When I got my Genesis as a kid (Model 2 FTW), it came with two 6-button controllers and both Sonic 1 and 2 with it and Sword of Vermilion and Thunder Force II were the first games I got with it. Most people quickly dismiss it but I think it's criminally underrated and will always hold a special place in my heart...right next to Thunder Force II.
Sword of Vermilion was a misunderstood masterpiece , in my later years being in my 40s now i love this game , its like diablo classic-dragonquest original and -ultima VII having a baby and out pops sword of vermilion , Yu suzuki was a genius at making unique games while making fast to the point arcade games as well
Happy to read this. I still love this game. Another RPG gem not appreciated by many but well loved by a few. I experienced the same thing years later with Dreamcast’s Skies of Arcadia. If it’s not part of a well known franchise they tend to fall by the wayside.
When I was younger, I asked for FF6 (FF3 American) for my SNES. I got Hyperzone instead (not a bad game, but not as good as F-Zero). When I got a Genesis, I asked for Sonic. I got Sonic Spinball instead (no lie, it wasn't what I wanted, but i still love that game). So my next Genesis game as a gift I thought would be something I didn't want but might still enjoy. I got Sword of Vermilion. It wasn't what I wanted, as I expected, but I played the shit out of that game for hours and to this day I still love it. When it comes to lesser know RPGs for consoles, this is one of my favourites. Toward the end when I was capping out experience it got a little buggy, but for the time it was brilliant. Cheers! 8^)
OMG! We are kindred spirits. This game defines my childhood. The eye monsters gave me nightmares. I used to use my dad's old Packard Bell PC to write Sword of Vermillion fan fiction. There's probably a floppy disk out there somewhere with the text file. You must finish this game. It's the best feeling!
you wrote SoV stories!? awesome!! oh mate, i definitely am gonna go back and finish this game one day. it has to happen, or my gaming career will all have been for nothing! lol
A brilliant RPG with a strong and emotionally moving storyline, great graphics and sound and the battles kept you on your toes. LOVED IT then and still love it now
Holy shit... Me and my dad used to play this back when i was a kid... its one of (if not,) the most nostalgic games for me as well. I never knew it was made by the same guy that made Shenmue. I never played through those titles but I've heard a lot about them. Gonna have to sit down and catch up before Shenmue III comes out.
Wow.... Big Shenmue fan here! I got the Euro version of 2 and a converter disc so I could play it on my U.S. system. Possibly the best game ever if you ask me. I bloody worship Yu at this point. Thanks for the nostalgic video‼
One of my favorite games and earliest memories in life. The music, mood, gameplay, and pace of the story are all solid. Ill never understand why this game gets the hate it gets....
I started this game one day and got accidently hooked before I could even begin to know what was going on! It started with me ribbing my eldest brother for playing such a boring game and mortal kombat is life he simply said and I quote " You try.... Since it's so easy!" I said i ok.... Next I know 3 hrs pass im still playing didn't know i had gotten lost so quickly.
Really enjoyed this video bro, sword was one of if not the first RPG style game I played and it really left a mark on me as well....so many great gameplay style fused into one great game!! Love that hint book as well!!!
hey man thanks for watching. yea SoV was bloody brilliant. i just wish i had the patience to play through it again and finally finish it this time! lol
I've got a load of nostalgia for this as well, I can remember renting it more that once. I still get a kick out of the music, it sounds like the score to a John Carpenter film.
This was my first rpg game I got deeply into, I remember sitting on the toilet going through the hint book with great anticipation of wanting to play the game.
I just recently beat this game on my ROG Ally handheld and its a great game period. Don't diss on this game simply for being old. It was great then and continues to be good even now. Glad I gave it a try even though I'm 34 years late to the party!
Yes it is, it's annoying because of all the random encounters. Inside the last cave is an item for revealing all worldly maps. Also can find best armor in game. 31 is max level in game highly recommend to max out then take on final boss fights.
I really really like this game too one of those games that bring back memories the music is perfect and intro is one of the best all time games. I played through it a couple of years ago a lot of fun still.
I think mine would be Super Mario Land or the original Road Rash on the mega drive. Not really a RPG fan but recently started playing the immortal and the sound track is astonishing!! :)
I have a lot of nostalgia for this game too, but not in the way you might expect! When I was a wee nipper a kid who I used to swap games with down the street had it, but his dad would never let me lend it! He was playing through the 100s of hours of gameplay you mentioned I suppose. I didn't get chance to play it until I finally bought a copy 5 or so years ago and I must say it was well worth the wait!
Lol my most nostalgic childhood game experience with Phantasy Star II was like a looking glass version of yours, down to being my first RPG or any kind, and even the 100+pg included official Sega hintbook. But mine had a lot more science-fiction & grade-schooler mind shattering plot points that I was NOT equipped to handle (if you're familar w/ PSII, Nei's death absolutely destroyed me, and holy crap THAT ENDING! I don't think anything else for the entire rest of the 90's shocked me as much) & brutally difficult (to anyone/everyone) & foreign (to kid me) turn based combat vs. SoV's interesting & approachable hybrid system with it's focus on instanced real-time hack & slash battles. Despite both games making Sega feel the need to include full-game hintbooks, you can sure tell which came out later than the other. Lol that's why I can & often do recommend SoV to just about anyone looking for good Genesis/Mega Drive games & nearly all of them, young and old will have a good time, whereas my beloved PSII requires a very specfic kind of old-school gaming sadist to be able to enjoy actually playing through, beyond simply appreciating the groundbreaking (for 1989) world building, plot, graphics & music. SoV might not have been as memorable/influential on those fronts, or on all the "Greatest Games of All Times" lists like PSII is, but because of the accessible dungeon design (compared to PSII, which should say it all haha) and the classic Yu Suzuki, simple to learn, but super hard to master plain old fun action gameplay, all wrapped in very solid JRPG exterior, it's EASILY the early Gen/MD RPG that holds up better for most today (as pretty much all of Yu's titles have; they'll simply always be both accessible & fun, no matter how old), esp for newcomers. PSII's dungeon design & gameplay mechanics outside the combat system itself (which was great for 89/90) have aged so poorly outside my warm fluffy nostalgia bubble that when people ask me my favorite/most influential game, I always have to add a disclaimer that if tried fresh today most will bounce right off, and then have to recommend a totally different game with Phantasy Star IV, as it's as close as it gets w/o II's absolutely brutal 1989ness (for ref. PSII came out months before the org. Final Fantasy for the NES in the states, and 2+ years before Square's comparable SNES RPG epic, FFIV (aka FFII in US).
fantastic comment. sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. i have never even played a phantasy star game.. i bought them all for mega drive in recent years but never got around to them. i hope i do one day.
Hello ben, well you learn something new every day, i didn't know that this game was developed by none other than the legend that is yu suzuki !!! i don't think ive ever owned or played this game, i hang my head in pure shame lol
Excellent game & my favourite RPG on the Mega Drive brings back loads of memories & I love the soundtrack esp the intro & village tracks, There were times I would listen to the soundracks first before playing the game. :) I sadly ended up selling my pal copy,but have since got the Japanese version... have to say though, I do prefer the pal cover with it's Joan or Arc Medival look... so I would eventually like to also own that copy. :)
Gonna pick up the sega genesis collection for the ps vita today and never heard of this game but I love rpg's, but picked the collection up for the phantasy star games but I'm looking forward to trying this.
i remember when i was a kid I watched my brother play to this game (christmas time snow and fireplace ^_^) even if I didn't understand any english words i was fascinated ahah
My most nostalgic game too! Might be the first RPG I ever tackled with a friend, and the game that got me into RPGs. I even made a video about it too! Great game and awesome video!
Sword of Vermilion sounds really (really) good, I don't have that one :( I have this very nostalgic like of action RPGs like this but just don't seem to ever get the time to play them.
I've still not finished this game. Still, I really like the combat and massive dungeons. This whole period was pretty amazing with all the great RPGs Sega was pumping out at the time. =)
TheArmchairEmpire yea it was a golden age for RPGs i reckon.. there' still so many that i haven't played yet.. can u believe ive never played a final fantasy game?! lol
This game is like a work of art, a secret treasure appreciated by very few.
Max Hendrick awesome comment. :)
I love Vermilion too. Finish it almost every year, at the the end of the year.
When I got my Genesis as a kid (Model 2 FTW), it came with two 6-button controllers and both Sonic 1 and 2 with it and Sword of Vermilion and Thunder Force II were the first games I got with it. Most people quickly dismiss it but I think it's criminally underrated and will always hold a special place in my heart...right next to Thunder Force II.
Sword of Vermilion was a misunderstood masterpiece , in my later years being in my 40s now i love this game , its like diablo classic-dragonquest original and -ultima VII having a baby and out pops sword of vermilion , Yu suzuki was a genius at making unique games while making fast to the point arcade games as well
I wish I had the time to play thru it all again. So atmospheric back in the day for my 12yr old brain. It really felt like an epic voyage.
Happy to read this. I still love this game. Another RPG gem not appreciated by many but well loved by a few. I experienced the same thing years later with Dreamcast’s Skies of Arcadia. If it’s not part of a well known franchise they tend to fall by the wayside.
2:51, the snipers get in to position...
3:17, they take their final stance...
3:41, FIRE FIRE FIRE!
twas funny watching the vid back and realising that the falling poster situation was developing for a while before i saw it lol
I played this back when it first came out. I really enjoyed it. The boss battles were pretty cool.
aah, a kindred spirit.. yea its a classic.
I recall this game getting "soundtrack of the year" in Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) magazine. Still one of the best soundtracks IMHO.
I just remember some king wanting truffles. And as a kid, I had no clue what truffles were...lol
yes, truffles!! lol.. such a good game.
When I was younger, I asked for FF6 (FF3 American) for my SNES. I got Hyperzone instead (not a bad game, but not as good as F-Zero). When I got a Genesis, I asked for Sonic. I got Sonic Spinball instead (no lie, it wasn't what I wanted, but i still love that game). So my next Genesis game as a gift I thought would be something I didn't want but might still enjoy. I got Sword of Vermilion. It wasn't what I wanted, as I expected, but I played the shit out of that game for hours and to this day I still love it. When it comes to lesser know RPGs for consoles, this is one of my favourites. Toward the end when I was capping out experience it got a little buggy, but for the time it was brilliant.
Cheers! 8^)
OMG! We are kindred spirits. This game defines my childhood. The eye monsters gave me nightmares. I used to use my dad's old Packard Bell PC to write Sword of Vermillion fan fiction. There's probably a floppy disk out there somewhere with the text file. You must finish this game. It's the best feeling!
you wrote SoV stories!? awesome!!
oh mate, i definitely am gonna go back and finish this game one day. it has to happen, or my gaming career will all have been for nothing! lol
A brilliant RPG with a strong and emotionally moving storyline, great graphics and sound and the battles kept you on your toes. LOVED IT then and still love it now
Holy shit... Me and my dad used to play this back when i was a kid... its one of (if not,) the most nostalgic games for me as well. I never knew it was made by the same guy that made Shenmue. I never played through those titles but I've heard a lot about them. Gonna have to sit down and catch up before Shenmue III comes out.
definitely play through shenmue 1 & 2 within the next year or so, then you'll be ready for 3.. and oh what a special day that will be. :)
Wow.... Big Shenmue fan here! I got the Euro version of 2 and a converter disc so I could play it on my U.S. system. Possibly the best game ever if you ask me.
I bloody worship Yu at this point.
Thanks for the nostalgic video‼
Same here me and my dad played it too. Best time of my life
One of my favorite games and earliest memories in life. The music, mood, gameplay, and pace of the story are all solid. Ill never understand why this game gets the hate it gets....
I loved this games back in the early 90s
I beat this game pretty fun , did not age well but it's pretty awesome once you defeat the final boss.
I started this game one day and got accidently hooked before I could even begin to know what was going on! It started with me ribbing my eldest brother for playing such a boring game and mortal kombat is life he simply said and I quote " You try.... Since it's so easy!" I said i ok.... Next I know 3 hrs pass im still playing didn't know i had gotten lost so quickly.
Hardest part for me was the little girl in the cave near Stow (the second time back.) I was about 8 or so and was terrified of her haha
Really enjoyed this video bro, sword was one of if not the first RPG style game I played and it really left a mark on me as well....so many great gameplay style fused into one great game!! Love that hint book as well!!!
hey man thanks for watching. yea SoV was bloody brilliant. i just wish i had the patience to play through it again and finally finish it this time! lol
Omg !! Same here !!! Sword Of Vermilion was my very first action RPG.
I've got a load of nostalgia for this as well, I can remember renting it more that once. I still get a kick out of the music, it sounds like the score to a John Carpenter film.
LeBossu77 haha, nice. yea i love the soundtrack of this game..
you rented it? i'd have had to rent it a dozen times to get as far as i did lol
My first RPG ever too. I play it every year. Awesome awesome game...
This was my first RPG!
My most nostalgic old RPG, however, is probably Shadowrun on Genesis.
i still havent played shadowrun on genesis yet. i played and loved the snes game but thats very different, so i hear.
Sega remake it, for the love of god!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my first rpg game I got deeply into, I remember sitting on the toilet going through the hint book with great anticipation of wanting to play the game.
Lol what a beautiful image ;)
They should make a new version.
sword of vermilion and gta san andreas are the games I replayed and finished most times.
I just recently beat this game on my ROG Ally handheld and its a great game period. Don't diss on this game simply for being old. It was great then and continues to be good even now. Glad I gave it a try even though I'm 34 years late to the party!
@@nosferatu7585 nice!! So that map screen where its just a massive up down up down path all the way to the end.. is that the last map screen?
Yes it is, it's annoying because of all the random encounters. Inside the last cave is an item for revealing all worldly maps. Also can find best armor in game. 31 is max level in game highly recommend to max out then take on final boss fights.
I really really like this game too one of those games that bring back memories the music is perfect and intro is one of the best all time games.
I played through it a couple of years ago a lot of fun still.
DRock7977 i need to play it thru again so i can finally beat it!
Yes you will feel satisfaction when youre done it really is a hard game.
I think mine would be Super Mario Land or the original Road Rash on the mega drive.
Not really a RPG fan but recently started playing the immortal and the sound track is astonishing!! :)
Segasocks Wow, The Immortal! Now there's an interesting, unique game. Very difficult though.
Man, it was really hilarious seeing that poster slowly slip off the wall, unbeknownst to you!
gramblor1 i know! haha! :)
I agree. In my top ten. A sequel would be a dream.
I have a lot of nostalgia for this game too, but not in the way you might expect! When I was a wee nipper a kid who I used to swap games with down the street had it, but his dad would never let me lend it! He was playing through the 100s of hours of gameplay you mentioned I suppose. I didn't get chance to play it until I finally bought a copy 5 or so years ago and I must say it was well worth the wait!
Simon Adams hey, thanks for sharing that story! so funny that the dad had kept it for himself, yea its a crackin game.
Lol my most nostalgic childhood game experience with Phantasy Star II was like a looking glass version of yours, down to being my first RPG or any kind, and even the 100+pg included official Sega hintbook. But mine had a lot more science-fiction & grade-schooler mind shattering plot points that I was NOT equipped to handle (if you're familar w/ PSII, Nei's death absolutely destroyed me, and holy crap THAT ENDING! I don't think anything else for the entire rest of the 90's shocked me as much) & brutally difficult (to anyone/everyone) & foreign (to kid me) turn based combat vs. SoV's interesting & approachable hybrid system with it's focus on instanced real-time hack & slash battles.
Despite both games making Sega feel the need to include full-game hintbooks, you can sure tell which came out later than the other. Lol that's why I can & often do recommend SoV to just about anyone looking for good Genesis/Mega Drive games & nearly all of them, young and old will have a good time, whereas my beloved PSII requires a very specfic kind of old-school gaming sadist to be able to enjoy actually playing through, beyond simply appreciating the groundbreaking (for 1989) world building, plot, graphics & music.
SoV might not have been as memorable/influential on those fronts, or on all the "Greatest Games of All Times" lists like PSII is, but because of the accessible dungeon design (compared to PSII, which should say it all haha) and the classic Yu Suzuki, simple to learn, but super hard to master plain old fun action gameplay, all wrapped in very solid JRPG exterior, it's EASILY the early Gen/MD RPG that holds up better for most today (as pretty much all of Yu's titles have; they'll simply always be both accessible & fun, no matter how old), esp for newcomers.
PSII's dungeon design & gameplay mechanics outside the combat system itself (which was great for 89/90) have aged so poorly outside my warm fluffy nostalgia bubble that when people ask me my favorite/most influential game, I always have to add a disclaimer that if tried fresh today most will bounce right off, and then have to recommend a totally different game with Phantasy Star IV, as it's as close as it gets w/o II's absolutely brutal 1989ness (for ref. PSII came out months before the org. Final Fantasy for the NES in the states, and 2+ years before Square's comparable SNES RPG epic, FFIV (aka FFII in US).
fantastic comment. sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. i have never even played a phantasy star game.. i bought them all for mega drive in recent years but never got around to them. i hope i do one day.
Why there isnt a remake of this game?
id love that.
Hello ben, well you learn something new every day, i didn't know that this game was developed by none other than the legend that is yu suzuki !!! i don't think ive ever owned or played this game, i hang my head in pure shame lol
get it. play it. then thank me later. ;)
I have to play this game every couple of months.
every couple of months?! dayum thats dedication.. i still haven't played it a 2nd time since i was a kid.. gotta do that one day.
Statts - best song.
Fredrick Weddington Hell yes! That's the one!‼ 🎼
Nice response Ben. It was great hearing your passion for the game.
hehe, cool. :)
Excellent game & my favourite RPG on the Mega Drive brings back loads of memories & I love the soundtrack esp the intro & village tracks, There were times I would listen to the soundracks first before playing the game. :) I sadly ended up selling my pal copy,but have since got the Japanese version... have to say though, I do prefer the pal cover with it's Joan or Arc Medival look... so I would eventually like to also own that copy. :)
I remember this game.. It was $20 more than the standard game at the time so, I never picked it up..
THANK YOU, Oh man, first rpg i ever beat!! Such a nostalgia bomb
Gonna pick up the sega genesis collection for the ps vita today and never heard of this game but I love rpg's, but picked the collection up for the phantasy star games but I'm looking forward to trying this.
i remember when i was a kid I watched my brother play to this game (christmas time snow and fireplace ^_^) even if I didn't understand any english words i was fascinated ahah
Dude! My all time old school favorite too. Awesome video man, took me back to my younger days. Thank U for that brotha '.🤙✌
My most nostalgic game too! Might be the first RPG I ever tackled with a friend, and the game that got me into RPGs. I even made a video about it too! Great game and awesome video!
That's my choice of game that I'm playing right now on Sega classic collection
I think Shenmueso is this game's greatest fan.
I've always wanted to play this
Sword of Vermilion sounds really (really) good, I don't have that one :(
I have this very nostalgic like of action RPGs like this but just don't seem to ever get the time to play them.
electricadventures you'd love it Tony, but yea, it does require a hell of a lot of time, which is a commodity for me and i don't even have kids!
Oh if only he had the name entry screen on in the background this video would have gradually got better and better.
how so? cos of the music?
I got the joke, very nice @D.I. Sammi
I've still not finished this game. Still, I really like the combat and massive dungeons. This whole period was pretty amazing with all the great RPGs Sega was pumping out at the time. =)
TheArmchairEmpire yea it was a golden age for RPGs i reckon.. there' still so many that i haven't played yet.. can u believe ive never played a final fantasy game?! lol
I am right there with you brother, SOV is the shit.
Great response Ben, i know bugger all aboit rpg's but you make it sound interesting :)
I think its well worth having some sick time to cane it :)
***** i'll get back to it one of these days.. or if not, then one of the other days.. some type of day.. ;)
Excellent game sir.
lactobacillusprime 'tis indeed.
mine too
I heard only gay lords play this game
Mine craft sucks mate wtf!