☢️ Sega Genesis RPG and Dungeon Synth

WHEN I WAS A KID, i got my hands on a knock off PSP (PlayStation Portable) which was labeled as PVP. Bit too obvious, right? but still a very nice toy for me anyway! inside of it there's so many retro games, most are Sega Genesis games released in the 90s. Some of them are real famous and pretty recognizable like Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Mario Bros. (1983), Contra: Hard Corps (1994), Flicky (1983), Tiny Toon Adventures (1993), Barbie: Super Model (1993)-- and some are quite obscure like Golden Axe (1989) and maybe Streets of Rage 1 (1991). Again, what is considered obscure are depends on the audience really. 

Now, i do have to mention that my knowledge about old games is basically/mostly based on my own experiences because i had the opportunity to play them back then long time ago. I'm nowhere near expert on this matter, just a fan of such games for it was a part of my childhood and interest. Going back to the topic of Sega Genesis games, there was this one RPG that left an impression on me: Fatal Labyrinth (1990). This game-- where do i even begin? it's nothing spectacular, no. Its your casual retro RPG. But that's what makes it interesting. In this game, you get to play as a brave knight entering a huge dark castle in the woods to slay the big red dragon that is living on top of said castle. Problem is, you have to go through many rooms/areas inside which is essentially a labyrinth like the title said. Would've been nicer if it was just empty rooms, but no! you'll have to fight many monsters, slimes, and evil wizards. 

Make your way through and level up by wearing better armors and magical rings/items. It is truly your classic old-school dark fantasy RPG experience, even though it is simpler and more rogue-like. Every level is never the same when you play it, since much like any other games of similar genres, the rooms/levels in this Labyrinth is randomly generated. You even get to meet the villagers at the beginning of the game, where they would tell you their concerns and give some advices and words before you go inside the castle. If you die earlier than expected (oh, tragedy be upon ye!) and you somehow managed to do get some golds and level up before you died, those exact villagers will show up and mourn your death beside your grave. If you did nothing much before you die then uh, too bad man, your grave is simply cold and lonely. Just a sad, sad tombstone....

Well, i was not good at playing this game. Horrible. I was in elementary school, and hell-- it was harder since English is not my first language i wasn't even very good at it just yet. But Fatal Labyrinth really did capture my interest. Mostly because the music and dark atmosphere of this game, the feeling that you are going to face every monsters and everything alone in those dark labyrinth-- it was quite a lot for little me, alright? i do not like getting chased and murdered by the evil wizard while scary ambient music playing in the background. Not being able to know whats going on due to languange limitations also added an extra layer of fear to me. I never really get to see the ending or explore further into the labyrinth. Until now at least; there's full gameplay of it on Youtube.... what and ending for the hero! feel free to check it out if you guys are curious. 

"OK Raya, what does all that nerdy shit have to do with Dungeon Synth now?" let me explain!

I enjoy DS as a genre in general. I'm not deep inside of it, but i would call myself a casual listener of DS still because well, i definitely enjoy black metal as a whole. As we all know DS is pretty much self explanatory, and Fatal Labyrinth is what comes in mind whenever i listen to some DS tracks. The medieval setting tied with dark fantasy, the atmosphere, the heavy feeling of being alone in the dark. All of it. The concept of Fatal Labyrinth's rooms and its maps are basically the very same as classic dungeons, except you're on your way up instead to get to the Red Dragon. DS sound captured the general vibes of Fatal Labyrinth and i find it very awesome how a genre can give me some nostalgic feel especially related to some random ass knight game i played long, long ago. I also kinda found that 220 H Party by Tenebris got sounds in it that are pretty much existed in Fatal Labyrinth which i like, a lot! hell, some parts of the song sounds similar with the sounds the evil wizards made when they fuckin attacked my knight character. Which is awesome, but also reminded me how that sound made me feel super nervous back then. Evil wizard sfx and the sound of Sonic drowning in the first game-- those two sounds are giving me major anxiety while playing!

That is basically my thoughts about it now. Just had to share and talk about this game with you guys a little bit-- it was almost forgotten and im glad i still remember. :))) 

Maybe you could be a better knight than i did? if you want to try the game yourself,  here's a site that allows you to be able to play it:

https://www.retrogames.cc/genesis-games/fatal-labyrinth-usa-europe.html

or give the soundtrack a listen too, for it is very catchy and timeless.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL73D27DAED833B586

⚔️ det er alt for nå, tusen takk.

July 9th, 2023