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| Details for Legend of the Rift - Volume 1: Venus |
| Hack Name: | Legend of the Rift - Volume 1: Venus - 872 KB - 2151 downloads.
Added: 2011-04-30 07:02:12 AM |
| Rating: | 0.0 (0) |
| Reviews: | 5 (jump to reviews) |
| Length: | 16 levels |
| Author: | Foursword4 - Submitted by: Foursword4 |
| Description: | There exists a mystical land. A land that possess the essence of the four elements. But something has gone wrong...the Earth Seal has been destroyed. The elements are now out of balance, and it is up to Mario and a mysterious informant to stop this evil force. But is there something far more sinister going on?
Link to Release/Discussion Thread |
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| Screenshots |
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| Review by PhreakingPanda | It saddens me that this hack is not at the very top of the top 5. From the get go, it's like a mario game you've never experienced. It makes me feel like I am playing an RPG rather than a platformer and I don't speed through levels like I do normally on Mario hacks. I love the non-linear level design as it makes you search for the items needed, rather than them being right in your face. The music is AMAZING. Every single level I have played (I'm stuck on the forest ruins currently) the music has fit perfectly and made me feel as if I was a part of the game. While I play this hack, I am not a person pushing buttons, I am Mario. There's not another hack I've played that has had this effect on me. The graphics are superb, down to the pallete choices. You do not have to have amazing GFX to create a good hack. The fact that people to this day are hacking older Pokemon games and Mario games, making them better shows that. I do not feel the need to play through the rest of the game (Though I assure you, I will) to give this game a review.
If there is a Mario hack I would recommend to people, it'd be this one. Superb job, Foursword4. (No, I will not give a rating, as this hack deserves better than that.) | | Posted by: PhreakingPanda - 2011-06-03 08:30:16 PM |
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| Review by thevisualboy37 | Oh, man, this hack. Totally. Amazing. So much to do, so much to see, so many people to talk to, so much exploration!
First off, the music: I honestly think you should have changed the end-of-level music. Other than that, all the music really fit!
The graphics were good, too; I loved the use of the Wario Land enemies, as well as other updated enemies.
The story is really well-written, and I cannot WAIT for part 2!
It was just difficult enough without being too difficult (aside from those FREAKING Porcu-Puffers), and the level design was perfect for my comfort level. This is the first ROM hack I've played that I want to play again, and I thank you for that.
On a few minor side notes, in at least the first version, the music will glitch out in SNES9X when you read one of Isaac's notes. That really sucks, because I used SNES9X and I still have a secret level or two to complete. I also found it a bit too short (compared to some of the other hacks I've played). Other than that, it's an amazing hack, and everyone here should download it!
Final score: 9/10 | | Posted by: thevisualboy37 - 2011-05-08 07:37:20 PM |
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| Review by hhallahh | So I was surprised to see a new hack at the top of the Top 5 list, and had to give it a shot... I'll break down the review:
- Graphics: With a few exceptions, graphics were on the dull/clunky side compared to what's seen in other Mario hacks nowadays. Some areas could've definitely used more detail.
- Sound: Lots of ripped music from JRPGs, along with some tracks that I didn't recognize and may have been originals. Except the "original" tracks, almost without exception, were pretty grating and terrible. A lot of hacks have really bad 30-second loops of upbeat "grasslands" music and this is one of them. "Still Alive" for the bonus rooms was a nice touch, however.
- Level design: Level design was pretty good overall, pretty nonlinear for a Mario hack. This is largely a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing: There's a lot of "hunt for the spring/POW-block" where you have to go down passage A before passage B and you don't know which one to do first, which is annoying. There are a lot of very-long side passages which terminate with a powerup, which is also somewhat annoying (why not make them *short* passages that terminate with a powerup?) It was obvious from the continuous coin counter and the fact that all bonus areas award coins that you're supposed to care about collecting coins, but it's unclear why you'd want to do this until the very end of the hack - this is kind of a bad design feature, imo... if you're going to introduce a collectible item, make it clear what it's for! One thing I did like, however, was that secret areas were generally pretty well-hidden. Also, there weren't many new ASM tricks, which is a bit of a minus.
- Story: I guess this is a selling point of the hack? Well, yeah, there appeared to be a story, but it's hard to comment on it since it's still very much being set up in this Volume. It doesn't seem like it's going to be particularly amazing, but I guess I can give credit for trying.
Overall: 7/10. | | Posted by: hhallahh - 2011-05-08 09:34:02 AM |
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| Review by S.N.N. | I don't want to echo Jacob's review too much here, since we're both friends of FS4 and have both watched this hack grow from the beginning. I'll also try my best to write an unbiased review (and a quick one too) which should fill people in on what to expect from this game.
This hack is interesting, as it really shows how FS4 has grown in skill over the years. The earlier levels are quite simple and well-designed, while the later levels are what one would call "epic", and fit in with the story that has been laid out extremely well. It's the kind of hack that really DOES follow a solid progression - starts off very easy, and eventually progresses to a medium/hard difficulty by the endgame, yet never feels ridiculous or tedious. Even the aforementioned Forest Ruins mentioned in Jacob's review is quite a lot of fun, albeit being a maze of sorts.
The aesthetics (graphics/music) are not this hack's strongest point .. not until later on, at least. As I mentioned in my previous paragraph, this hack acts as a progression, so many of the earlier levels have weaker graphics/music, while the later ones are more extravagant - especially the final few areas. Nonetheless, FS4 uses these to set the mood quite well in almost all instances, and they work nicely.
As I also mentioned in my first paragraph, this hack does have a storyline. However, unlike many other hacks out there, I feel that this story is very, very well written - and I do not use this sentence lightly. Although the hack series is aiming to span a few more chapters, the first one will have your curiosity and desire for more built up by the end. I know that not everyone likes a story in a hack, and most prefer the standard run-and-jump style .. but give this one a try regardless. You may find yourself caught up in it all (and even if it DOESN'T appeal to you that much, I can guarantee the very last level of the hack will really tug at your heart strings).
This hack does have a few flaws, though none of them detract from the gameplay. A couple of sections here and there feel a little on the boring, or cliche'd side (one level in particular might go a bit overboard on the "item babysitting" concept people have grown to dislike). Some areas also feel like they didn't age well, especially earlier in the hack, but these are few and far between.
Overall, this is a rather fantastic hack. While some people may not like the story aspect, I really think you should give it a try anyway. I am very happy to see he managed to put forth the effort to release this on the one year anniversary of his father's death. It really goes to show that given the motivation, anything is possible here.
9/10 | Posted by:  S.N.N. - 2011-04-30 08:14:02 PM |
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| Review by Golden Yoshi | After three years of progress, Legend of the Rift has finally arrived in the player's hands. Three years of Foursword's hard work, growth as a designer, and skills as a storyteller illuminate themselves through this hack. Does the hack live up to its build-up? Definitely. Does the hack come with its share of minor flaws? Again, definitely, but emphasis on minor.
I've had the pleasure of talking to Foursword4 for quite some time now. I got to witness the earlier stages of the hack, help him out with things here and there, and listen to the story of the ENTIRE hack series. While it may seem like I will be biased in this review, I will be completely genuine.
The main selling point of this hack is its story. Mario starts out the hack arriving in the world of Asgard, and is presented with a scroll from a mysterious, unseen character named Isaac, who states that he'll be guiding Mario throughout his journey. Throughout the hack, more scrolls are scattered throughout random areas which reveal more information of the legends and mythos of Asgard, the characters in its world, and Mario's role in all of this. Later on, cutscenes are shown to the player which shed light on even more details. One disappointment with the cutscenes was the lack of character sprites during them. However, this was due in part to FS4's trouble in getting the sprites to properly display through VWF Tool. I very much hope that FS4 is able to resolve this issue in future installments of this series, as the cutscenes in this volume could've been a lot more intriguing than they already were had we actually seen the characters.
Foursword4 has very cleverly and impressively balanced the story elements in the hack. They are never so burdensome that they take much time away from the actual gameplay, they are used wisely and sparingly. The story elements are used when necessary and are never forced.
The story itself is quite complex and intriguing (even I'm still trying to wrap my head around the entire thing). Players who love deep plots will definitely be intrigued by the abundance of mysterious characters, their motives, and the deep and dark mysteries of the world of Asgard and its many interesting hotspots. In terms of complexity, however, it is quite high to a degree which isn't typical to Mario hacks or Mario games in general. The storyline is quite somber and serious, which is in sharp contrast to the typical light-hearted style of stories in Mario RPGs. While I feel some players may not enjoy these types of elements since they're so different, I applaud Foursword4 for doing something unique, and I definitely feel many players will enjoy this new direction in Mario storytelling.
One last note about the story is a very neat, unique, and heartfelt surprise at the very end of the hack. I seriously would've never expected it, and it was definitely very well-done and genuine.
I've spoken quite a bit about the story so far, which is a main focal point of the hack. Rest assured, there's still some quality level design to accompany this hack. You start out the hack with some simplistic levels. While the levels at the very beginning of the hack aren't anything to write home about, it's quite understandable seeing as FS4 created them years ago. Plus, it's very nice to see his growth as a level designer over the years. Besides, I don't think anyone would want extremely intricate levels from the get-go, so FS4 does a great job of increasing the pace as the hack progresses. Levels become increasingly longer and harder, and have some interesting gimmicks which are used at a reasonable, and not overly abundant manner. I could only think of one level, Forest Ruins, which drags on a bit too much than seems to be necessary. For the most part, FS4 was very cautious on designing levels of reasonable length and difficulty.
Graphics, on the other hand, I wasn't overly impressed with. While the graphic choices were all definitely wise and don't clash, I feel they weren't the most intelligent and eye-catching of choices, especially in a hack of the complexity and quality. However, since FS4 started this hack quite some time ago, there was a more limited selection of graphics. Rest assured, some much more high quality and interesting graphics are used toward the end of the hack, which are a real treat, and truly help set the mood of what's going down.
Legend of the Rift may not be for everyone. In all honesty, I don't think all players will enjoy the darker storyline of this hack. However, I still think plenty of people will appreciate the effort FS4 has put into this hack over three years and his dedication to creating a unique and intriguing experience. If you'd like to try your hand at something a little different, then give this a go!
Lastly, I must say, as Foursword4's friend for several years, that I'm very happy for him and proud of him for finally seeing this hack to the end, and I feel he did a great job. I really hope to see the other installments of this hack complete! =)
Final Rating: 7.5/10 (Rounded up to 8  ) | | Posted by: Golden Yoshi - 2011-04-30 09:59:46 AM |
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