I played a tiny amount of Neutopia as a kid and thought it was the most amazing thing ever... but that was before I even owned an SNES or played through Link to the Past. This game just seemed so vibrant compared to NES Zelda.
It's a beautiful game and has some fantastic music as well. If it had just let go of my hand once in a while and let me find my own way, I would've liked it a lot more.
Hey it's my favorite TH-cam channel. I just want you to know that I just got out of the hospital and it's really nice to see a video from you. This made my day
In the early 90s when I had to wait for another Zelda game like the original, Nuetopia was amazing. Playing it was fantastic at the time considering I had no idea Golden Axe Warrior existed and Ys Book 1&2 was a month or so away.
For sure! Something to tide you over until the next grand adventure is a good thing. I just wish that this could've also been another grand adventure among the greats of the time as well.
Those first two Ys titles are still some of my favorites of that generation, one of the first gaming epics I remember blowing me away with how huge it seemed. Still hold up well too largely thanks to the updated versions that were put out.
I've yet to play any of the Turbografx Bonk games, but I did try out Super Bonk and its sequel on the SNES/Famicom. They're fun but very weird in their sense of humour. Especially the second one!
This is one of the best LoZ clones along with Golden Axe Warrior. I played through every original Zelda clone I could find and this one was one of the better experiences.
HG, you are my favorite youtube gamer. Your pt analysis and personal experiences are well paced. You have no filler, and I'm thankful I subscribed. I love these old games and its a great trip down memory lane, or like this, a thoughtful take on one I never tried.
I had a TG-16 as a kid and yes I did play Neutopia as a kid and have played through it in the last year or two including Neutopia 2. They are both great for what they are. They are actually fantastic but remember I played it when it was new and I also had a NES and SNES and played through the Zelda's also. Loved them all. Honestly you couldn't have asked for more on the TG-16 for a Zelda clone. Imitation is an art that at times is rarely done so good.
Yeah, I can appreciate the good in Neutopia! I wish it was a little more challenging and didn't spell things out so clearly all the time, but for what it is, it's a good time.
Happy New year. ✨ I often forget turbogfx exist, though my best friend has both that and a wonderswan, never got to play them so it's always nice to see these. I can say as a tot, I could've even read so the straight forward text wouldn't have helped me, but I remember playing Zelda on NES when I was like 3, hehehe..
Happy new year to you as well! I'm glad to finally be getting around to some of these other systems. Better late than never. I almost wish I'd played this game in a different language so I didn't know where to go. I think I would've enjoyed this one a lot more that way.
I do feel like games like Neutopia have a place. One thing that becomes a problem replaying the older Zelda games is... they feel too much like a known quantity. Even if I'm playing a romhack that rearranges the map, I still know "Oh, I should push every block in this room" or if I see a small river blocking my progress, I know the answer is gonna be the stepladder that I get in Dungeon Whatever. Neutopia though, feels me with a sense of mystery. I know its vaguely Zelda-esque but I don't know the rules, I don't know for a fact that I will find a Hookshot in Dungeon X or a super-strength glove under the one statue... or even that I'll find an equivalent. Its fun and mysterious and makes me feel like.... like I'm playing a game for the first time. Of course, the problem is that one day I will finish the game and will know all its secrets... although, I might not have the memory for them that I do for things like the location of Zelda 1's power bracelet. So Neutopia will in a way always be fresh, a collection of "I sorta remember how to do this" or "I sorta remember where that dungeon is," unlike Zelda where years of gaming have ground it into me.
This is a great point! Neutopia's definitely fresh in all the ways you mentioned. I just wish it didn't beat me over the head with where to go and what to do so much and left some of the deciding up to me.
@@hungrygoriya Actually, I never got far in Neutopia. At the beginning it seems to leave exploration up to you but is it actually really hand-holdey? Not that this would be much different than the later Zelda games. Main reason I didn't play far into Neutopia is because I only have it via emulator and for some reason I'm more inspired to play games when I have a legitimate copy. So any game I find interesting I tend to want to hunt down and buy. Which I should do for the Neutopias one day... despite not being a huge fan of the Zelda series proper, I like a lot of games in the same genre (Landstalker, Crusader of Centy, or jumping ahead a bit, Mega Man Legends...)
Nice video! When i first learned about the tg 16 years ago (thru bonk), this was one of the first games that really interested me when i looked thru its library, just like Golden Axe Warrior with the Master System (tho I havent played either yet). Even if at the bottom of the grouping of games you shared (and I have enjoyed) it still looks like a good time all this time later! I like they went with not ridiculously cryptic in the hints this time, a different "voice" for non nintendo owners. Great video!
It definitely holds up if you don't mind something that's going to point you in the right direction at all times. It was still fun, just a little too easy for my personal tastes/what I enjoy about exploring these kinds of worlds. Not everyone likes the cryptic hints and needing to scour around and that's okay too!
I have such nostalgia for this game, ever since buying it on the virtual console because it looked like Zelda. It's completely unexceptional, but so is most comfort food.
Excellent review. I really think that all of the points you made were an accurate representation of the experience. It's a great example of an 'almost great' game.
Another great video! I love the Trogdor reference :D I'm curious about Neutopia II now, maybe they addressed some of your disappointments. I was disappointed with Crusader of Centy. Not many options on the Sega for a 'Zelda-like', although it does seem a bit more interesting than this one.
Thank you sir! I was just the right age when Strong Bad emails were all the rage and the Trogdor song is permanently stuck in my brain folds. I found Crusader of Centy to be fun enough since it had some different mechanics in it, but the story was just plain weird. It's another game that I was a bit more hopeful for and fell a little flat. I'm definitely curious about Neutopia's sequel and hope that it'll be at least a little better than the first game.
I love hearing your thoughts and commentary. Turbografx is one console I never had the chance to get into. I might have to pick up Neutopia for an okay time. (A+ for the StrongBad reference)
It's definitely an okay time. It doesn't really innovate anything beyond what most other games like it already do better, and it leads you around a little too much for my tastes. It's still a complete experience though! Not fundamentally lacking in anything, just not very fun in how I like my games to be fun. And thanks! I was just the right age when StrongBad was fresh and new for it to be permanently burned into my mind.
I think it’s main appeal in its day was the graphical upgrade over LoZ and it’s sequel. The second Neutopia is pretty fantastic. Lots of cool magic and tools and whatnot. And it looks even better.
It's a very lovely looking game, that's for sure! I'm really curious to see how the sequel is. I'm glad there's more tools and magic in it because I kept wanting just a little bit more of that from the first game here. Thanks for the info!
@opaljk4835 That was absolutely part of it. I knew about this console from a couple of articles in game magazines and a display at Toys R Us. Vegas was a lot smaller then but it was growing quickly and had just been declared a large city for reasons that I think were census related, so we got most of the ad campaigns that major cities got, plus local promotional things because Vegas. So anyway, the display at Toys R Us featured screenshots from Bonk, Neutopia, Renegade, and a few others. But they were prominently displayed with text that said something like "Next Generation Graphics" or "16-Bit Graphics." They totally pushed the visuals of this game specifically. It's featured in TV spots too. I think most people don't realize that the PC Engine was meant to compete with the original Famicom, not the Super Famicom. So even tho it was underpowered in North America, when it was new it was actually a pretty high end experience for its time. The graphics *were* considered beautiful and a huge improvement over the Famicom. That definitely was a main selling point
I remember that there were a few TG-16 games released on the Wii U store back in the day. I wish I would've picked some of them up back then and might have if I knew what the system was all about.
@@hungrygoriya It's a darn shame that the Wii U eShop was shut down last year because several *extremely* rare TG-16 games were re-released on Wii U, so that was the only way to get those games legally at a reasonable price. Now they're totally inaccessible.
This is one not too many people talk about. When I think of the Turbo I think of the Bonk series and all the shoot-‘em-ups. Heck the only other time I hear of this one was on Turbo Views by Spida1a who did every game that was published in North America. He did seem to like it a little more but the same complaints did come up. You can tell Legend of Zelda was on the developer’s mind. As someone who loves adventure games I always wanted to try it, but I think I’ll keep in mind that it isn’t as solid as some of my favourites. At least you have a better sword swing then in Lagoon on SNES!
I was so excited to try it out. I'm always looking for games like this on every console and rarely find something I really love, but it still happens every once in a while. I love The Legend of Zelda for many reasons. Neutopia brings a lot of its good qualities forward but doesn't really excel at anything in particular on its own. And those bossy residents made me feel crazy. I just wanted to explore all on my own without being directed as much. I still need to play Lagoon but that sword swing looks abominable!
If a game from this era is merely "okay" to our modern standards then that's a huge win in my book IMO for the simple reason that back then there were a looooot of absolute garbo being released. Same as now, of course, but at least now we have the internet and review sites/communities. BTW, I really liked your simulated "rental store shelf" at 0:20. Cute 😊
Neutopia's just fine, just not anything special to me. I like a little more depth in my games and this one feels fairly surface-level with many of its mechanics. I'm sure there was lots of weird stuff coming out back then, and Neutopia's certainly far from a bad game. I hope I made that clear in the review: it had everything a game should have but it just didn't wow me in the ways I like to be wowed in adventure games. And thank you! We have a bunch of shelving in the closet in the game room here and we just cleared off two shelves to simulate that. I tried to put the boxes on an angle but good luck trying to photograph Genesis cases... they're so shiny!
Have you played Ys Book 1&2 yet? I had that for my TG-16 CD growing up and loved it more than Link to the Past. There are lots of great games on the mini, especially if you like shooters.
I played Ys 1 on the Master System ages ago but haven't gotten around to trying the TG-16 CD version/the sequel yet. I like how you can apparently carry your game over from the first to the second game with that setup, so it's definitely on my list to do someday. I'm not much of a shooter fan but I'd definitely try a few out for fun. I really struggle with them.
@@hungrygoriya I used to not be a fan of Shooters at all, but I've recently come to love them. Seirei Senshi Spriggan, R-Type, Sapphire, Soldier Blade and Star Parodier are all on the mini and are all top-notch. Give them a try (after Ys Book 1 and 2 though - WAAAAY better than the Master System version!).
I remember seeing commercials for the TurboGrafx-16 back in the day, but never actually saw one; I knew a guy who knew a guy who had it, and the only information I was able to get out of him is that Bonk is fun. Didn't even know that Keith Courage existed, and that was supposed to be their mascot; Bonk quickly became the actual mascot, but still. I really loved the visuals in this one; I'd always wanted to play something visually presented like this, especially the dungeons, and that was enough to carry me through with a relatively positive impressoin of the game. Also great to see someone else who appreciates color changes in character sprites to signify upgrades; I always love seeing that, but almost never see anyone else mention it. I do agree that most everything else (music aside) about it is pretty just okay, though. The sequel does have more variety and a connected overworld, so I don't know if you'll like it, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it better at least; my first playthrough was over a long winter day that I had off, taking occasional breaks to shovel our driveway from Hell.
I had one and its one of my all time faves, at the time it was marketed as "16 bit" when in Japan it came out in 1987 and was really made to compete with the NES and was "8 bit". Turns out it was an odd hybrid in it could do most of the tricks "true 16 bit" consoles could do in more sprites, more colors, but struggled with parallex scrolling and would use sprites as scrlls when it used them at all. It had an "8bit CPU" but a "16 bit" GPU" capable of displaying as many or more colors on screen as the SNES, more than the Genesis, but Genesis and SNES could do real parallex scrolling and SNES had hardware scaling and rotation "mode 7".
I'm glad I wasn't the only person who didn't hear much about the TG-16 back when it was new. I only just learned about Keith Courage when I got the mini and actually kinda like its janky platforming. I don't know if I'll ever be able to beat it, but it did make me chuckle a lot. Neutopia's definitely a fun game, but just not fun for me in the ways I like my games to be fun, if that makes sense. It has everything a game like it needs to have but then just stops short of being excellent in all the ways I enjoy my adventures to unfold. The graphics and music are awesome though. That's one of the things that originally sold me on Neutopia, apart from it reminding me of an action RPG first and foremost. It just looked so bright and colourful, and I was immediately curious about how the game would play. The same thing happened to me with Golden Axe Warrior and I ended up loving that one, so you can imagine how I felt coming away from this game after not having those expectations met for a second time. I'm looking forward to trying the sequel sometime. Your driveway shovelling story reminds me of my life just yesterday: I was editing the end of this video and taking breaks to push around a ton of snow we'd just gotten dumped on us from that huge storm that went across quite a bit of North America. We got about 30 cm (1 foot) of snow here so it took me a while to clear the whole driveway. It was a good excuse to get up and do something else other than stare at my screen working on the video though!
@@hungrygoriya well I mean it was heavily marketed in 1989 along with the Genesis, I think they came out only a few days apart, but I think the TG-16 had a more limited release at launch where Radioshack had it before anyone else. Also a year or so later child actor McCauley Culkin was doing interviews for Home Alone saying he was getting a TG-16. By the time the SNES came out though the Genesis had caught on and the TG-16 never did.
@@hungrygoriya It's funny how those things work out sometimes. Darkstalkers REALLY wanted Dmitri to be the main character (he even has a moveset very similar to those of Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter), but the fans decided that Morrigan was the main character and that was that. Keith Courage was just alright for me, and kind of a baffling choice as a system seller. I feel like they did alright over here, considering that NEC wasn't exactly a household name in North America, since we didn't have their popular PC-88 and PC-98 systems. I definitely get it; I tend to get antsy if I'm on the same game for too long, unless it's something really special, like Yakuza or Borderlands, so I have kind of the opposite problem. The original Legend of Zelda is a good example: it was the second NES cartridge I ever got (after the pack-in Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt), so I had a lot more time to fiddle around with it, and that made it feel like a big adventure; I revisited it recently, and while I'm glad to have had the incredible experience of going through it back in the '80s, before the whole thing was completely demystified, I don't think I'll ever go back to it at this point. We just got hit about a week ago, though only about 8 inches (probably 20cm), though alarmingly, almost all of it melted a few days later. The small creek (maybe ditch is a better word; we call it the moat) that mostly encircles our house is so full and loud that it sounds like heavy winds from the other end of the yard after all that!
new to the TG-16/PCE and you have the mini and like this style of game, should really check out Ys Book 1 and 2, its on the mini, its a little strange at first with its bump combat and not a button press to slash, but great game. Just bump at angles, there is a strategy to it. Came out in 1990 and was different than anything else at the time and even had voice acting, cutscenes and redbook audio CD music.
I absolutely adored Ys 1 when I played it back on the Master System but I've been curious to try the TG-16 CD version and get to Book 2 someday. That's a good point! I'd forgotten about them.
@@hungrygoriya the TG-16 CD version of Ys Book 1 and Book 2 sort of made it like one continious game where you keep your levels and experience, just not your weapons for the start of Ys 2. It has a cutscene intermission where Adol is transported from Darm Tower at the end of Ys 1 to the ancient land of Ys floating in the sky.
Years ago i received a Turbo Grafix16 new for Christmas. That holiday season NEC was running a free game giveaway with the purchase of the new console. Only Caveat was is you chose the game from a list and sent in the redemption card through the mail. NEC said it would be about a month for delivery. January came; nothing. February, March came and Nothing. I had forgotten about the game until tax day in April that i received a box in the mail having completely given up on it ever popping up at all. In it wasn't the game i had ordered, which remember i can't remember myself. It was this game Neutopia. Which i still have fond memories of playing.
It's funny how back then, when you sent in for something like that, you had no idea if they got it, if it got lost in the mail, and had no way of really following up. Something similar to me happened with Puppy Surprise. I'm not sure if you remember those, but you could get 3-5 puppies and you could mail in for an extra. It was such an exciting wait but it felt like it took forever. I'm glad Neutopia was a happy accident for you in your life at the time. Glad you enjoyed it back then!
I loved my Turbo Duo. But the games I played on card were less rpg, more everything else- Bonk, Splatterhouse, and Military Madness were replayed staples in my TG-16 catalog. But two games I have the most happy memories playing was the TG CD games Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer! I'd happily go back and play those both if I could. Neutopia completely fell under my radar, but judging by this vid, it wouldn't have thrilled me anyway. Thanks for yet another lovely review! Tho hate you had to import a TG from the US and hope it didn't cost too much to send to whatever country you live in. I still haven't managed to score one of those Mini's either, hopefully one of these days 🙂.
Cosmic Fantasy 1 and 2 are getting Switch releases, only CF2 ever made it to the west, but a translated CF1 is coming out. Dragon Slayer I think was the OG Legend of Heroes (Trails) game that are well known today.
I'm in Canada here, so really all I had to worry about were import fees and the horrendous exchange rate. At least it got here, even though it's a little ugly! Fingers crossed you get your hands on one someday. I got on the pre-order train back when it was still available and I'm happy I did. Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer both sound like they'd be right up my alley. I'll look them both up. It's cool that you got to experience the system first hand growing up.
@@hungrygoriya Cosmic Fantasy 2 was translated by Working Designs so it had their sense of humor, but no spoilers the ending was a mixed bag where the last enemy seemed laughable in its naming but sort of had a somber ending to the story too. Its OK for a 1991 JRPG, nothing special other than interesting cutscenes and voice acting in a few parts when that was rare. Dragon Slayer is a better game overall IMHO, but not an all time great or anything. But they are early JRPG's on CD format.
Now that I'm older I actually LOVE when a game tells me exactly where to go because I don't have enough free time to explore the entire map looking for my next objective. :)
Great insightful review. It's a shame when a game restricts the hero's choices to an extent that it feels like the player has no agency at all, especially in this type of game where the player WANTS to explore and get lost a little bit. Hopefully Neutopia 2 will improve on some of the issues!
I'm sorry Neutopia was a letdown for you. I know you love the original Legend of Zelda and Crystalis--as do I! I played those before I played this, when I was about 11 or 12. I did and do love Neutopia, myself; although I can also understand your criticisms. I didn't expect it to really tread any new ground. I actually liked the tradeoff of compartmentalized worlds for the added thematic diversity. I guess it was kind of like comfort food: the familiar Zelda formula, with vibrant graphics and music. I enjoy your reviews, and I hope you do Neutopia II someday, since I never got to play that.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this game as a whole and I think it's fantastic that you enjoy it as a good way to unwind and enjoy yourself. I suppose I'm learning that I love specific things in my adventure games and some degree of challenge in terms of the puzzle/problem solving. Neutopia was an okay time for me but didn't really sweep me off my feet. I'm really curious about the sequel to see if it did anything new and exciting with the magic.
Usually watch these all the way through but here is a comment, and like. I'll be playing this but I don't want any spoilers. I'm certain it's a wonderful video as usual.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment even though you haven't seen the video yet. I try not to spoil too much or usually present things out of context for what it's worth, but I hope you enjoy your playthrough when you get around to this one!
When I was a kid and the Turbografx was still relatively new my cousin owned one and would let me have at it anytime I visited. I remember being so proud that I finished the first two Bonk titles with no help, something 6 year old me wasn't used to. He only really ever stuck with the more main stream titles so never played Neutopia until over a decade later and while it was neat never felt overly impressed. The title is pretty on point, it's just okay. The sequel is pretty much more of the same as well.
I'm glad it's not just me that feels this way. I just wanted this game to be a little deeper in its exploration. It didn't even need more weapons/magic... just let me figure things out for myself, you know?
Turbo Grafx 16 was my first console. Neutopia, Legendary Axe, Bloody Wolf, Tiger Road, Bonk's Adventure, Alien Crush and Splatterhouse were the very first video games I ever played. I legitimately used to think Nintendo IPs were rip-offs of these games. It wasn't until much later that I discovered that Neutopia was indeed the clone. I sub'd to this channel because I never see anyone talking about these games. Thank you.
I clearly need to branch out a little more with the TG-16 library. I appreciate the list of games to look into. Thanks very much for your kind words too!
The Neutopia's have a lot in common with the third and fourth "quests" that Nintendo released as part of their satellite download service in Japan. Snack-sized adventures that aren't as puzzle or difficulty intensive as what came before but satisfy that kind of itch in between games that are more like projects to complete. Approached from that angle, it's quite fun and breezy, though I will admit I didn't feel terribly accomplished completing the second title.
That's an interesting way to look at it. After such a long wait to play this one, I hoped it might've been a little more my speed, but it's fine for what it is. It's entirely possible that I'm not the target audience and that's just fine.
That’s a crying shame over what Amazon US did to that TurboGrafx Mini box. I ordered mine from Amazon Japan and they shrink wrapped the system box to a piece of cardboard then glued that cardboard to the inside of a larger box so that it wouldn't get damaged. It was pretty impressive I have to admit. No packing paper or air bags needed. Great little review. Cheers.
To put it lightly, I was really frustrated when it arrived. It was one of the first time I ordered from the American site instead of the Canadian one and apparently there's an option you can click to put it inside of another box that doesn't exist on the CA one... I learned my lesson I guess! I'm glad yours arrived in great shape.
Wait, we're getting TG 16 love from HG? This is going to be great! Die Hard Game Fan used to cover the console and games pretty extensively with many beautiful screen shots. Man, those multipage spreads used to make my mouth water. I'll be looking forward to more TG 16 reviews(if and when they arrive).
@@hungrygoriya Hopefully Bonk is right around the corner. I was surprised by a certain guest star in St1ka's most recent video. Nice to know some of my favorite creators are networking. Keep up the great work HG, and thanks for replying!
Neutopia I & II, were, in the words of my cousin who only had a TG-16 as a kid, really awesome. When you didn't have a NES to play Zelda on, Neutopia was a pretty good deal. Plus, the graphics were better. We forget sometimes that this game came out in 1989. For a brief, nearly insignificant moment, Neutopia looked next level and totally sweet. Maybe we had to be there.
I'm sure it was awesome as a kid. I said as much during the review that it would be a great introductory game to the genre. I'm not judging it by today's standards or really comparing it to anything else. I'm just basing my thoughts on whether it felt fun to me as a standalone, and without a bit more challenge and self-directed exploration, it was just okay for my personal tastes. It's still a good game, just not for me!
@@hungrygoriya totally! Sadly, for a system with so much potential, being a stepping stone between the NES and the 16-bit era, there weren't enough RPGs. The CD add-on became a sort of RPG haven in comparison, but again, most of the games didn't make it to America! So frustrating. Although, many of them are being translated...Tengai Makyou Ziria was just fan converted to English, recently, the prequel to the Tengai Makyou game on the Super Famicom (one of the best Super Famicom RPGs).
I've never played this one so I can't comment on its quality one way or the other. I do have a fond memory of watching somebody speed run this game as part of a charity marathon. Half joking, they kept going on about how Neutopia is their favorite game and the greatest game ever made. In fact, they claimed it was the inspiration for every other video game ever made. Eventually somebody in chat asked "So if Neutopia inspired every game, what inspired Neutopia?" The response was "Neutopia is so great, it inspired its own creation as part of an infinite time loop." 😆 It made for some of the best speed run commentary.
That's hilarious! I love watching speedruns so I'd be curious to see how this game goes when people are really skilled at it. I know there's a lot of technical stuff in The Legend of Zelda's speedrun for enemy kill counts to get bombs to drop and I wonder if there's anything like that here too. Thanks for sharing this story! It gave me a good chuckle.
I think the real issue with this game is that since it LOOKS and ACTS a lot like Zelda many people simply EXPECTED it to be more like Zelda when in fact its design as a more linear top down action game seems be taken as a negative when in fact I actually appreciated the game that didn’t require maps, obscure secrets, obtuse hints etc and that you could just play through it all the way and have some fun. Granted, as this game came out after Zelda this can be fair criticism as it didn’t further the genre but I appreciate the fact that this “Zelda Lite” game was made and the amazing over world music is some of the best 8bit tune age I have ever heard. As always, an amazing thoughtful review and all points are succinctly made. I would still recommend this game to anyone looking for a fun adventure game that won’t break your brain or force you to go look up a walkthough of any sort and sometimes that a good enough time for most gamers out there!
You raise great points here! I suppose I just got used to the idea of getting a grand world to explore and finding my way through it, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with something that's a little more linear in nature. I guess I'm learning that I love a good problem to solve and Neutopia just didn't have many for me to grind my brain cogs about. It's funny that the writing in this game is so good that in ways it's almost too good. Gimme my broken English NES hints where I have to think really hard about what people are trying to tell me! I'm honestly just kidding of course. Neutopia's a fine game, and I just wanted something from it that it isn't!
Great review as usual. I have no history with this game whatso ever but it has that charming C+/B- quality that I used to eat up. I may have to scrounge up one of those TG minis and give it a shot.
Neutopia was a good game _for the era in which it was created._ I played it back when it came out and loved it. I craved more Zelda and that's what Neutopia gave me during the _six year gap_ between Z2 and Z3. I'm sure it feels dull and repetitive now but it was a lot of fun back in the day.
I'm glad you got to enjoy it back in the day. The game's just fine, just not as in-depth as I like my adventure games. I don't think that opinion would've changed for me even if I'd played it back then between Zeldas. I grew up with Zelda 1. Neutopia's just a bit too direct for my tastes.
I'm an American that had a TG16 growing up. Always felt like a souped up NES because even though the graphics are nicer, its still just an more powerful 6502 under the hood. I didn't have many games, only 4 or 5 that I can remember (No Neutopia). Toys R Us had a whole aisle of Video games which was roughly half Sega and half Nintendo, with TG16 squeezed into a sliver of space at the end with only a fraction of the selection. My favorite TG16 game, and one I think you might also like, was and is Final Lap Twin. (There it is at 14:28 !!!) It's a competent race car game very similar to Pole Position. But it also has a QUEST mode, which is technically my first ever JRPG. I still replay it every few years. I think it was the first game I found a cuss in too! Blows my mind there hasn't been a similar JRPG where combat is replaced by Need-For-Speed style pink slip racing. Although, I think there was a Tennis game on the system with a similar quest mode. Great Vid, I think I'd rather replay NES Zelda than try Neutopia. But I do like the sprites and especially the wiggly water.
So cool that you used to have the TG-16 when it was fresh and new! It's no wonder I missed out on seeing any of it in stores if it's like what you described here. I'm so glad I found a copy of Final Lap Twin! I love Super Hang On and it looked similar to that, and I was definitely drawn in by the Quest Mode. I actually played a ton of Pole Position back in the day on the Commodore Vic 20. Probably not the best version of the game, but one that I'm super nostalgic for by this point. Glad to know FInal Lap Twin will be a fun time when I get around to it. I feel like there's some kind of racing RPG on the Game Boy/GBC that I've long forgotten the name of, but I'd never really heard of another before Final Lap Twin. Personally, I'd rather be playing the original Legend of Zelda as well. Neutopia's fine, but just a little too direct for my tastes. I enjoy exploring and wandering, and Neutopia just didn't let me do that as much as I would've liked. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here!
@@hungrygoriya Oh wow great choice! Probably the most coherent gameworld soundtrack of all time and the best FF OST (and coming from someone who loves FFIV). Incredible story and game mechanics. Love the use of bells. Another recommend I have that is more old school NES vibe is Kickle Cubicle, a very obscure, deeply weird but extremely fun game sort of like a cheerier version of Adventures of Lolo
Didn't have a the OG system, had the portable Turbo Express. Pops bought me a racing game called Final Lap Twin. Ended up being my favorite RPG on the platform.
I got to play a Turbo Express for a little while recently and it was actually pretty cool. When I got my little PC Engine, my husband installed a region unlock modification on it, and one of the games I got was Final Lap Twin! I'm so happy to hear it's a great game!
While I've not played the game myself, all the criticisms here make sense, and I'd have to agree with them all. There are certainly a few obvious flaws that don't seem as if they'd have been too hard to rectify. If only they'd had Hungry Goriya proving feedback during development, we could have had a better Neutopia! What might have been, eh?
Even with its issues, I am still really looking forward to playing Neutopia when I get around to it. There are so few 2D Zelda games overall, and there's just a certain magic in that gameplay design, so even Great Value 2D Zelda is still worth a look!
I definitely think you should play it and see what you think. It's not bad by any stretch, but it just didn't really challenge me much. I think I prefer games that let you find your own way a little more. It's great for what it is!
@@hungrygoriya To be honest, the direct hand-holdy-ness will probably be a plus for me. I tend to drift off course pretty easily with games that are open,but knowing exactly what I need to do, for me, makes me more eager to explore everything else, if that makes any sense
Neutopia is the very definition of "We have Zelda at home." It's uninspired and doesn't really do all that much interesting, but if all you had was a Turbografx and no access to an NES, it was better than nothing. The formula is still fun, and it's understandable that people who grew up with a TG16 would have nostalgia for it, but there's not all that much beyond that.
I think what it does it does very well, but I wish it had innovated a little more to keep me interested. The thing that got to me the most was being told what to do without being able to think through my own problems at all. I enjoy putting the pieces together myself.
Not going to lie this title on the wii turbo graphics shop listings got me super interested so I downloaded it and had a good time. It's exactly what I needed before drawing the Marine Corps to de-stress my mind. I really enjoyed the second title in the series as well when in service
I felt the same way when I played Neutopia. The sequel, Neutopia II, is pretty much a clone of the first one with a few added features like the ability to walk and attack diagonally and you get more magic items besides the fire. In fact, they discourage you using the fire because enemies that get hit by fire get pushed towards you and you usually take a hit as a result.
I'm glad it's not just me! I felt so alone in my opinion on this when I streamed it. It's a fine game but it holds your hand wayyyy too much for my personal tastes.
The modern screen upgrades for handheld consoles always look really sharp. I'm sad to say that the Turbo Express doesn't belong to us, but my husband did a capacitor replacement on it for someone and he lent us his entire game library to test it out with. A dream come true!
Something about the aesthetic of this game just pulls me in! HG says "quite mid, good not great" and here I am nodding my head like "yes yes amazing should prioritize it soon" 😅 Great video as always :D
I love the way this game looks too! I'm sure like everything else you play, you'll find something in it to love. There's lots of good things in Neutopia, but it just didn't stand out to me in a way that felt fun.
I owned this on a Hu card for my Turbo Duo. It was shockingly good for a Hu card game, and the music was sick. So I liked it, even though I guess it doesn't compare to other similar fare in many ways. Ys IV and Dorakiyura X / Rondo of Blood were good too. Flash Hiders. Bomber Man 3-5P and SP. Gate of Thunder and it's OST...
I'm glad for some other recommendations here! As I'm branching out into this library a little, it's great to have a place to start looking for fun titles.
@hungrygoriya I am not honestly certain "How" you can play this noe, that flash is no longer in use.... But there is a really great, and ridiculous amd absurd game called, "Abobo's Big Adventure" If you can, check it out but dont watch a trailer for it beforehand, if you havent seen yet. I promise, it will be an amazing gaming experience that you didnt know you have been training for your whole life!
Agreed. Neither of the Neutopia games were very good imo. They tried to recreate the Zelda experience but failed to implement the things that made those games great. Aka one vast world to explore, thoughtful dungeon & puzzle design, various equipment that unlocks progression, buying things beyond basic consumables, etc. Having the overworld be broken up into varying linear areas instead of one single large world was also quite disappointing. Exploration was indeed way too linear. Alundra is a game that also emulates the Zelda experience but is unique enough to be its own thing. It got all of these things right, including telling a pretty deep & mature story. This game did none of these things right. I would love to see you review that title one day. You would love it!
Alundra's definitely on my list of things to play down the line. It's just a matter of when I get around to it! I'm currently deep into Final Fantasy Tactics and am enjoying that quite a bit. Thanks for your comment here, and for stopping by!
I got that TurboGrafx Mini too, mainly as I wanted to play Y's, and being pleasantly surprised it wasn't so unbelievably grind heavy as the Master System version was. But I never touched Neutopia, I thought it was that game that was essentially an RPG version of Gauntlet, so I must be thinking of something else. :S BTW did you manage to unlock all the secret games on the system? :)
The Master System version of Ys was also a little mean in that it capped your level! I really struggled with the end of the game without the ability to grind my stats any higher. I think that you might be thinking of Dungeon Master as a Gauntlet RPG (don't quote me on that!) but Neutopia's an entirely different thing! I didn't unlock all the secret games on the system... what secret games?!
None of my friends had any of these super expensive systems that came out and faded away as fast as the nu-metal band Videodrome either. Once PlayStation and Saturn came out and conquered the market, they were in everybody's houses. Oh and I am now the proud owner of 6 Vomitron shirts, 6 posters, and a crap load of stickers for the low low price of 80 bucks (including shipping)... Although it was cheaper because I already own all their CDs. Hope you took advantage of the deal while it's available.
Was just thinking about you recently! I have played through this game. It's decent but not amazing. Haven't played through the second game yet, I hear it's more fleshed out and there is more to do than the first game
Life got pretty busy for me this past month, so sorry for the wait! I thought this one was okay but nothing special. I wanted a little more difficulty and some more meaningful exploration.
I remember watching a friend play through a bit of Neutopia II and really enjoying the music. That's one thing the first game really has going for it too.
You may be one of the few ppl who actually like Bill & Ted for NES. Still, it's cool to see ppl enjoying things others disliked. A lot of ppl hate on Sonic 2 for Game Gear but I absolutely loved it!
I am one of the few! I have a retrospective buried deep in the channel if you want to hear more from me on that topic and why I love it so much. I need to try some more Game Gear games. So far I've only played Defenders of Oasis and Psychic World.
Neutopia II does add more wands (and a few other ways to attack). Aside from an awful bug where the enemy flies in the direction you're facing (for example, if an enemy approaches you going left to right, don't go right, either go up/down or stand your ground) II is better. Plus, it's all in one big world and has actual towns and a real final dungeon. Agree on the bombing walls. Both games way overdo that, along with pushing blocks. Some rooms have like 40 blocks and you need to find the right one. I also like Dirth's "Climactic Castle" being two rooms up from the old lady at the start. Good review.
Legend of Zelda on NES and Link's Awakening DX on GBC are the only games like this that I've played. I've tried Link to the Past but it was too hard, I gave up but I want to revisit it eventually. I have Crusaders of Centy on the Sega Genesis Mini 2. That part with the fire rod, I think it would have benefitted if in that first area you showed they had those flying bug enemies in the area where you figured it out. I've gotten stuck from similar situations, seems frustrating. Never had a Turbografx or knew anyone with one either. When you said you imported the mini from the US, I had a moment, lol, you're not wrong just in my perspective it felt odd. I hope Neutopia II is better, the top comment as of now says so. I never got into Turbografx games, it looks like now there are some great mods so it might finally be the time to get one. Much like the N64 I haven't been a fan of how the console looks digital until now. The mini was always sold out when I tried to buy one, I don't pay scalpers. See you with the sequel review
I hope you'll give Crusader of Centy a try sometime. It's a really unique take on the top-down adventure game formula with some wacky storytelling too. It's so funny that Neutopia's so direct in some aspects but so vague in others like the fire rod use. You're absolutely right in that a subtle hint with even some similar enemies would've done a lot to trigger a thought to try out that weapon in that way. I'm hopeful the sequel will be better when I get around to it. If you do dive into the TG-16 library, I hope you enjoy it. I've gotten to try out quite a few titles between the mini and the few games I've purchased. Thanks for stopping in!
I never had a Turbographx as a kid but wanted one, and this game was always fun to look at in magazines. At first glace, it looks pretty amazing, but yeah the gameplay seems to have a lot of tedious stuff as you cover here, especially the part where you're supposed to burn rock crystals like they're a tree? That's kinda ridiculous, haha. Thanks for the review! This game could have been better than it was without a doubt.
It seemed like it had really good bones to build on but it just stopped getting refined at some point. I'm honestly glad so many old games have a questionable translation and let me wander around trying to find out where to go because this "pointing me in the right direction" business was just too annoying! I totally don't know why fire burns down rocks and pillars and other stuff in the later spheres. It must be the hottest fire known to mankind!
That's the kind of game where you'd be very happy to play it in context (you're a kid with a tg16 and you want zelda) but that's kinda dull nowadays when you have every single retro game at your fingertips.
It's a fine game for what it is, just a little too pushy for my personal tastes. I just wanted to explore a little more. I don't know that it has anything to do with having other "superior" games more than that it's just not for me and what I like in my games.
I'd say give Neutopia a try and see what you think. It felt a little bit too bland for me personally since I like a little more mystery in my games, but it's far from a bad experience. Just doesn't have the things in it that I find especially fun/engaging.
I've tried a little Keith Courage in Alpha Zone and enjoyed it for the most part. It has some pretty janky control in "robot form" (I haven't really read the manual yet, I'm sure it has a proper name) but I enjoyed jumping around and trying to fight off the bosses.
@@hungrygoriya yeah it's a bit jank. I think it's mostly because i played it when i was little and have a fond spot for it. I would farm gold cats for what seemed like hours because they were sooo cute.
Thank you for your honesty. Neutopia is still one of my favorite. It's a better version of Zelda from the NES. It was made to teach Nintendo a lesson for refusing to team up with Hudson Soft to create the Turbografx. Unlike NEC who accepted.
Definitely appreciate the honest breakdown, of a game, that you found as frustrating as this. I only knew one person with a turbo graphix, in the 90's. Played one game, Bonk, for about ten minutes (I was 8yrs old), and decided that it sucked, because it wasn't, Mario 3 or Super Mario World. Funny enough, I just d-loaded The citra emulator last week, and finally got Mario 3d land, Return of Samus, and A Link Between Worlds...... .......still think the SNES version of these games, are 100% better lol
I remember my husband telling me he wanted to get a Master System and a Turbografx at a convention and I said, "What are those? What do you mean there were other systems out with the NES, SNES and Genesis?" This was 2016! It's cool you got to try one out as a kid! I feel the way that you do about the Super Mario All Stars game. I love the NES versions of the Mario games so much more!
I have a PC Engine Mini I imported from Japan. It has both TG16 and PC Engine games but I dont know if the games are different than the North American TG16 mini and I wonder if it has neutopia 1/2 on it- I dont remember them, but the mini was a xmas gift for my spouse whos way more into retro arcadey stuff than retro pc rpgs like me so I havent messed around with it as much as he has. Even just watching, I could see how bad the hit detection was tho, it looked very frustrating to aim with the sword compared to crystalis or zelda. Awesome review as always!
I'm not sure if the Japanese system's the same lineup as the North American one, but I'm sure there must've been some differences. The Genesis Mini 2 has a very different lineup depending on the region, which is unfortunate. I would've gotten it for Lunar 1 and 2 in a heartbeat since I don't know that I'll ever find a Sega CD copy of Lunar 2 at this rate. The hit detection was pretty terrible with the sword. I didn't see a point in trying to use it later on in the game unless my fire magic was at the lowest amount and I didn't feel like hitting enemies 1000 times to kill them with a weak fireball. Thanks so much for watching! It's always nice to hear from you in the comments.
In the dying days of the Wii U, I went through and bought some of the Turbo Grafix titles that I had an eye on. Just like you, I had never heard of the console until much later in life and this was a cheaper way to play the titles without breaking the bank. I did snag Neutopia 1 and 2 but haven't tried them out yet (gamer problems, amirite?). That's pretty funny and frustrating that fire melts away rock like that. I would've been in the same mindset as you - who would logically think to use fire on a rock? Lol! Also, I loved your Trogdor reference and got a good chuckle out of that!
Gamer Problems is my favourite type of problem to have, haha... glad I'm not the only one who slept on this system for many years. I'm glad you got to pick up a couple of titles before the Wii U store went away forever. I think if you come to this one with the proper expectations, it's a fine game. I was only disappointed in that it was just more of the same but not nearly as fun in many ways. The fire melting rocks away totally blew my mind! I was listening back through my stream vods and I probably should've included what I said from the stream in the review, but it went something like "omg are you serious? I can melt these rocks?! WHAT" because it was just that surprising after searching around for so long. And thanks! The fire wand is Jazeta's best tool for constantly burninating the countryside. I was just the right age when Strong Bad emails were a thing so they're permanently burned into my memory.
Good to know! I always like starting at the beginning to see where a series starts from, but seems like I should've jumped straight to the second game here instead.
@@hungrygoriya its in Japanese in the Mini though, but the plot is Jazetta was kidnapped and his son is on a quest to rescue him, if I remember correctly, its been awhile. Wish I still had the Turbochip/HuCard to Neutopia 2 its worth some money these days.
The only thing that holds Neutopia II back is there's a glitch with enemy knockback and the fire wand. IIRC correctly, they bounce in the way your character is facing, and it's easy to accidentally throw them into you. It takes some getting used to.
@hungrygoriya Dungeon Explorer 2 is also better than the 1st, IMO.. If you do that series... However, the first one is a very solid Gauntlet-like game. The sequel has cut scenes and better sound and such. (A.D.D. moment. It's just another Turbografx game I like.)
The new Zelda games for the Switch have a fully open design that lets you do literally anything in any order, including the dungeons or the final boss! You can literally go straight to the final boss & beat him if you want! I know those may be a bit too mainstream to cover on your channel but I'm sure you'd love those games.
I don't know that I'd ever cover them here, but I did play a bit of Breath of the Wild when it first came out. The breakable weapons and long, long walks of nothing between objectives wore out my patience pretty quickly. I got about 20 hours in and didn't bother finishing it.
Very interesting! A good friend of mine swears by Neutopia, so I was surprised to see the title of this review. Hearing your issues with the game, though, it makes total sense, and I have a feeling I'd probably have a very similar takeaway from the game as you. Fortunately, I have heard the second game is much better, so hopefully you'll enjoy that one more! Also, the TG-16 Mini has Ys Book I & II on it, doesn't it? I can't recall if you've ever played Ys I & II before, but if not, that's one that I think you'll REALLY like! Of course, my top recommendation would be one of the Ys I & II Chronicles releases, since I personally worked on the localizations for those -- but Ys Book I & II is a pretty classic release with some of the best English voice-acting in '90s video gaming, so you really can't lose playing that one! About the only downside is that you can't move diagonally (which you can in the Chronicles release), but I think you're probably used to that by now. ;)
I think it's a fine game for what it is, but it just didn't bring it to the level of depth and challenge that I usually appreciate in my games. I'm certainly not the end-all authority on these topics, so take it with a grain of salt and see what it's like for yourself sometime. I know I've had some people very strongly disagree with my feelings here and some that agree wholeheartedly. It's really going to come down to personal taste. Let's hope the sequel's a little more my speed. I haven't played the TGCD versions of Ys yet, but I played Ys 1 ages ago on the Master System. I liked it just fine, but I'm really intrigued about the idea of bringing your old save information forward to Book 2 after you complete the first one. I've been interested in playing those versions for a long time and just haven't gotten around to them yet. And what are these diagonals you speak of? hahaha
Growing up, I only ever saw the TurboGrafx at Radio Shack. I would play it until some employee would ask me where my parents were and to please leave. I wouldn't mind picking up a mini but the price has gone up a smidge in the last few years...
It's so unfortunate how the mini's price has gotten out of hand like it has. I got mine through pre-order because I didn't really have any TG-16 in my collection at all and wanted to play a few things on it.
I played this game for the first time when I got the turbografx mini. I didn't have no real reason to own it beside never heard of it as a kid and because i could as an adult lol and it seem kind of cool. Neutopia got me hooked at the zelda like style that I just couldnt put it down until I finished it. I say its a good game for what it was.
It definitely feels like a complete experience. I suppose for my personal tastes, it didn't dive as deeply into certain things as I might've hoped. I'm happy to hear that you got so much out of the experience!
@hungrygoriya Agreed, Once I got used to the mechanics and the story, it became a lot easier. I wish there were more to it. It's very linear, but I guess maybe they didn't have a big team behind it as nintendo did, so that could be something to consider. The sequel looks just as great. Are you going to do a play through of it as well? I would love to watch you stream it.
It has everything you would want from an adventure game, but I like to find stuff on my own and not have my hand held so much. Let me know if you like it once you finish it!
![Is Military Madness [TG16] Worth Playing Today? - Turbodrunk](/img/n.gif)
I played a tiny amount of Neutopia as a kid and thought it was the most amazing thing ever... but that was before I even owned an SNES or played through Link to the Past. This game just seemed so vibrant compared to NES Zelda.
It's a beautiful game and has some fantastic music as well. If it had just let go of my hand once in a while and let me find my own way, I would've liked it a lot more.
Hey it's my favorite TH-cam channel. I just want you to know that I just got out of the hospital and it's really nice to see a video from you. This made my day
Awwww I hope you're recovering well from whatever you've been dealing with. Wishing you a speedy recovery and a great transition to home.
@@hungrygoriya Thank you so much. I appreciate you
In the early 90s when I had to wait for another Zelda game like the original, Nuetopia was amazing. Playing it was fantastic at the time considering I had no idea Golden Axe Warrior existed and Ys Book 1&2 was a month or so away.
For sure! Something to tide you over until the next grand adventure is a good thing. I just wish that this could've also been another grand adventure among the greats of the time as well.
I could never get used to the bump combat in Ys :/
Those first two Ys titles are still some of my favorites of that generation, one of the first gaming epics I remember blowing me away with how huge it seemed. Still hold up well too largely thanks to the updated versions that were put out.
That Dungeon Explorer OST right off the bat makes me so happy.
I listened to a whole bunch of TG-16 tunes and really liked that one, so in it went. I've only played a tiny bit of Dungeon Master but it seemed neat!
It’ll be interesting to hear your future comparison between the two
I'll definitely play the sequel someday!
What a coincidence, I just started playing this myself a couple days ago. I'm finding it pretty fun, myself. The Fire Rod is awesome.
Good luck with your playthrough!
I had a turbografx when it was current, but didn't have this game. Loved the Bonk games.
I've yet to play any of the Turbografx Bonk games, but I did try out Super Bonk and its sequel on the SNES/Famicom. They're fun but very weird in their sense of humour. Especially the second one!
This is one of the best LoZ clones along with Golden Axe Warrior. I played through every original Zelda clone I could find and this one was one of the better experiences.
It was fine, just not amazing for me. I wish I'd gotten to think for myself a little more versus being ushered around all the time.
@@hungrygoriyaI own it, and bought it when it was released.
Lovdd it, but I was just a kid then.
You maybe need to think about it in that context.
@@iami3rian394 I did get into that at the end of the video.
You forgot Crusader of Centy/Ragnacenty/Soleil
@@Gatorade69 I did! I played that one about five or so years ago.
I always love your reviews. It just feels so cozy watching these old and obscure games get some unbiased attention. Dunno why but it’s great 😄
It makes me happy to hear this! Thank you for checking out the newest video here.
HG, you are my favorite youtube gamer. Your pt analysis and personal experiences are well paced. You have no filler, and I'm thankful I subscribed. I love these old games and its a great trip down memory lane, or like this, a thoughtful take on one I never tried.
Awww that's very nice of you to say! Thanks so much!
I had a TG-16 as a kid and yes I did play Neutopia as a kid and have played through it in the last year or two including Neutopia 2.
They are both great for what they are. They are actually fantastic but remember I played it when it was new and I also had a NES and SNES and played through the Zelda's also. Loved them all.
Honestly you couldn't have asked for more on the TG-16 for a Zelda clone. Imitation is an art that at times is rarely done so good.
Yeah, I can appreciate the good in Neutopia! I wish it was a little more challenging and didn't spell things out so clearly all the time, but for what it is, it's a good time.
Happy New year. ✨ I often forget turbogfx exist, though my best friend has both that and a wonderswan, never got to play them so it's always nice to see these.
I can say as a tot, I could've even read so the straight forward text wouldn't have helped me, but I remember playing Zelda on NES when I was like 3, hehehe..
Happy new year to you as well! I'm glad to finally be getting around to some of these other systems. Better late than never. I almost wish I'd played this game in a different language so I didn't know where to go. I think I would've enjoyed this one a lot more that way.
I do feel like games like Neutopia have a place.
One thing that becomes a problem replaying the older Zelda games is... they feel too much like a known quantity. Even if I'm playing a romhack that rearranges the map, I still know "Oh, I should push every block in this room" or if I see a small river blocking my progress, I know the answer is gonna be the stepladder that I get in Dungeon Whatever.
Neutopia though, feels me with a sense of mystery. I know its vaguely Zelda-esque but I don't know the rules, I don't know for a fact that I will find a Hookshot in Dungeon X or a super-strength glove under the one statue... or even that I'll find an equivalent. Its fun and mysterious and makes me feel like.... like I'm playing a game for the first time.
Of course, the problem is that one day I will finish the game and will know all its secrets... although, I might not have the memory for them that I do for things like the location of Zelda 1's power bracelet. So Neutopia will in a way always be fresh, a collection of "I sorta remember how to do this" or "I sorta remember where that dungeon is," unlike Zelda where years of gaming have ground it into me.
This is a great point! Neutopia's definitely fresh in all the ways you mentioned. I just wish it didn't beat me over the head with where to go and what to do so much and left some of the deciding up to me.
@@hungrygoriya Actually, I never got far in Neutopia. At the beginning it seems to leave exploration up to you but is it actually really hand-holdey?
Not that this would be much different than the later Zelda games.
Main reason I didn't play far into Neutopia is because I only have it via emulator and for some reason I'm more inspired to play games when I have a legitimate copy. So any game I find interesting I tend to want to hunt down and buy. Which I should do for the Neutopias one day... despite not being a huge fan of the Zelda series proper, I like a lot of games in the same genre (Landstalker, Crusader of Centy, or jumping ahead a bit, Mega Man Legends...)
I really like that you review so many lesser-known games. I've added a bunch of games to my "to play" list from listening to your thoughts
I hope you're enjoying those new experiences!
Nice video! When i first learned about the tg 16 years ago (thru bonk), this was one of the first games that really interested me when i looked thru its library, just like Golden Axe Warrior with the Master System (tho I havent played either yet). Even if at the bottom of the grouping of games you shared (and I have enjoyed) it still looks like a good time all this time later! I like they went with not ridiculously cryptic in the hints this time, a different "voice" for non nintendo owners.
Great video!
It definitely holds up if you don't mind something that's going to point you in the right direction at all times. It was still fun, just a little too easy for my personal tastes/what I enjoy about exploring these kinds of worlds. Not everyone likes the cryptic hints and needing to scour around and that's okay too!
I have such nostalgia for this game, ever since buying it on the virtual console because it looked like Zelda. It's completely unexceptional, but so is most comfort food.
Nothing wrong with that! It's a fun game for what it is. I just wish it had a little more challenge to it.
@@hungrygoriya Well as others have said, Neutopia 2 is better in that respect, but it's probably not the massive leap forward you might be hoping for.
Excellent review. I really think that all of the points you made were an accurate representation of the experience. It's a great example of an 'almost great' game.
Thanks! Glad we're on the same page here.
Another great video!
I love the Trogdor reference :D
I'm curious about Neutopia II now, maybe they addressed some of your disappointments.
I was disappointed with Crusader of Centy. Not many options on the Sega for a 'Zelda-like', although it does seem a bit more interesting than this one.
Thank you sir! I was just the right age when Strong Bad emails were all the rage and the Trogdor song is permanently stuck in my brain folds.
I found Crusader of Centy to be fun enough since it had some different mechanics in it, but the story was just plain weird. It's another game that I was a bit more hopeful for and fell a little flat. I'm definitely curious about Neutopia's sequel and hope that it'll be at least a little better than the first game.
I love hearing your thoughts and commentary. Turbografx is one console I never had the chance to get into. I might have to pick up Neutopia for an okay time.
(A+ for the StrongBad reference)
It's definitely an okay time. It doesn't really innovate anything beyond what most other games like it already do better, and it leads you around a little too much for my tastes. It's still a complete experience though! Not fundamentally lacking in anything, just not very fun in how I like my games to be fun.
And thanks! I was just the right age when StrongBad was fresh and new for it to be permanently burned into my mind.
Same, I still quote Teen Girl Squad. 🤣@@hungrygoriya
@@bloodblues85 "I have a crush on every boy!"
BWAHAHA! 🤣🤣That's my favorite one!@@ROMBomb001
I think it’s main appeal in its day was the graphical upgrade over LoZ and it’s sequel. The second Neutopia is pretty fantastic. Lots of cool magic and tools and whatnot. And it looks even better.
It's a very lovely looking game, that's for sure! I'm really curious to see how the sequel is. I'm glad there's more tools and magic in it because I kept wanting just a little bit more of that from the first game here. Thanks for the info!
@opaljk4835 That was absolutely part of it. I knew about this console from a couple of articles in game magazines and a display at Toys R Us. Vegas was a lot smaller then but it was growing quickly and had just been declared a large city for reasons that I think were census related, so we got most of the ad campaigns that major cities got, plus local promotional things because Vegas. So anyway, the display at Toys R Us featured screenshots from Bonk, Neutopia, Renegade, and a few others. But they were prominently displayed with text that said something like "Next Generation Graphics" or "16-Bit Graphics." They totally pushed the visuals of this game specifically. It's featured in TV spots too. I think most people don't realize that the PC Engine was meant to compete with the original Famicom, not the Super Famicom. So even tho it was underpowered in North America, when it was new it was actually a pretty high end experience for its time. The graphics *were* considered beautiful and a huge improvement over the Famicom. That definitely was a main selling point
I have this game and its sequel on my Wii U, because both were actually released via Virtual Console, surprisingly enough.
I remember that there were a few TG-16 games released on the Wii U store back in the day. I wish I would've picked some of them up back then and might have if I knew what the system was all about.
@@hungrygoriya It's a darn shame that the Wii U eShop was shut down last year because several *extremely* rare TG-16 games were re-released on Wii U, so that was the only way to get those games legally at a reasonable price.
Now they're totally inaccessible.
I really appreciated the Trogdor reference.
That Trogdor song's been burned in my brain my entire life.
@@hungrygoriya Same. And any time I read a typo, I read it in Strong Bad's voice.
7:05 you throwing a trogdor reference? I love you. Best youtuber
I was just the right age when Strongbad was the hip new thing.
@@hungrygoriya I remember those good old days friend. Never stop using old funny references. You are a treat.
This is one not too many people talk about. When I think of the Turbo I think of the Bonk series and all the shoot-‘em-ups. Heck the only other time I hear of this one was on Turbo Views by Spida1a who did every game that was published in North America. He did seem to like it a little more but the same complaints did come up. You can tell Legend of Zelda was on the developer’s mind. As someone who loves adventure games I always wanted to try it, but I think I’ll keep in mind that it isn’t as solid as some of my favourites. At least you have a better sword swing then in Lagoon on SNES!
I was so excited to try it out. I'm always looking for games like this on every console and rarely find something I really love, but it still happens every once in a while. I love The Legend of Zelda for many reasons. Neutopia brings a lot of its good qualities forward but doesn't really excel at anything in particular on its own. And those bossy residents made me feel crazy. I just wanted to explore all on my own without being directed as much.
I still need to play Lagoon but that sword swing looks abominable!
He's even left-handed like a certain other star of action-adventure.
Very suspicious indeed...
I appreciate a review that's just like, "It's okay'. A lot of reviews skew highly negatively or positively because that tends to be more entertaining.
All I can be is honest! Games rarely make me mad anyway.
If a game from this era is merely "okay" to our modern standards then that's a huge win in my book IMO for the simple reason that back then there were a looooot of absolute garbo being released.
Same as now, of course, but at least now we have the internet and review sites/communities.
BTW, I really liked your simulated "rental store shelf" at 0:20. Cute 😊
Neutopia's just fine, just not anything special to me. I like a little more depth in my games and this one feels fairly surface-level with many of its mechanics. I'm sure there was lots of weird stuff coming out back then, and Neutopia's certainly far from a bad game. I hope I made that clear in the review: it had everything a game should have but it just didn't wow me in the ways I like to be wowed in adventure games.
And thank you! We have a bunch of shelving in the closet in the game room here and we just cleared off two shelves to simulate that. I tried to put the boxes on an angle but good luck trying to photograph Genesis cases... they're so shiny!
Have you played Ys Book 1&2 yet? I had that for my TG-16 CD growing up and loved it more than Link to the Past. There are lots of great games on the mini, especially if you like shooters.
I played Ys 1 on the Master System ages ago but haven't gotten around to trying the TG-16 CD version/the sequel yet. I like how you can apparently carry your game over from the first to the second game with that setup, so it's definitely on my list to do someday.
I'm not much of a shooter fan but I'd definitely try a few out for fun. I really struggle with them.
@@hungrygoriya I used to not be a fan of Shooters at all, but I've recently come to love them. Seirei Senshi Spriggan, R-Type, Sapphire, Soldier Blade and Star Parodier are all on the mini and are all top-notch. Give them a try (after Ys Book 1 and 2 though - WAAAAY better than the Master System version!).
I remember seeing commercials for the TurboGrafx-16 back in the day, but never actually saw one; I knew a guy who knew a guy who had it, and the only information I was able to get out of him is that Bonk is fun. Didn't even know that Keith Courage existed, and that was supposed to be their mascot; Bonk quickly became the actual mascot, but still.
I really loved the visuals in this one; I'd always wanted to play something visually presented like this, especially the dungeons, and that was enough to carry me through with a relatively positive impressoin of the game. Also great to see someone else who appreciates color changes in character sprites to signify upgrades; I always love seeing that, but almost never see anyone else mention it. I do agree that most everything else (music aside) about it is pretty just okay, though. The sequel does have more variety and a connected overworld, so I don't know if you'll like it, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it better at least; my first playthrough was over a long winter day that I had off, taking occasional breaks to shovel our driveway from Hell.
I had one and its one of my all time faves, at the time it was marketed as "16 bit" when in Japan it came out in 1987 and was really made to compete with the NES and was "8 bit". Turns out it was an odd hybrid in it could do most of the tricks "true 16 bit" consoles could do in more sprites, more colors, but struggled with parallex scrolling and would use sprites as scrlls when it used them at all. It had an "8bit CPU" but a "16 bit" GPU" capable of displaying as many or more colors on screen as the SNES, more than the Genesis, but Genesis and SNES could do real parallex scrolling and SNES had hardware scaling and rotation "mode 7".
I'm glad I wasn't the only person who didn't hear much about the TG-16 back when it was new. I only just learned about Keith Courage when I got the mini and actually kinda like its janky platforming. I don't know if I'll ever be able to beat it, but it did make me chuckle a lot.
Neutopia's definitely a fun game, but just not fun for me in the ways I like my games to be fun, if that makes sense. It has everything a game like it needs to have but then just stops short of being excellent in all the ways I enjoy my adventures to unfold. The graphics and music are awesome though. That's one of the things that originally sold me on Neutopia, apart from it reminding me of an action RPG first and foremost. It just looked so bright and colourful, and I was immediately curious about how the game would play. The same thing happened to me with Golden Axe Warrior and I ended up loving that one, so you can imagine how I felt coming away from this game after not having those expectations met for a second time. I'm looking forward to trying the sequel sometime.
Your driveway shovelling story reminds me of my life just yesterday: I was editing the end of this video and taking breaks to push around a ton of snow we'd just gotten dumped on us from that huge storm that went across quite a bit of North America. We got about 30 cm (1 foot) of snow here so it took me a while to clear the whole driveway. It was a good excuse to get up and do something else other than stare at my screen working on the video though!
@@hungrygoriya well I mean it was heavily marketed in 1989 along with the Genesis, I think they came out only a few days apart, but I think the TG-16 had a more limited release at launch where Radioshack had it before anyone else. Also a year or so later child actor McCauley Culkin was doing interviews for Home Alone saying he was getting a TG-16. By the time the SNES came out though the Genesis had caught on and the TG-16 never did.
@@hungrygoriya It's funny how those things work out sometimes. Darkstalkers REALLY wanted Dmitri to be the main character (he even has a moveset very similar to those of Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter), but the fans decided that Morrigan was the main character and that was that. Keith Courage was just alright for me, and kind of a baffling choice as a system seller. I feel like they did alright over here, considering that NEC wasn't exactly a household name in North America, since we didn't have their popular PC-88 and PC-98 systems.
I definitely get it; I tend to get antsy if I'm on the same game for too long, unless it's something really special, like Yakuza or Borderlands, so I have kind of the opposite problem. The original Legend of Zelda is a good example: it was the second NES cartridge I ever got (after the pack-in Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt), so I had a lot more time to fiddle around with it, and that made it feel like a big adventure; I revisited it recently, and while I'm glad to have had the incredible experience of going through it back in the '80s, before the whole thing was completely demystified, I don't think I'll ever go back to it at this point.
We just got hit about a week ago, though only about 8 inches (probably 20cm), though alarmingly, almost all of it melted a few days later. The small creek (maybe ditch is a better word; we call it the moat) that mostly encircles our house is so full and loud that it sounds like heavy winds from the other end of the yard after all that!
new to the TG-16/PCE and you have the mini and like this style of game, should really check out Ys Book 1 and 2, its on the mini, its a little strange at first with its bump combat and not a button press to slash, but great game. Just bump at angles, there is a strategy to it. Came out in 1990 and was different than anything else at the time and even had voice acting, cutscenes and redbook audio CD music.
I absolutely adored Ys 1 when I played it back on the Master System but I've been curious to try the TG-16 CD version and get to Book 2 someday. That's a good point! I'd forgotten about them.
@@hungrygoriya the TG-16 CD version of Ys Book 1 and Book 2 sort of made it like one continious game where you keep your levels and experience, just not your weapons for the start of Ys 2. It has a cutscene intermission where Adol is transported from Darm Tower at the end of Ys 1 to the ancient land of Ys floating in the sky.
Years ago i received a Turbo Grafix16 new for Christmas. That holiday season NEC was running a free game giveaway with the purchase of the new console. Only Caveat was is you chose the game from a list and sent in the redemption card through the mail. NEC said it would be about a month for delivery. January came; nothing. February, March came and Nothing. I had forgotten about the game until tax day in April that i received a box in the mail having completely given up on it ever popping up at all. In it wasn't the game i had ordered, which remember i can't remember myself. It was this game Neutopia. Which i still have fond memories of playing.
It's funny how back then, when you sent in for something like that, you had no idea if they got it, if it got lost in the mail, and had no way of really following up. Something similar to me happened with Puppy Surprise. I'm not sure if you remember those, but you could get 3-5 puppies and you could mail in for an extra. It was such an exciting wait but it felt like it took forever. I'm glad Neutopia was a happy accident for you in your life at the time. Glad you enjoyed it back then!
Always got to catch the newest Hungry Goriya vid! Nuf' said!
Can't wait to see what the sequal is up to, looking forward to the vid!
Here's hoping it's a fun one when I get around to it!
I loved my Turbo Duo. But the games I played on card were less rpg, more everything else- Bonk, Splatterhouse, and Military Madness were replayed staples in my TG-16 catalog. But two games I have the most happy memories playing was the TG CD games Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer! I'd happily go back and play those both if I could. Neutopia completely fell under my radar, but judging by this vid, it wouldn't have thrilled me anyway. Thanks for yet another lovely review! Tho hate you had to import a TG from the US and hope it didn't cost too much to send to whatever country you live in. I still haven't managed to score one of those Mini's either, hopefully one of these days 🙂.
Cosmic Fantasy 1 and 2 are getting Switch releases, only CF2 ever made it to the west, but a translated CF1 is coming out. Dragon Slayer I think was the OG Legend of Heroes (Trails) game that are well known today.
I'm in Canada here, so really all I had to worry about were import fees and the horrendous exchange rate. At least it got here, even though it's a little ugly! Fingers crossed you get your hands on one someday. I got on the pre-order train back when it was still available and I'm happy I did.
Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer both sound like they'd be right up my alley. I'll look them both up. It's cool that you got to experience the system first hand growing up.
@@hungrygoriya Cosmic Fantasy 2 was translated by Working Designs so it had their sense of humor, but no spoilers the ending was a mixed bag where the last enemy seemed laughable in its naming but sort of had a somber ending to the story too. Its OK for a 1991 JRPG, nothing special other than interesting cutscenes and voice acting in a few parts when that was rare. Dragon Slayer is a better game overall IMHO, but not an all time great or anything. But they are early JRPG's on CD format.
Now that I'm older I actually LOVE when a game tells me exactly where to go because I don't have enough free time to explore the entire map looking for my next objective. :)
I've heard that from a few people and I can totally understand the need to save time, but still get lost in a neat video game world.
Great insightful review. It's a shame when a game restricts the hero's choices to an extent that it feels like the player has no agency at all, especially in this type of game where the player WANTS to explore and get lost a little bit. Hopefully Neutopia 2 will improve on some of the issues!
Here's hoping! This one was fine if you like a more direct game, but that's not what I tend to enjoy personally. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
I'm sorry Neutopia was a letdown for you. I know you love the original Legend of Zelda and Crystalis--as do I! I played those before I played this, when I was about 11 or 12. I did and do love Neutopia, myself; although I can also understand your criticisms. I didn't expect it to really tread any new ground. I actually liked the tradeoff of compartmentalized worlds for the added thematic diversity. I guess it was kind of like comfort food: the familiar Zelda formula, with vibrant graphics and music. I enjoy your reviews, and I hope you do Neutopia II someday, since I never got to play that.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this game as a whole and I think it's fantastic that you enjoy it as a good way to unwind and enjoy yourself. I suppose I'm learning that I love specific things in my adventure games and some degree of challenge in terms of the puzzle/problem solving. Neutopia was an okay time for me but didn't really sweep me off my feet. I'm really curious about the sequel to see if it did anything new and exciting with the magic.
Usually watch these all the way through but here is a comment, and like. I'll be playing this but I don't want any spoilers. I'm certain it's a wonderful video as usual.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment even though you haven't seen the video yet. I try not to spoil too much or usually present things out of context for what it's worth, but I hope you enjoy your playthrough when you get around to this one!
Thanks for another great video!
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!
@@hungrygoriya I finally remembered to turn on notifications for your videos as well lol
When I was a kid and the Turbografx was still relatively new my cousin owned one and would let me have at it anytime I visited. I remember being so proud that I finished the first two Bonk titles with no help, something 6 year old me wasn't used to. He only really ever stuck with the more main stream titles so never played Neutopia until over a decade later and while it was neat never felt overly impressed. The title is pretty on point, it's just okay. The sequel is pretty much more of the same as well.
I'm glad it's not just me that feels this way. I just wanted this game to be a little deeper in its exploration. It didn't even need more weapons/magic... just let me figure things out for myself, you know?
The fire rod is one of the coolest items I've ever used in a retro zelda like. It's versatile powerful and is still powerful the entire game.
It was a really neat addition. I just wish they did more with it!
I beat Neutopia about 10 years ago. I really enjoyed this little Zelda clone. I have the sequel but havent tackled it yet.
I still need to play the sequel as well!
This was a great look at Neutopia. Hope you review more TG16 games!
Thanks so much! I certainly hope to play more Turbografx stuff in the future.
Turbo Grafx 16 was my first console. Neutopia, Legendary Axe, Bloody Wolf, Tiger Road, Bonk's Adventure, Alien Crush and Splatterhouse were the very first video games I ever played. I legitimately used to think Nintendo IPs were rip-offs of these games. It wasn't until much later that I discovered that Neutopia was indeed the clone. I sub'd to this channel because I never see anyone talking about these games. Thank you.
I clearly need to branch out a little more with the TG-16 library. I appreciate the list of games to look into. Thanks very much for your kind words too!
The Neutopia's have a lot in common with the third and fourth "quests" that Nintendo released as part of their satellite download service in Japan. Snack-sized adventures that aren't as puzzle or difficulty intensive as what came before but satisfy that kind of itch in between games that are more like projects to complete. Approached from that angle, it's quite fun and breezy, though I will admit I didn't feel terribly accomplished completing the second title.
That's an interesting way to look at it. After such a long wait to play this one, I hoped it might've been a little more my speed, but it's fine for what it is. It's entirely possible that I'm not the target audience and that's just fine.
That’s a crying shame over what Amazon US did to that TurboGrafx Mini box. I ordered mine from Amazon Japan and they shrink wrapped the system box to a piece of cardboard then glued that cardboard to the inside of a larger box so that it wouldn't get damaged. It was pretty impressive I have to admit. No packing paper or air bags needed.
Great little review. Cheers.
To put it lightly, I was really frustrated when it arrived. It was one of the first time I ordered from the American site instead of the Canadian one and apparently there's an option you can click to put it inside of another box that doesn't exist on the CA one... I learned my lesson I guess! I'm glad yours arrived in great shape.
You get bonus points for the Trogdor reference.
Jazeta's the original Trogdor.
Wait, we're getting TG 16 love from HG? This is going to be great! Die Hard Game Fan used to cover the console and games pretty extensively with many beautiful screen shots. Man, those multipage spreads used to make my mouth water. I'll be looking forward to more TG 16 reviews(if and when they arrive).
I'm definitely hoping to play more TG-16 stuff in the future. Definitely Neutopia II at some point, but other things too!
@@hungrygoriya Hopefully Bonk is right around the corner. I was surprised by a certain guest star in St1ka's most recent video. Nice to know some of my favorite creators are networking. Keep up the great work HG, and thanks for replying!
Happy New Year to you! I'm excited to see what lovely obscure games you'll introduce me to this year
Happy new year to you too! I'm looking forward to getting some great videos together in the next many months so stay tuned!
Neutopia I & II, were, in the words of my cousin who only had a TG-16 as a kid, really awesome. When you didn't have a NES to play Zelda on, Neutopia was a pretty good deal. Plus, the graphics were better. We forget sometimes that this game came out in 1989. For a brief, nearly insignificant moment, Neutopia looked next level and totally sweet. Maybe we had to be there.
I'm sure it was awesome as a kid. I said as much during the review that it would be a great introductory game to the genre. I'm not judging it by today's standards or really comparing it to anything else. I'm just basing my thoughts on whether it felt fun to me as a standalone, and without a bit more challenge and self-directed exploration, it was just okay for my personal tastes. It's still a good game, just not for me!
@@hungrygoriya totally! Sadly, for a system with so much potential, being a stepping stone between the NES and the 16-bit era, there weren't enough RPGs. The CD add-on became a sort of RPG haven in comparison, but again, most of the games didn't make it to America! So frustrating. Although, many of them are being translated...Tengai Makyou Ziria was just fan converted to English, recently, the prequel to the Tengai Makyou game on the Super Famicom (one of the best Super Famicom RPGs).
I've never played this one so I can't comment on its quality one way or the other. I do have a fond memory of watching somebody speed run this game as part of a charity marathon. Half joking, they kept going on about how Neutopia is their favorite game and the greatest game ever made. In fact, they claimed it was the inspiration for every other video game ever made. Eventually somebody in chat asked "So if Neutopia inspired every game, what inspired Neutopia?" The response was "Neutopia is so great, it inspired its own creation as part of an infinite time loop." 😆 It made for some of the best speed run commentary.
That's hilarious! I love watching speedruns so I'd be curious to see how this game goes when people are really skilled at it. I know there's a lot of technical stuff in The Legend of Zelda's speedrun for enemy kill counts to get bombs to drop and I wonder if there's anything like that here too. Thanks for sharing this story! It gave me a good chuckle.
I think the real issue with this game is that since it LOOKS and ACTS a lot like Zelda many people simply EXPECTED it to be more like Zelda when in fact its design as a more linear top down action game seems be taken as a negative when in fact I actually appreciated the game that didn’t require maps, obscure secrets, obtuse hints etc and that you could just play through it all the way and have some fun. Granted, as this game came out after Zelda this can be fair criticism as it didn’t further the genre but I appreciate the fact that this “Zelda Lite” game was made and the amazing over world music is some of the best 8bit tune age I have ever heard. As always, an amazing thoughtful review and all points are succinctly made. I would still recommend this game to anyone looking for a fun adventure game that won’t break your brain or force you to go look up a walkthough of any sort and sometimes that a good enough time for most gamers out there!
You raise great points here! I suppose I just got used to the idea of getting a grand world to explore and finding my way through it, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with something that's a little more linear in nature. I guess I'm learning that I love a good problem to solve and Neutopia just didn't have many for me to grind my brain cogs about.
It's funny that the writing in this game is so good that in ways it's almost too good. Gimme my broken English NES hints where I have to think really hard about what people are trying to tell me! I'm honestly just kidding of course. Neutopia's a fine game, and I just wanted something from it that it isn't!
Great review as usual. I have no history with this game whatso ever but it has that charming C+/B- quality that I used to eat up. I may have to scrounge up one of those TG minis and give it a shot.
It's not a bad game by any stretch, I just didn't find it exceptional in any way either. Definitely give it a try!
Neutopia was a good game _for the era in which it was created._ I played it back when it came out and loved it. I craved more Zelda and that's what Neutopia gave me during the _six year gap_ between Z2 and Z3. I'm sure it feels dull and repetitive now but it was a lot of fun back in the day.
I'm glad you got to enjoy it back in the day. The game's just fine, just not as in-depth as I like my adventure games. I don't think that opinion would've changed for me even if I'd played it back then between Zeldas. I grew up with Zelda 1. Neutopia's just a bit too direct for my tastes.
I'm an American that had a TG16 growing up. Always felt like a souped up NES because even though the graphics are nicer, its still just an more powerful 6502 under the hood. I didn't have many games, only 4 or 5 that I can remember (No Neutopia). Toys R Us had a whole aisle of Video games which was roughly half Sega and half Nintendo, with TG16 squeezed into a sliver of space at the end with only a fraction of the selection. My favorite TG16 game, and one I think you might also like, was and is Final Lap Twin. (There it is at 14:28 !!!) It's a competent race car game very similar to Pole Position. But it also has a QUEST mode, which is technically my first ever JRPG. I still replay it every few years. I think it was the first game I found a cuss in too! Blows my mind there hasn't been a similar JRPG where combat is replaced by Need-For-Speed style pink slip racing. Although, I think there was a Tennis game on the system with a similar quest mode. Great Vid, I think I'd rather replay NES Zelda than try Neutopia. But I do like the sprites and especially the wiggly water.
So cool that you used to have the TG-16 when it was fresh and new! It's no wonder I missed out on seeing any of it in stores if it's like what you described here.
I'm so glad I found a copy of Final Lap Twin! I love Super Hang On and it looked similar to that, and I was definitely drawn in by the Quest Mode. I actually played a ton of Pole Position back in the day on the Commodore Vic 20. Probably not the best version of the game, but one that I'm super nostalgic for by this point. Glad to know FInal Lap Twin will be a fun time when I get around to it. I feel like there's some kind of racing RPG on the Game Boy/GBC that I've long forgotten the name of, but I'd never really heard of another before Final Lap Twin.
Personally, I'd rather be playing the original Legend of Zelda as well. Neutopia's fine, but just a little too direct for my tastes. I enjoy exploring and wandering, and Neutopia just didn't let me do that as much as I would've liked.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here!
Great review, I enjoy them and your voice is perfect! 🎉🎉😂
Oh thank you so much!
Yay more Goriya! Hope ALundra is coming soon. You will love it
I haven't played it yet. I'm deep into Final Fantasy Tactics though! That's fun so far!
@@hungrygoriya Oh wow great choice! Probably the most coherent gameworld soundtrack of all time and the best FF OST (and coming from someone who loves FFIV). Incredible story and game mechanics. Love the use of bells.
Another recommend I have that is more old school NES vibe is Kickle Cubicle, a very obscure, deeply weird but extremely fun game sort of like a cheerier version of Adventures of Lolo
I bought both of these Neutopia games on WiiU before they closed that eShop. Have not played them much yet, but I will.
Good luck with your playthroughs when you get there. Neutopia's fun, just not mindblowingly fun for what I like in my adventure games.
Didn't have a the OG system, had the portable Turbo Express. Pops bought me a racing game called Final Lap Twin. Ended up being my favorite RPG on the platform.
I got to play a Turbo Express for a little while recently and it was actually pretty cool. When I got my little PC Engine, my husband installed a region unlock modification on it, and one of the games I got was Final Lap Twin! I'm so happy to hear it's a great game!
While I've not played the game myself, all the criticisms here make sense, and I'd have to agree with them all. There are certainly a few obvious flaws that don't seem as if they'd have been too hard to rectify. If only they'd had Hungry Goriya proving feedback during development, we could have had a better Neutopia! What might have been, eh?
Then I would love every game I play with all my heart and have to listen to others complain about the things I adore... I wonder if I could take that!
Even with its issues, I am still really looking forward to playing Neutopia when I get around to it. There are so few 2D Zelda games overall, and there's just a certain magic in that gameplay design, so even Great Value 2D Zelda is still worth a look!
I definitely think you should play it and see what you think. It's not bad by any stretch, but it just didn't really challenge me much. I think I prefer games that let you find your own way a little more. It's great for what it is!
@@hungrygoriya To be honest, the direct hand-holdy-ness will probably be a plus for me. I tend to drift off course pretty easily with games that are open,but knowing exactly what I need to do, for me, makes me more eager to explore everything else, if that makes any sense
gg! thx for the video!
Thanks for checking this one out!
Neutopia is the very definition of "We have Zelda at home." It's uninspired and doesn't really do all that much interesting, but if all you had was a Turbografx and no access to an NES, it was better than nothing. The formula is still fun, and it's understandable that people who grew up with a TG16 would have nostalgia for it, but there's not all that much beyond that.
I think what it does it does very well, but I wish it had innovated a little more to keep me interested. The thing that got to me the most was being told what to do without being able to think through my own problems at all. I enjoy putting the pieces together myself.
Not going to lie this title on the wii turbo graphics shop listings got me super interested so I downloaded it and had a good time. It's exactly what I needed before drawing the Marine Corps to de-stress my mind. I really enjoyed the second title in the series as well when in service
I felt the same way when I played Neutopia. The sequel, Neutopia II, is pretty much a clone of the first one with a few added features like the ability to walk and attack diagonally and you get more magic items besides the fire. In fact, they discourage you using the fire because enemies that get hit by fire get pushed towards you and you usually take a hit as a result.
I'm glad it's not just me! I felt so alone in my opinion on this when I streamed it. It's a fine game but it holds your hand wayyyy too much for my personal tastes.
You have to keep facing towards whatever enemy you fire magic at. If you turn away, enemies fly back into you. Neutopia 1 did not have this mechanic.
It´s is a worthy upgrade to replace the Screen of the Turbo GT / Express to a modern one. Thank you for the video :)
The modern screen upgrades for handheld consoles always look really sharp. I'm sad to say that the Turbo Express doesn't belong to us, but my husband did a capacitor replacement on it for someone and he lent us his entire game library to test it out with. A dream come true!
Something about the aesthetic of this game just pulls me in! HG says "quite mid, good not great" and here I am nodding my head like "yes yes amazing should prioritize it soon" 😅
Great video as always :D
I love the way this game looks too! I'm sure like everything else you play, you'll find something in it to love. There's lots of good things in Neutopia, but it just didn't stand out to me in a way that felt fun.
I owned this on a Hu card for my Turbo Duo. It was shockingly good for a Hu card game, and the music was sick. So I liked it, even though I guess it doesn't compare to other similar fare in many ways. Ys IV and Dorakiyura X / Rondo of Blood were good too. Flash Hiders. Bomber Man 3-5P and SP. Gate of Thunder and it's OST...
I'm glad for some other recommendations here! As I'm branching out into this library a little, it's great to have a place to start looking for fun titles.
Thanks for breaking it down. Most reviewers are like, "Turbo 16 Zelda clone. Nuff said."
No problem. I find that kind of generalization pretty meaningless. Every top-down action game is not Zelda!
Nice Review as always. ^_^ Truth be told though, I never played the console. I have no real experience in this one my friend. ^_^
I didn't either until very recently. It's a cool system!
@hungrygoriya I am not honestly certain "How" you can play this noe, that flash is no longer in use.... But there is a really great, and ridiculous amd absurd game called, "Abobo's Big Adventure" If you can, check it out but dont watch a trailer for it beforehand, if you havent seen yet. I promise, it will be an amazing gaming experience that you didnt know you have been training for your whole life!
Weird coincidence, I just got a ten o koe 2 bank because I got tired of putting in passwords for Neutopia.
Oh seriously? I can imagine! Those passwords are pretty intense. I'm really grateful I didn't have to use them.
Agreed. Neither of the Neutopia games were very good imo. They tried to recreate the Zelda experience but failed to implement the things that made those games great.
Aka one vast world to explore, thoughtful dungeon & puzzle design, various equipment that unlocks progression, buying things beyond basic consumables, etc. Having the overworld be broken up into varying linear areas instead of one single large world was also quite disappointing. Exploration was indeed way too linear.
Alundra is a game that also emulates the Zelda experience but is unique enough to be its own thing. It got all of these things right, including telling a pretty deep & mature story. This game did none of these things right. I would love to see you review that title one day. You would love it!
Alundra's definitely on my list of things to play down the line. It's just a matter of when I get around to it! I'm currently deep into Final Fantasy Tactics and am enjoying that quite a bit.
Thanks for your comment here, and for stopping by!
I got that TurboGrafx Mini too, mainly as I wanted to play Y's, and being pleasantly surprised it wasn't so unbelievably grind heavy as the Master System version was. But I never touched Neutopia, I thought it was that game that was essentially an RPG version of Gauntlet, so I must be thinking of something else. :S
BTW did you manage to unlock all the secret games on the system? :)
The Master System version of Ys was also a little mean in that it capped your level! I really struggled with the end of the game without the ability to grind my stats any higher. I think that you might be thinking of Dungeon Master as a Gauntlet RPG (don't quote me on that!) but Neutopia's an entirely different thing!
I didn't unlock all the secret games on the system... what secret games?!
None of my friends had any of these super expensive systems that came out and faded away as fast as the nu-metal band Videodrome either. Once PlayStation and Saturn came out and conquered the market, they were in everybody's houses.
Oh and I am now the proud owner of 6 Vomitron shirts, 6 posters, and a crap load of stickers for the low low price of 80 bucks (including shipping)... Although it was cheaper because I already own all their CDs. Hope you took advantage of the deal while it's available.
Hey congrats on all the Vomitron stuff! I unfortunately missed the sale.
That "hard to hit enemies with the weiner sword" was funny.
Gotta say, I really like that fire rod animation
This game looks amazing overall, no doubt!
@@hungrygoriya I'm really looking forward to your eventual review of the second one
7:04 I get the reference. Good ol Strong Bad emails
I was the perfect age when Strong Bad was new and hip.
Your take matches how I felt - Neutopia tries to follow the Zelda mold but missed the mark. Here's to hoping Neutopia 2 has more to offer
My fingers are very crossed about Neutopia 2, but based on what I've heard from a few people here so far, it'll be more of the same.
Was just thinking about you recently! I have played through this game. It's decent but not amazing. Haven't played through the second game yet, I hear it's more fleshed out and there is more to do than the first game
Life got pretty busy for me this past month, so sorry for the wait! I thought this one was okay but nothing special. I wanted a little more difficulty and some more meaningful exploration.
The ost is pretty good though, 2 has a S-tier ost
I remember watching a friend play through a bit of Neutopia II and really enjoying the music. That's one thing the first game really has going for it too.
You may be one of the few ppl who actually like Bill & Ted for NES. Still, it's cool to see ppl enjoying things others disliked.
A lot of ppl hate on Sonic 2 for Game Gear but I absolutely loved it!
I am one of the few! I have a retrospective buried deep in the channel if you want to hear more from me on that topic and why I love it so much. I need to try some more Game Gear games. So far I've only played Defenders of Oasis and Psychic World.
Found your channel like what I'm seeing hope to see more mini turbo graph because like I see those on sale for like over $500
Hey thanks so much! I have to play some more Turbografx stuff eventually, so you can expect more reviews when the time comes.
Neutopia II does add more wands (and a few other ways to attack). Aside from an awful bug where the enemy flies in the direction you're facing (for example, if an enemy approaches you going left to right, don't go right, either go up/down or stand your ground) II is better. Plus, it's all in one big world and has actual towns and a real final dungeon.
Agree on the bombing walls. Both games way overdo that, along with pushing blocks. Some rooms have like 40 blocks and you need to find the right one. I also like Dirth's "Climactic Castle" being two rooms up from the old lady at the start.
Good review.
Legend of Zelda on NES and Link's Awakening DX on GBC are the only games like this that I've played. I've tried Link to the Past but it was too hard, I gave up but I want to revisit it eventually. I have Crusaders of Centy on the Sega Genesis Mini 2.
That part with the fire rod, I think it would have benefitted if in that first area you showed they had those flying bug enemies in the area where you figured it out. I've gotten stuck from similar situations, seems frustrating.
Never had a Turbografx or knew anyone with one either. When you said you imported the mini from the US, I had a moment, lol, you're not wrong just in my perspective it felt odd.
I hope Neutopia II is better, the top comment as of now says so.
I never got into Turbografx games, it looks like now there are some great mods so it might finally be the time to get one. Much like the N64 I haven't been a fan of how the console looks digital until now. The mini was always sold out when I tried to buy one, I don't pay scalpers.
See you with the sequel review
I hope you'll give Crusader of Centy a try sometime. It's a really unique take on the top-down adventure game formula with some wacky storytelling too.
It's so funny that Neutopia's so direct in some aspects but so vague in others like the fire rod use. You're absolutely right in that a subtle hint with even some similar enemies would've done a lot to trigger a thought to try out that weapon in that way.
I'm hopeful the sequel will be better when I get around to it. If you do dive into the TG-16 library, I hope you enjoy it. I've gotten to try out quite a few titles between the mini and the few games I've purchased. Thanks for stopping in!
I never had a Turbographx as a kid but wanted one, and this game was always fun to look at in magazines. At first glace, it looks pretty amazing, but yeah the gameplay seems to have a lot of tedious stuff as you cover here, especially the part where you're supposed to burn rock crystals like they're a tree? That's kinda ridiculous, haha.
Thanks for the review! This game could have been better than it was without a doubt.
It seemed like it had really good bones to build on but it just stopped getting refined at some point. I'm honestly glad so many old games have a questionable translation and let me wander around trying to find out where to go because this "pointing me in the right direction" business was just too annoying!
I totally don't know why fire burns down rocks and pillars and other stuff in the later spheres. It must be the hottest fire known to mankind!
That's the kind of game where you'd be very happy to play it in context (you're a kid with a tg16 and you want zelda) but that's kinda dull nowadays when you have every single retro game at your fingertips.
It's a fine game for what it is, just a little too pushy for my personal tastes. I just wanted to explore a little more. I don't know that it has anything to do with having other "superior" games more than that it's just not for me and what I like in my games.
Hope to see more turbografx games get covered!
Me too! I have to choose some more I'd like to play first, of course. I've got some in mind.
This video reminded me I have yet to spend much time with my Turbografx Mini, but based on this I might start with the bomberman games instead...
I'd say give Neutopia a try and see what you think. It felt a little bit too bland for me personally since I like a little more mystery in my games, but it's far from a bad experience. Just doesn't have the things in it that I find especially fun/engaging.
I know Keith Courage In Alpha Zone is usually not held in high regard but i love that game.
I've tried a little Keith Courage in Alpha Zone and enjoyed it for the most part. It has some pretty janky control in "robot form" (I haven't really read the manual yet, I'm sure it has a proper name) but I enjoyed jumping around and trying to fight off the bosses.
@@hungrygoriya yeah it's a bit jank. I think it's mostly because i played it when i was little and have a fond spot for it.
I would farm gold cats for what seemed like hours because they were sooo cute.
Thank you for your honesty. Neutopia is still one of my favorite. It's a better version of Zelda from the NES. It was made to teach Nintendo a lesson for refusing to team up with Hudson Soft to create the Turbografx. Unlike NEC who accepted.
I think it's still a fun game, but I just wish it was a little more challenging. I'd still like to try the sequel out someday.
Definitely appreciate the honest breakdown, of a game, that you found as frustrating as this. I only knew one person with a turbo graphix, in the 90's. Played one game, Bonk, for about ten minutes (I was 8yrs old), and decided that it sucked, because it wasn't, Mario 3 or Super Mario World. Funny enough, I just d-loaded The citra emulator last week, and finally got Mario 3d land, Return of Samus, and A Link Between Worlds......
.......still think the SNES version of these games, are 100% better lol
I remember my husband telling me he wanted to get a Master System and a Turbografx at a convention and I said, "What are those? What do you mean there were other systems out with the NES, SNES and Genesis?" This was 2016! It's cool you got to try one out as a kid!
I feel the way that you do about the Super Mario All Stars game. I love the NES versions of the Mario games so much more!
I have a PC Engine Mini I imported from Japan. It has both TG16 and PC Engine games but I dont know if the games are different than the North American TG16 mini and I wonder if it has neutopia 1/2 on it- I dont remember them, but the mini was a xmas gift for my spouse whos way more into retro arcadey stuff than retro pc rpgs like me so I havent messed around with it as much as he has.
Even just watching, I could see how bad the hit detection was tho, it looked very frustrating to aim with the sword compared to crystalis or zelda.
Awesome review as always!
I'm not sure if the Japanese system's the same lineup as the North American one, but I'm sure there must've been some differences. The Genesis Mini 2 has a very different lineup depending on the region, which is unfortunate. I would've gotten it for Lunar 1 and 2 in a heartbeat since I don't know that I'll ever find a Sega CD copy of Lunar 2 at this rate.
The hit detection was pretty terrible with the sword. I didn't see a point in trying to use it later on in the game unless my fire magic was at the lowest amount and I didn't feel like hitting enemies 1000 times to kill them with a weak fireball.
Thanks so much for watching! It's always nice to hear from you in the comments.
In the dying days of the Wii U, I went through and bought some of the Turbo Grafix titles that I had an eye on. Just like you, I had never heard of the console until much later in life and this was a cheaper way to play the titles without breaking the bank. I did snag Neutopia 1 and 2 but haven't tried them out yet (gamer problems, amirite?). That's pretty funny and frustrating that fire melts away rock like that. I would've been in the same mindset as you - who would logically think to use fire on a rock? Lol!
Also, I loved your Trogdor reference and got a good chuckle out of that!
Gamer Problems is my favourite type of problem to have, haha... glad I'm not the only one who slept on this system for many years. I'm glad you got to pick up a couple of titles before the Wii U store went away forever. I think if you come to this one with the proper expectations, it's a fine game. I was only disappointed in that it was just more of the same but not nearly as fun in many ways.
The fire melting rocks away totally blew my mind! I was listening back through my stream vods and I probably should've included what I said from the stream in the review, but it went something like "omg are you serious? I can melt these rocks?! WHAT" because it was just that surprising after searching around for so long.
And thanks! The fire wand is Jazeta's best tool for constantly burninating the countryside. I was just the right age when Strong Bad emails were a thing so they're permanently burned into my memory.
Neutopia 2 is way better.
Good to know! I always like starting at the beginning to see where a series starts from, but seems like I should've jumped straight to the second game here instead.
@@hungrygoriya its in Japanese in the Mini though, but the plot is Jazetta was kidnapped and his son is on a quest to rescue him, if I remember correctly, its been awhile. Wish I still had the Turbochip/HuCard to Neutopia 2 its worth some money these days.
The only thing that holds Neutopia II back is there's a glitch with enemy knockback and the fire wand. IIRC correctly, they bounce in the way your character is facing, and it's easy to accidentally throw them into you. It takes some getting used to.
True
@hungrygoriya Dungeon Explorer 2 is also better than the 1st, IMO.. If you do that series... However, the first one is a very solid Gauntlet-like game. The sequel has cut scenes and better sound and such. (A.D.D. moment. It's just another Turbografx game I like.)
The new Zelda games for the Switch have a fully open design that lets you do literally anything in any order, including the dungeons or the final boss! You can literally go straight to the final boss & beat him if you want!
I know those may be a bit too mainstream to cover on your channel but I'm sure you'd love those games.
I don't know that I'd ever cover them here, but I did play a bit of Breath of the Wild when it first came out. The breakable weapons and long, long walks of nothing between objectives wore out my patience pretty quickly. I got about 20 hours in and didn't bother finishing it.
@hungrygoriya Ah I see, guess it really isn't for everyone then. Sorry to hear ya didn't enjoy it.
Very interesting! A good friend of mine swears by Neutopia, so I was surprised to see the title of this review. Hearing your issues with the game, though, it makes total sense, and I have a feeling I'd probably have a very similar takeaway from the game as you. Fortunately, I have heard the second game is much better, so hopefully you'll enjoy that one more!
Also, the TG-16 Mini has Ys Book I & II on it, doesn't it? I can't recall if you've ever played Ys I & II before, but if not, that's one that I think you'll REALLY like! Of course, my top recommendation would be one of the Ys I & II Chronicles releases, since I personally worked on the localizations for those -- but Ys Book I & II is a pretty classic release with some of the best English voice-acting in '90s video gaming, so you really can't lose playing that one! About the only downside is that you can't move diagonally (which you can in the Chronicles release), but I think you're probably used to that by now. ;)
I think it's a fine game for what it is, but it just didn't bring it to the level of depth and challenge that I usually appreciate in my games. I'm certainly not the end-all authority on these topics, so take it with a grain of salt and see what it's like for yourself sometime. I know I've had some people very strongly disagree with my feelings here and some that agree wholeheartedly. It's really going to come down to personal taste. Let's hope the sequel's a little more my speed.
I haven't played the TGCD versions of Ys yet, but I played Ys 1 ages ago on the Master System. I liked it just fine, but I'm really intrigued about the idea of bringing your old save information forward to Book 2 after you complete the first one. I've been interested in playing those versions for a long time and just haven't gotten around to them yet.
And what are these diagonals you speak of? hahaha
Growing up, I only ever saw the TurboGrafx at Radio Shack. I would play it until some employee would ask me where my parents were and to please leave. I wouldn't mind picking up a mini but the price has gone up a smidge in the last few years...
It's so unfortunate how the mini's price has gotten out of hand like it has. I got mine through pre-order because I didn't really have any TG-16 in my collection at all and wanted to play a few things on it.
13:30 - Golden Axe Warrior - DO A SHOT!
I mentioned it at the beginning too, so you need to do another.
Great Trogdor reference on its 20th anniversary. Good video!
What a happy coincidence! I had no idea! And thank you for checking this one out.
@@hungrygoriya No problem! Keep up the good work!
I played this game for the first time when I got the turbografx mini. I didn't have no real reason to own it beside never heard of it as a kid and because i could as an adult lol and it seem kind of cool. Neutopia got me hooked at the zelda like style that I just couldnt put it down until I finished it. I say its a good game for what it was.
It definitely feels like a complete experience. I suppose for my personal tastes, it didn't dive as deeply into certain things as I might've hoped. I'm happy to hear that you got so much out of the experience!
@hungrygoriya Agreed, Once I got used to the mechanics and the story, it became a lot easier. I wish there were more to it. It's very linear, but I guess maybe they didn't have a big team behind it as nintendo did, so that could be something to consider. The sequel looks just as great. Are you going to do a play through of it as well? I would love to watch you stream it.
@@rubenmejia4881 I do plan to someday, hopefully sooner than later. I'm working on Final Fantasy Tactics for the moment so that might take me a while.
IDK...I think this looks pretty good. Gotta try it out on the emulator tonight.
It has everything you would want from an adventure game, but I like to find stuff on my own and not have my hand held so much. Let me know if you like it once you finish it!