For veterans of the original Hydlide, this game is everything that Hydlide was, and also so much more. For those of you, who have not played the original Hydride, don't even bother. It's a really badly made game. I don't even understand why it got it’s own sequel after it's a failure, but suffice to say, the sequel is exceptionally better.

My first impression of this game was that the title screen music was fantastic, and there was even a cut-scene at the beginning, telling the tale of Super Hydlide....it was very impressive.

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Graphics= 8/10:
This game has very interesting graphics. They're 16x16 pixel tiles. The characters are decent....very small and dopey looking. They animate nicely when they walk though (Albeit very slowly at times which can be somewhat annoying). The best part about the character graphics, is your armor changes your appearance when you change from one piece to another, as does your shield and weapon.

The land tiles are a different story. They're great!. The palaces and dungeons have colorful, detailed graphics for a Sega game from 1990. The later dungeons of the game are amazing to wander around in.

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Music/Sound= 10/10:
The music in this game is superb. From the title screen, to the last battle....the music never gets annoying, infact, for all us metal or rock lovers out there, two of the dungeons remind me of Iron Maiden. The songs are also very long so you wont notice the repetition.
The sound effects could've been improved but they're not THAT bad! You hear a typical clashing noise with weapons, and a clunking sound when you deflect enemy attacks with a shield...Spells and special events all have decent chirpy sound effects as well.

The best part is, that there's an in-game sound-test a few screens west of the first town in a cave entrance. You want to visit it, a lot. The music is THAT good.

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Story= 10/10 *no spoilers!*
The game has a great and enveloping storyline, if you ever get into it. It kind of begins a lot later on instead of from the start of the game, and most people never bother to unravel the storyline....The character (YOU) must explore Fairyland, and investigate the huge earthquake that tore a huge hole in the ground, and discover the cause of everything which is going on. Very interesting to play through and watch it unfold!

The story is also considered Sci-Fi in my opinion. You investigate palaces in the sky, mechanical creations, and even outer space! I wont get too far into it as I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Just know this......It is very interesting once it gets rolling.

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Gameplay= 8/10
You run around smacking enemies, but rather then just ram into them - Zelda style, you now  have to swing your weapon! It's very addictive too. I have on many occasions have sat and killed enemies to a point where I forgot to rest my character up and he eventually got tired and stopped doing any damage.

The big upgrade from Hydlide to Super Hydlide also is that you get to create a character based off of 4 different classes...Warrior, Thief, Priest, and Monk. Each has strengths and weaknesses.

The magic spells in this game are VERY useful. There are 11 in all, but depending on your class you may not be able to access them all.
The game also has a weight system, where you can only carry so many things based off of your LC (Load Capacity). It makes you have to plan ahead, and work up levels to wear the better armors of the game.

My favorite part of the game is the night/day feature. Time progresses in this game at 1min/sec. That is, for every human second, this game  passes a game minute. You must eat at least 4 times a day, and sleep once a day, or you begin to weaken, and may very well starve to death.
Each town has an Inn, and a shop where food may be purchased. It's not too bad to balance your meals and equipment (Careful though, food has weight also)

Dungeons are a high-point in this game, most of them are multi-level, and the ones that aren't, require a torch or Spell to allow you to see your path through. Overall it makes for a very fun experience.

My only complaint is that the movement is a bit unresponsive sometimes, and the world map isn't expansive as I would hope it would be. There are 3 towns, 2 palaces, a tower, and.....a few special things. Could've been larger, or more populated.....which brings me to the NPCs.
The NPCs are crucial in this game. You MUST talk to people to know what to do. Some NPC's aren't a help and only respond with "?!.........". For the most part though, you NEED to talk to everyone. The towns that the people live in are also very colorful, and decorative.

The boss battle department is few, but tricky all the same. They require a mixture of lots of player skill, the right equipment and of course, determination... To vanquish them.

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Overall = 9/10.

Its a wonderful game once you give it a chance, and anyone who sticks with it wont be disappointed. There are a few quirks, but...it comes with the early RPG territory.

After reading this review. I hope that you feel you now want to purchase Super Hydlide, create your character, equip your weapon, armour and shield, and begin your epic journey to save.. Fairyland...