What seems like an Eternity ago, back in November of 1996, I picked up an EGM magazine to take a look at what was going on in the gaming industry. I was still angry over the fact they took my SNES and Genesis software away from me and replaced it with something bigger, better and more powerful. But I picked up the mag to take to work with me and surprise surprise, there was a full blown article on RPGs being released for both the PSX and the Saturn. After seeing screenshots of Lunar and Rayearth, both slated for a Saturn release, I knew I had to have one, so the next month I went and bought a system and a couple of shabby games to keep me busy until then.

Lunar was cancelled and moved to the PSX, but Magic Knight Rayearth was still slated for release. So I waited two years for the release of the game, preordered it a couple of months before it came out and nearly knocked people down trying to get to the store in the mall to pick up my game, waving my claim ticket around like a crazed maniac to prove that one of the few copies they received was mine.

So after two years of rabid anticipation I then had the cd situated in the Saturn and settled down to play it. I was pleased to see that it lived up to my expectations.

The first thing I noticed was the brilliance of the graphics. I, for one, am tired of seeing brown dungeons and dreary worlds. I get sick of seeing characters with paper thin personalities trudge through endlessly yellow and brown deserts and across, wastelands, which is pretty self explanatory. I like pretty things, and I love pretty graphics, and in that aspect, MKR is a breath of fresh air. They are well drawn and bright and given life with a rainbow of colors. The 2D look is well suited to the game, and very pleasing to the eye after playing game after game stuck in 3D worlds. I am a 2D gamer at heart, and being able to experience another of these rarities, brought up to modern standards is truly a wonderful feeling.

The animations are well drawn and inserted here and there to give greater depth and feeling to the overall story. They are worth mentioning just for the fact they are animations and not some silly 3D looking FMV sequence.

Since the first part of the game is mostly talk and pretty eye candy, the voice acting was the next thing I noticed. Despite what some people say, I think it's quite good and was impressed. With the characters talking and voicing their opinions themselves in full audio it really gives new depth to their personalities. Now I haven't seen any of the Rayearth animes or the tv series or what have you, so all I can judge is the game as it is, and the characters seem to fit the voices, and the voices the characters. I really liked this, being able to hear them interact with each other and some of the people they encounter. The girls also write in their own "diaries", each adding details to their own thoughts about the bigger events that have happened. Each girl has their own writing style, which even mirrors their personalities, and at the press of a button you can hear them read what they have written. This is very unique and I really enjoy hearing their recap of various situations.

The storyline is a basic RPG quest. A group/band/party/whatever of young heros are selected to save the captured princess, bring the evil ones to justice and basically save the world. This time around, our heros are heroines, the get up and go Hikaru, the rather jealous and whiney Umi, and the intellegent and wishywashy Fuu. The captured princess is Princess Emerald, the evil ones are well, evil, and the world this all is taking place in is the mysterious Cefiro. There is also the token cute character, this time a rabbit looking critter named Mokona. Along their way to the ultimate goal of saving Princess Emerald, these three girls must become Magic Knights, and their experiences and encounters along the way bring them one step closer to achieving this. There is enough differences and little unique things to make the game stand out on its own storyline-wise, but don't expect something completely revolutionary.

The action reminds me of The Secret of Mana, simply because of the top down view and the real time battles with the two other characters tagging along. It would have been nice if the other characters kind of made themselves useful during battle instead of becoming hung up behind a rock or a wall in the game. It's also quite difficult to manage to get the one you are currently playing as to point in the right direction to strike an enemy. So most of the time I end up using Fuu because of the longer reach of her weapon, even though I prefer Hikaru and out of stubborness use her as much as possible.

The cuteness factor might turn a few people off, I find Mokona's "puu's" to be absolutely adorable, and our lead heroines reek with cuteness themselves. The music is even cute, its upbeat and bouncy without being annoying. It's not exceptional or grabbing, but makes a nice backdrop for the game.

Overall, this is a classic 2D RPG, alot of true gamers will feel a rush of nostalgia just by seeing the 2D graphics. Gamers that have been raised on 3D worlds might not be able to grasp the full delight that can be found within this title. They just won't "get it". The only really bad quality I can find in this game, besides the sometimes shabby control is the fact its so short. I really don't see why it took so very long for Working Designs to complete this game, but they have done an excellent job of it. It's one of the finest games of the year, and well worth the long wait. A fitting final curtain for the Sega Saturn.