Treasure of Rudra

It's uncancelable! It's also kinda confusing, so I'm glad I didn't live update it.

Treasure of Rudra is the last game Squaresoft ever developed for the Super Nintendo. They'd produce one more, but that's for a later date. Its release at the end of the console's lifespan shows how good Square was at mastering the system's intricacies and the skills they gained before moving on. It's a great end to a great era. I wonder why Square never localized the game, but then I remember the intricate gimmick ToR has, which is hella rad. It's not the best of Square's work, but it certainly stands on its own.

But I'm Nancy, and I'm always negative. So what sucks?

The story gets really convoluted. It's the main reason why I dropped the game eleven months ago. There are so many proper nouns, dungeons, people, and key players that it's hard to keep track of everything. The important people show up several times across all three stories, but some of the minor ones make me wonder things I probably shouldn't. But that does mean it's deep, so guess what we'll talk about in a moment?

Another downside of the three characters is it can get tedious. You travel the same handful of dungeons what feels like a million times. They contain the same loot, and rarely, if ever, are there new things to see. It's just padding for the sake of it. Fortunately, most of it is optional, and the EXP or gear rewards are good enough. They're also usually sensible. Of course, towns and areas with important people will be visited multiple times. But some of it could have been improved.

The way mantras were done also feels like it could have been altered. Especially when switching between characters. Sion had a great set of words with everything I needed, but Surlent's mantra list wiped it when he became the main character. So I'd have to type (slowly) the basic list of spells and stats de/buffs, few of which I'd remember. Some of the late game words are really complex and hard to notice a pattern on. And the limited list wasn't helpful!

The battle system had its perks, but it was mostly less than good. Character skills would have gone a long way to expanding the boredom of it. A few characters lack mana, so all they can do is attack. It's not fun. And boss battles range from easy to impossible, depending on your setup. The biggest problem here is there's no way to know if you have the proper gear or mantras. There is no scan, and there's rarely any indication of what spells a boss uses beforehand. Without a guide, there's no way to know without trial and error.

That seems like a lot, but (spoiler) Treasure of Rudra is getting a good score. Here's why:

The plot is incredibly deep. Even by more modern standards, it holds up well with the plentiful bosses, side characters, and twists and turns. Deaths and world altering events are always huge. Especially when they're so connected and have plenty of reasons to be around. There are no one note nerds here! And the way you experience the same world and its changing from three perspectives is amazing! More importantly, it's all connected. There are no loose strands; it's all tied together at the end. Everything has a reason! And it's a really interesting twist. One of the best!

I didn't like how the mantras were implemented, but I loved that they existed. And there's a wide set of things you can do! With an ever expanding list of prefixes and suffixes, which increase power and MP cost, or ways to make them target everyone, it's a unique way to make spells. And you're actually manufacturing them! Buffs, debuffs, special rares, and other miscellaneous stuff are all in your hands. But ya know what would have been cool? If physical skills existed here too. Bosses get them...maybe I could have used them too? I would have made them easier to digest. What the hell is Nanikueteyus!?!?

The four main characters nearly reached a perfect score. They missed out by one point. The secondary cast were much more lacking, but they're just average at worse. Everyone has their moments of fun!

The music is surprisingly good. It's a game no one's heard of, so it didn't need to go this hard. The multiple world map themes for characters AND time of day are huge! There are multiple battle themes, and even the final boss gets a faux Final Fantasy orchestration track. I don't know if there are any certified bangers here, but there are three hours of songs, so it deserves something.

The graphics show how good Squaresoft was during this time. Even basic enemies are high quality, and bosses look like something from Street Fighter. And the backgrounds! Oh, how I enjoyed looking out at the valleys before me!

So let's wrap this up!

Plot: worth the investment. The way the game tells three separate stories that interconnect with a rad twist is, well, rad! The characters aren't perfect, but there's a perfect final boss, which is good enough! 8/10

Gameplay: repetitive? It's all mantras, which can be fun and unique if you want to meddle in the intricacies and wordplay of it all. Oddly enough, I wasn't super into it, but maybe a better translation would fix that? 5/10

Music: it's a Squaresoft game. Between the quality and quantity, it's a good reminder that Square hasn't missed in a long time. 9/10

Art: it's a Squaresoft game. Between the quality and quantity, it's a good reminder that Square hasn't missed in a long time. 10/10

Charm: it's mostly here. The world is great, and there are so many NPCs to get to know. The animations of attack, ready, and the hundreds of spells probably push the SNES to its limits. The length is slightly pushing it, and the repetitive gameplay makes a replay questionable. 8/10.

Despite saying repetitive a lot in this review, I'm not knocking it here. It's borderline, but it fits in just enough. Treasure of Rudra is far from perfect. By modern standards, we'd probably call it a budget title. But a game with that moniker doesn't need to be this good. It's worth a play and look-see. 40/50. I'm glad I came back to this!