SOS was originally reviewed in E10, published in July 1994.
A few years back, SNES owners were continually swamped with quality software. The gap between the system and Sega’s 16bit just seemed to get wider and wider. But things have changed quite dramatically. 16bit Nintendo owners now have to look very long and hard for quality – and perhaps more importantly – original software.
Predictably, the best release this month is, in fact, a re-release, which came out in Japan last year under the name of Septentrion; but because of an abundance of Japanese text, many importers (and potential punters) steered well clear. Which was a shame because Septentrion, even with the Japanese text, was an engaging and highly original piece of software.
Now, thanks to US publishers Vic Tokia, an English translation is available. Well, a Japlish translation would be more accurate description. Yes, once again we’re subjected to a game with an appalling manual – in fact, it’s about as much use as the original Japanese manual was. It goes without saying, that many of the game’s intricacies have to be fathomed out by trial and error.
The game basically follows a storyline where a tidal wave engulfs a huge ocean liner. You take control of one of four selectable characters and have the arduous task of guiding them through the ship to find and rescue as many of the other passengers as possible. And as if that wasn’t tough enough by itself, there’s only one hour to escape before the ship sinks. In true disaster movie style, Septentrion even moulds some of the game’s storyline around the lives of different passengers and crew members. Poseidon Adventure fans (should they so exist) will be in their element.
The real innovation here, and not just graphically, is the environment – the SNES’ Mode 7 is used to rotate the screen to simulate the ship as it turns over in the water. As you’d expect, this causes real problems as you negotiate the damaged interior and try and get to the ship’s only usable escape hatch. Rather than continually rotating, the ship moves gradually in shift which enables you to gain access to certain sections of the ship. Only by taking the correct route can the path to the bottom of the ship (it lies overturned in the water) be made.
For the most part, SOS is a highly enjoyable game. It oozes atmosphere with its borrowed Titanic imagery, and the music heightens the tension considerably. Its greatest strength is its marrying of different game styles – it borrows elements from Prince Of Persia, and even Lemmings, and manages to create a wholly unusual blend of action, with human tragedy the underlying theme. Conversation plays an important role in human interaction – whenever you meet any survivors it’s important to persuade them to follow you – the more people you can save the more successful you will be.
However, there are a few problems. Control occasionally feels a little awkward. Getting your character to reach certain points isn’t easy and there will be times when you’ll die through little fault of your own – a black star in any game designers book. Also, the sporadic tendency for following survivors to plunge to their death can prove a little frustrating. Especially when you’ve just guided them through the best part of the game. Other worries could be levelled at the lack of variety in gameplay – the action might prove a bit too samey for some.
Still, there’s an awful lot to recommend here. As a platform game it’s refreshingly different, sharing features with many adventures. And if it had some of the jaw-dropping pyrotechnics that we all know the SNES is capable of, this could have been an exceptionally good looking game, too. Despite its flaws, SOS tackles the interactive movie concept better than most of the FMV-based attempts, and that surely says something in itself.
The post Classic review: SOS (SNES) appeared first on Edge Online.
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