When the Super Nintendo arrived, developers were eager to show what Nintendo’s new machine could do. Better graphics, richer sound and more ambitious ideas were all part of the 16-bit promise, and some launch-era releases could be described as extra daring, such as Quintet’s ActRaiser. A hybrid that combined side-scrolling action with city-building simulation, it put players in the role of a deity tasked with rebuilding a ruined world. It was an unusual concept, and even decades later, there is still nothing quite like it. However, while ActRaiser deserves recognition as a pioneer, its rough edges and the way its two separate sides don’t really blend together or aren’t anything special when viewed separately prevent it from reaching the heights of the console’s true classics.
The premise is wonderfully creative and feels like a combination of Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian mythology…and a little bit of Anglo-Saxon and Norse sprinkled all over. After being defeated by the demon Tanzra and his followers, the player (a god-like figure called ‘The Lord’) awakens to find the world overrun by monsters. Being a fantasy video game with monsters to kill, it’s only natural that the solution is simply to run forward and defeat enemies – and then comes the twist: you must restore civilisation itself, road by road, building by building.
ActRaiser offers typical side-scrolling action-platform levels, but all these are found in lands that must also be “fixed” in a god sim-like way. This means clearing areas, guiding settlements and watching small communities grow under your protection. The combination of action platforming and god simulation was unlike anything else available at the time, and ActRaiser’s ambition alone makes it an important piece of the medium’s history. That said, this is one of the oldest cases of “jack of many trades, master of none.”
In the action stages the Lord battles through all sorts of medieval (and not only) fantasy landscapes, before facing a large boss encounter. These sections are competent but rarely exceptional. One type of sword swing, one jump and a limited magic super attack. The combat is simple, and while the challenge can be satisfying, movement often feels stiff, making some encounters feel more frustrating than they should do.
Enemy placement is frequently such that they many times attack from locations that feel designed more to create irritation than interesting challenges. Because of that, several parts are considerably harder than they should be, creating an uneven difficulty curve. Some sections rely on memorising enemy patterns rather than reacting naturally (a relic from the NES era), and the unbalanced difficulty means certain areas feel either surprisingly easy or unnecessarily punishing.
When outside the battles, you are watching towns expand, protecting villagers by killing small critters via a cute cherub, and every now and then using a godly power to do some menial tasks, like burning a forest to unveil some sort of treasure, or melting the ice so that villagers can continue their work. Sadly, while this is arguably the game’s most interesting feature, it’s not without issues either. The pace slows down, providing a cosy, satisfying contrast to the sword-swinging battles, but the system itself is shallow.
Simulation sections follow the same style of progression. Guide villages toward monster nests; expand population by having them walk in clear squares of land; occasionally play God and use one of your powers to do something boring. Later regions don’t dramatically change this formula. It’s a chore, basically, not something that will challenge anyone, and the only thing that keeps the whole thing engaging is the atmosphere.
With its bright, detailed and varied backgrounds and large bestiary, this looks like a nice fantasy comic book from the early ‘90s, and when in the bird’s-eye view during the world management parts, the world feels lively, whether looking at peaceful villages and the tiny bundle of pixels that are their inhabitants, to the monster-filled wastelands around them. Compared with other SNES releases the visuals are somewhat forgettable – colourful and functional rather than truly iconic.
Where ActRaiser truly shines is in its music. Yuzo Koshiro’s soundtrack delivers powerful, orchestral-style themes that give the adventure an epic feel. The tunes on offer create a sense of grandeur, making even simple moments feel like part of a mythical quest. It is arguably the element that has aged the best, and it helped establish the SNES early on as a platform capable of producing memorable, emotionally powerful soundtracks.
It should be noted that this isn’t actually a true hybrid, as its two halves blend together thematically, but not mechanically. More importantly they fail to reach their full potential. Experienced on their own, the action levels lack that extra something that could make them stand next to the best of their generation, while the simulation elements are way too lightweight to compete with dedicated strategy titles. ActRaiser was fascinating because of its ideas, but quite limited by its execution.
An important milestone? A bold experiment? Sure! Few games of its time were willing to combine completely different genres in such a confident way, and its influence can still be felt in some of the modern and more refined mixes of management and action elements today. ActRaiser is best remembered not as a perfect classic, but as an ambitious piece of software – a fascinating snapshot of a generation trying new ideas.
