundamental problem of being in the fantasy relm all the time, this game was still in the fantasy relm but a different kind. This approach was revolutionary for it's time and brought out a lot of other future Action RPGs that were set in a different arena (Shadowrun, Secret of Evermore, Crono Trigger, Earthbond, Resident Evil, you name it). Another thing is the fact that you save a family member instead of a princess all of the time so another cleche broken.
And of course who can forget the fact that you use a yo yo as a weapon which I'll admit is one of the daftest weapons in video games ever but it was one of the most effective and awdsome wepons ever (also used in "Earthbound"). As well as the fact that your assortment of weapons look and seem like everyday objects like sports equipment like a baseball bat and basketballs, slingshots, Nike sneekers, and a few others. This is another cleche broken because usually the weapons would always be guns or swords, I don't have a problem with them but you have to admit those weapons feel like they've been overused. I just love how for once this is based on accessible everyday items, and from the way they magically work against the enimies it looked beleviable and cool.
2. Platforming Dynamics: This was another thing that was revolutionary for it's time. From the graphics being 3-D it really opened up a lot more freedom of movement. The fact that you have the ability to jump to other planes and platforms really gave you an advantage in the game. This was another dynamic that was in a lot of future action/RPGs to come one most notible was "Landstalker".
3. Chalange: This game really isn't that hard but it's not that easy not just from the fact that things start to get harry fruther along but because every new chalange is always a step ahead of you, it doesn't matter how good you are there will be time when the game will pull a fast trick on you that I don't think even Indiana Jones would see a mile away so it may take a little practice to get though that ancent temple or forbidden cave channel. But that just makes the victory all the more sweet because it was your own skill, smarts and enginutiy that won.
There is only one blemish that dates the game a bit which is the talking parts that are a bit long that can take the momentum of the game away a little. But this isn't frequent and only happens in part of the first half of the game, plus things like this were common in most Action/RPG at the time so I can get past that.
Startropics isn't just a game it's an unforgetable adventure.