Brandish is a game that at the time it came out, was snuffed by the greater competition. While Secret of Mana and the Final Fantasy series hogged all the glory on the SNES, this game stood lonely on the rental shelves at the nearest blockbuster. Gameplay: At first sight, this is a hack and slash action game viewed from a top-down perspective. This illusion is soon broken though at the end of the first level when you realize you have to do so many puzzles just to open the next door. Though RPG elements were mixed in (experience, stats, leveling up), this game was mostly about the puzzles, as all enemies were easy to defeat no matter how low your level. Story: It's a pretty basic set up, a dungeon crawler of sorts but filled with countless puzzles, but this time instead of climbing down to rescue the princess, you have to climb up to... rescue the princess. Thats right! You start out in the lowest level of the underground tower, after taking a sudden (and HUUGGE) fall from which any normal human being could have died. You just want to get out but as you progress along the levels the almost missing storyline makes its sudden appearance as you meet the 'bad guy' who's taking away a young girl. Other than in that level the only other place you'll see any talking (other than some required talking for puzzles) is when you finally reach the last level and there's a small amount of dialogue. Practically, no story at all. Sound: very repetitive, as a matter of fact there were only about 4 different tracks, and they only changed every ten levels or so. There were the rudimentary but necessary clinking of swords (even on enemies whose body was full jelly). There was also the sound of a small explosion as you shot fireballs. Sound was just a let down. The Verdict: Though it's not a great game, it sure manages to pass the time while you're waiting for the next thing in your life to come along. You might even want to complete the game after it gets repetitive.
I see 4 members of this site have this game on their wish list; I wholeheartedly encourage them to take it off my hands. Nothing will give me back the week I wasted on this pathetic mess. The only thing it had going f... Read Full Review
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