Treasure of Rudras SNES Review

Another year passes and another quality RPG for the Super Nintendo is discovered. This seems to be the case in the world of fanslations. Slow and sluggish as it was in the late ninties to the early noughties, many unreleased gems have come to fruition in the light of fast internet access and the collecting community. The golden age of gaming may be at an end in many people's eyes, but the reoccurring translations of non-westernised games keep new and old revisiting their beloved Snes to experience them all first hand.

Treasure of the Rudras is a role playing game released in the later years of the Super Nintendo. As with most RPG's of this calibre it was released by Square and unfortunately one of the last they developed for the aging console. The gaming aspects follow the traditional RPG blend expected of a Square game on Snes with one marvellous exception; the spells are cast using words and letters.

The whole game feels fresh, even now, giving a sense of what could have been if Square never jumped ship to Sony. The story involves three protagonists: a soldier, a witch and an archaeologist. Each has their own scenario, which interconnects at the fourth story. The main draw to this is the unique system in which to collect items. If a character leaves an item in one area, the other characters within their own scenario may collect said item (never leave an item behind again). All of this is set against a backdrop of impending doom, that's 15 days away, as shown through day and night progressing alongside the gameplay. The panic has ensued as it's time Rudra recreates the world, done so every 4000 years. Our heroes are charged with stopping the process and saving everyone. Unlike other RPG's of this time in the late 90's, this game delivers time after time, to the extent that you feel more and more involved as each plot unfolds and a love for each individual character, unlike other games were you pick a favourite.

The game seems hard at first. The magic system at times (due to the translation of the words/letters) can seem complex. However, this feature does become easier as the game progresses and who can't laugh as you spell out curse-words when disposing of a boss? Another interesting aspect of this game is that you can copy the spells that you're attacked with. By merely reciting the words shouted at you, you gain said spell. The whole concept is beautifully put together.

There is an abundance of RPG's that have been westernised since the passing of the Super Nintendo. For me Treasure Of The Rudra's is a must play game for anyone, RPG enthusiasts will enjoy the unique take on spell casting, whilst lesser enthused RPG-ers will get a kick out of the beautiful game play, the text driven magic, the fantastic music score and the variety in how you proceed through the game. Not only a must try game, this would have been a classic if it had been released, so be grateful and happy that the fanslation community never gave up on this masterpiece.