Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

This is a game that I could have gotten behind with that old, rustic feel of the bygone glory days of the 16 bit SNES/Genesis RPG's, it has all of the elements there to be right in the discussion but seems to have missed one part of the equation, fun.

The graphics are in line with a standard and acceptable 16 bit game, down to the sprites and their attack methods, their interaction with the world and the countless items that have some very defined detail. The character portraits are a little more modern for the time period they are trying to capture, they do a great job in conveying the character concept.

Battle is a little more convoluted than what it should be, with an action RPG style scene but a constant mini menu interface. It seems that they couldn't quite make up their mind on this one, if they had made their choice one way or another it would have made this game much more tolerable. Instead, battling is quite the chore because you are trying to attempt turn based battles while keeping in mind that the action RPG elements are in place as well.

The story is as you would expect in a 16 bit game, basic misunderstood youth tries to overcome stereotypes about himself and, in the end, see the world a bit differently for it. Everything is sort of canned with the attempt to not really go outside the comfort zone of "this has been done before".

Map interface is a bit interesting as everything is displayed on the top screen at all times. While that assists with the world exploration, it would be nice to be able to zoom into areas to sort of see where you are going and where things are.

The biggest bone I had to pick with this was the sloppy interface and the overworld interactions. If there had been a bit more of an effort to do something a little more, like consult with an experienced 16 bit gamer, this game could have been great. Instead, it is lacking and maybe worth a rent to try it out first before owning.