Astyanax

I'm moving back to the Nintendo after all those football games and moving onto an action platformer: Astyanax.   Developed by Aicom and published by Jaleco, Astyanax was released on the Nintendo in March of 1990.  The game actually has an arcade version as well that was released in 1989, but the game hold few similarities beyond controls and appearance. 

So the story is a bit unusual as you play as a sixteen year old boy named Astyanax who is having strange dreams about this girl asking for help.  One day, while walking to school, Astyanax is teleported to the world of Remlia by a faerie named Cutie.  Cutie tells him that the girl in his dreams is the princess of Remlia: Rosebud, who is being held by the evil wizard Blackhorn.  Astyanax is tasked by the world of Remlia to save the princess and defeat the evil Blackhorn.  At that point he can go home because only the princess can send you back... sounds more like an ultimatum that a request. 

So the game starts you off in the castle and off you go.  The controls are simple enough: a jump button and an attack button to swing your magic axe.  Yes, you have a magic axe by the name of Bash.  The axe even has the ability to be powered up by collecting different items.  As you power it up, it actually transforms as well, the first time from an axe into a sword.

So I started to move through the level, facing the simple enemies: skeletons, floating germs and such as that.  Most of the enemies are a bit annoying but none are really difficult.  There are some plants that grow from the ground and spit out attacks, but they are easy to take out, just don't jump at them next to a pit.  Another obnoxious enemy is a this floating thing with a large eye on it; it drops these balls at you as they follow you around.

So the level isn't too long and eventually I got to the mini-boss of the level: the rock guy (none of the enemies have actual names so I'm just making stuff up).  He falls from the ceiling as a rock and starts to bounce around on the screen.  Once you hit him a few times, rocky lands and turns into a creature with two heads as he starts to stand up, but a quick spell takes him out.

And then right after him is the level boss: an armored skeleton soldier with horns on his helmet.  Doesn't sound too dangerous, but he comes in riding this dinosaur creature who attacks first.  You start off fighting the dinosaur thing which has two basic attacks: it shoots three fireballs at you and the its head splits off and goes in a circle trying to get you.  After beating on the head for a while the creature dies and his rider lunges off to fight, but he is pretty straight forwards as well. 

So another game is played and another day is done.  I'd go deeper into it, but it is just time to sleep, I'll worry about it later.  Adios for today though.