Received: May 2nd, 2020 | Written: September 1st-18th, 2020
Year: 1993 | Developed by: Westwood Studios | Published by: Virgin Games
Anyway, you ever wondered what Merlin was like in his youth? Well, I'm not I sure I ever pondered that thought but that's what we have Westwood Studios for, I guess...
Image from MobyGames
Alas, five years after being acquired by Electronic Arts in 1998 Westwood and its sister company burst* out of existence as they (and EA Pacific) were closed and merged with EA Los Angeles "as part of a consolidation plan" that entailed "significant layoffs for Westwood". On March 31st, 2003 Westwood's doors were closed for good.* ... I'll see myself out ๐
Images from GameFAQs
So anyway, back to Young Merlin, produced by Castle and Barry Green, designed by Castle and Joseph B. Hewitt IV, product coordinated by Scott J. Duckett and Erik Yeo, and programmed by Milo X. Ballan, Green, and David R. Dettmer. Developed in 1993, this action-oriented adventure game was released exclusively for the SNES in March 1994 for American consumption and that March 31st for the European PAL audience, making it that rare game in the genre to be released in both Western markets in the same month and year during the '90s,
* Unintended pun(?)
It all began one day as a young maiden was being swept away from the waters which a young man noticed so he decides to dive into the water to save her
thus setting in motion the adventures of a young Merlin.
Which brings me to the portions of Young Merlin that have gained the most notoriety: the rail board sequences. Oh boy, the rail board sequences--now I just want to elaborate that they are a fun idea on paper but in execution it's not as much. Essentially they are mandatory to get through in order to progress further which entail taking the right course and necessary hard turns on occasion because should you crash then you'll have to start it over. The biggest problem with these is that they feel long because of this, and until you know exactly what to do you'll end up crashing or going in circles.
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
Nothing more to add, really... Moving on.
Left: Starting point | Right: Equip the magic dust to petrify these plants
In the bird's eye viewed action-adventure Young Merlin you take control of the titular wizard in his more youthful days whom you can move in all eight directions, pick up vital items by simply walking towards them, press the B button to use your primary weapon against your enemies, and you can use the secondary items via the Y button. As you gather more items you'll be able to toggle between secondary items with either shoulder buttons and once you get more than one primary weapon you can toggle with the A button, though if you wish to choose what to use accurately you can always access the inventory screen with the Select button and press A once you've made your choice to go back to the game proper.
Left: Refilling a bottle | Right: Fighting a giant boar blocking the way
Throughout you'll be contending with a slew of enemies who take one or more hits to take out depending on what weapon you're using, and once in awhile one might leave behind a heart to replenish one HP or a four leaf clover for collecting (collect all twelve and something special might happen; I guess thirteen was off the cards, even though that number would've made more sense, apparently the people at Westwood had a severe case of triskaidekaphobia). Whenever you reach a pivotal point in your adventure you'll be graced by the presence of Nimuรซ, the Lady of the Lake, who'll grant Merlin a fourteen character password based on the buttons of your controller; to pick up your progress after coming back to the game simply press Start to access the musical harp screen and input the correct sequence to resume your progress.
Left: A sprite with its reflection | Right: Dare to cross the line
Young Merlin's art and animation were done by Joseph B. Hewitt IV, Cindy D. Chinn, Judith Petersen, Louise Sandoval, and Eric Shults and it is a very colorful and appealing game to look at. There is a pristine sense of detail in each fantasy location plus there's a good degree of imagination throughout which creates a surreal touch: in the beginning portion there's a nice grassy villa with a few ponds (the first of which gradually develops a rainbow arch with each colored gem you throw in there), I like the rippling and calming waters of Pinedale and its hedge maze with the quaintly designed wooden benches,
Left: "You've got to help me, you must! Those vile, oafish creatures have stolen my own reflection, now I see nothing when looking in the water! It's like I don't even exist!" ๐ญ | Right: Offscreen altercation, complete with deliberate comic effects
once you procure a lamp there is a dithered vignette filter inside the first mine area you traverse which gives it a sense of atmosphere, the underwater segment is so enthralling with the wavy water filter and long submerged contents, the dรฉcor of the castle is menacingly inviting with the checkered floor patterns and dragon heads adorning its walls with its flames creating a neat shadow effect around it, and finally the rainbow world with the flowers abound brims with wonder.
Left: Entering the mine | Right: Greeted by a dwarf enemy to immediately contend with
The main protagonist Merlin is unlike any representation of what anyone's usual preconception of the wizard is like, now having blond hair and a sleeveless navy shirt with red pants with a boyish appearance, but it does make for a unique interpretation. Plus he animates fluidly as he walks, and when it comes to using his weapons he animates swiftly but with just the right amount of frames. There is an unmistakable Western quality to his overall design and sense of animation, I also like the exaggerated over-the-top animation like when he gets knocked back and when his body inflates like a balloon anytime you use the balloon item to get up otherwise inaccessible spots under normal circumstances which is very humorous.
Left: Climbing a ladder | Right: Encasing them inside bubbles
The other good NPCs are designed and endearing like the maiden Merlin is infatuated with (and vice versa) and her lumberjack-looking father as well as the elder wizard adorned with a highly decorated robe with an exaggeratingly cartoonish quality but is no less endearing especially with the last one's expressiveness, and the Lady of the Lake looks nice but the way she hangs her expression on Merlin with her eyes closed and mouth open I find to be a bit disconcerting personally (it could be the way her face is drawn while remaining motionless).
Left: "๐!" | Right: A meet cute beside a disapproving father who looks like he had just come taking a break from chopping down trees in Marvin Glass and Associates' Timber
Throughout the game you'll contend with a myriad of enemies that are well-drawn and comically designed like the dwarves, tiny creatures that join together to transform into bigger creatures (like boars and hedge monsters), a hammerhead shark with a literal hammer for its nose that occasionally pops up from offscreen underwater and attempts to knock you out momentarily, a dogfish chasing a catfish which will spin Merlin around if they're within vicinity, piranhas, graceful wavy creatures, trolls protruding from the ground with a ladder, chomping ants, mushrooms, and teeny tiny flowers.
Left: Walking past a fancily designed wooden bridge | Right: I didn't know the Arch Chancellor of the Unseen University of Ankh-Morpork was in this game! ๐ฎ
Boss-wise they are more imposing in size while still retaining their cartoony aesthetic like a giant sat down boar throwing boomerang axes toward you, a slime monster that occasionally divides itself into portions so it can attack you in high numbers, a giant hooded spider that has its young protruding from the spider's nest attempt to crawl towards Merlin and on him if you're not quick enough, a scorching red fire breathing dragon displaying their dominance as they tower over you, and the Goblin King is menacing in size (including its true form in the end). Young Merlin has got minimal use of Mode 7, used only for the title when you boot the game and after Merlin dives in the water to save his maiden.
Left: Navigating through a hedge maze | Right: Such lovely benches laid about
The music and sound effects were provided by veteran Westwood composers Dwight Kenichi Okahara (who prior to this game did music for Westwood's BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge, Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, and Lands of Lore: The Thrones of Chaos), Frank Klepacki (who shared the last three mentioned of Okahara's music alongside Westwood's Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon, Order of the Griffon, and the NES version of DragonStrike), and Paul S. Mudra (who did music for Westwood's BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception, Hillsfar, their NES port of Namco's coin-op Pac-Mania, and Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun), and the soundtrack succinctly complements the already surreal fantasy locations with its equally surreal compositions.
Left: Dealing with hedge monsters | Right: In the middle of the hedge maze lies a fountain
The first area you explore is backed by a very gentle theme as it slowly gets you immersed in its world, the theme for when trouble brews pops up prominently in-game and does a good job at adding tension in a lighthearted manner (this relentlessly urgent theme is also played during the end credits, which is not a good sign), the first set of mines you explore has got a foreboding theme with the non-stop pounding drums and occasional wind instrument, the theme that plays for when you rail board in the mines is quite catchy and bouncy despite being played in what are otherwise the least desired segments of the game, the theme for when you enter the castle sounds atmospheric and menacingly inviting, and the theme for the final dungeon theme sounds epic as things get more ominous and serious (a great and darker leitmotif of the attract mode theme too, I might add).
Left: *GASP* ๐ฒ | Right: Testing the newly inserted wheel
Some of my favorite themes are its more effective ones: the underwater theme has got a heavenly and celestial instrumentation as you explore the aquatic world, the theme for when you cross the rainbow portal sounds very whimsical and as colorful as the outer segment (only the outer segment, though), but the absolutely best Young Merlin theme in my opinion is the Pinedale theme which is soul-soothingly atmospheric and relaxing that I could listen to it for awhile (in-game and out of context) especially with its lush instrumentation and gentle plucking of the guitar strings (it's just perfectly enthralling). ๐
Left: Mermaids can help you last longer underwater by refilling air in your lungs | Right: Venturing underwater some more
This action-adventure's sound engine was provided by Chip Level Designs (with a 1992 and 1993 copyright), a Nintendo 16-bit exclusive company that also worked as a sound engine for Accolade's Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind/Yamaneko Bubsy no Daibลken, Designer Software's pre-WayForward Technologies edutainment game Mickey's Ultimate Challenge, Westwood Studios' adaptation of The Lion King, Blizzard Entertainment's video game adaptation of The Death and Return of Superman, and Shiny Entertainment's Earthworm Jim 2, et al.
Left: Inflation | Right: Be sure not to run out of breath after retrieving the old wizard's goldfish and get out on time otherwise you'll have to do again
I quite like many of the sound effects heard throughout the game as they are endearingly chosen; like the quick splash for when you toss something in the water, the whimsical sound for when you petrify something with magic dust, the roller coaster-like rickety sound when you rail board, the cartoony smooch sound for when the mermaid refills your oxygen meter mouth to mouth, the incoherent mumbles of the lumberjack father and elderly wizard when they speak to you, the loud chomping sound of the ants, the burning sound when you use the torch weapon, and the wizard's audible gasp when he sees that Merlin returned his belongings to him is absolutely adorable (really, that sound is everything). ๐
Left: Sauntering past graceful aquatic life | Right: *sproing*
When you start the game you begin with three hearts' worth of health which you can augment by one any time you come across a heart container, and whenever your health is drained completely you'll start over by the entrance with your health at half the current capacity. You have unlimited opportunities and there are no game overs, but you will lose a life if you're not careful.
Left: Pouring the appropriate water into its bowl | Right: Shoving movable objects under the watchful eye of the TriStar pegasus
I learned of Young Merlin many years ago on the internet, on an MP3 Video Game Music Download section for the late FlyingOmelette website which had the Pinedale theme and years later I saw it again on a Nintendo 16-bit based RPG recommendation bar for those released in the West (it was not particularly well-received there), but over the years I sort of forgot about Westwood's action-adventure game... until months ago when I decided to catch up with it and was interested enough to play it for myself. There is an endearing factor sprinkled throughout, but at the same time it felt like there was something amiss.
Image from GameFAQs; I deliberately withheld myself from mentioning The Legend of Kyrandia until I got to this point specifically--which Okahara, Klepacki, and Mudra have also got in their audio portfolio
Apparently Young Merlin initially began development as Westwood Studios' attempt to convert their revered 1992 computer-based point and click graphic adventure The Legend of Kyrandia: Fables & Fiends to SNES format until sometime in development it got turned into something completely different and original. I presume it was during an early period that they changed their minds (Virgin or Westwood, I'm not sure whose decision it was) because I have not seen any screenshots nor found production notes to confirm this (it's just a rumor), though I imagine the attempted port is what gamers would've wanted to play rather than the final product that they actually got.
Left: Like a Sลkoban puzzle solution (because that's exactly what it's based on) | Right: Just watching that dragon head light and shadow effect in motion makes for great atmosphere
And that's too bad, really, because this game actually has a lot going for it, the concept behind the proceedings is a strong one, and in terms of presentation it's quite unique for the console which unfortunately is undermined by its lesser aspects. But let's actually discuss the positives first: the worlds Merlin explores are filled to the brim with pure imagination throughout, the soundtrack is a blissful and atmospheric listen, there's a high emphasis on adventure, the puzzles are well-thought out (including a slew of puzzles that owe more than a nod to Thinking Rabbit's Sลkoban box pushing puzzler franchise which fans and/or enthusiasts of the series will appreciate, right down to the reset cue if you messed up to the point of no return) simple though they may be,
Left: Confronted by a slime monster | Right: Distracting the guard with a replica of myself
the idea of the rainbow forming up with each colored gem you toss in the pond is a novel approach as you receive an invaluably helpful item to aid you in your quest, Young Merlin is absolutely devoid of any in-game dialogue (with the exception of the occasional "Meanwhile..." font) and yet along with how expressive the characters are it's conveyed in such a manner that you have no problem understanding what is going on which is a very unique and commendable thing for Westwood Studios to do and with no words to translate in multiple languages that makes for a quick PAL conversion (and would explain how Europe got it in the same month as North America during a point in time when that was generally not the case for this genre) which does make it a bit endearing,
Left: Freeing Buddy the Elf from his shackles so he can get back to bringing back Christmas cheer | Right: Machine munching on a dirt mound culminates in a purple gem (brownie points for it having a clear face)
there is a beauty in its simplicity, it's largely got a forgiving continue system for when you're fully deprived of health as you respawn from the present area's starting point with half your health capacity with the music still playing, the overall layout design is fairly decent for the areas, there are very likable ideas sprinkled here and there (like teleporting in the rainbow world by being swallowed whole by flowers, drinking the water from any one of the three ponds will either render Merlin momentarily impenetrable or replenish a small portion of his lost health, making sure you stay at the edge so you don't get blown by the occasional current underwater, using the balloon to inflate Merlin to reach otherwise inaccessible spots or to leave the waters by standing under a light), and there is a pick up and play nature to it that anyone regardless of age or gaming skill level could get into and enjoy...
Left: "Come at me, bro, or whatever newfangled phrase and dialect you hipsters speak these days!" | Right: "YEET!!! Is that something said these days too?"
is what I would say if the controls felt polished. ๐ Movement-wise it's all right, but when it comes to using the projectile star weapon you have to make sure it's within vicinity of the enemies (and when it comes to the more potent weapons you have to wait until they're fully charged up in order to use them again which may take seconds and until then you must distance yourself as best you can), during the mines with the dwarf enemies there are moments you have to climb up or down the stairs but occasionally the fiends will stay in that spot without moving out of the way meaning you'll inescapably receive some damage after completing the climb which is not fair, and if an enemy stays on Merlin your health will be sapped out real quickly so get out of their way and/or defeat them as fast as you can manage.
Left: About to enter a colorful portal | Right: Stepped foot in rainbow world ๐
When you have a large quantity of items it can be a process to cycle through them with the shoulder buttons until you land on the one you need to use, especially during boss battles; sure, you can select it in seconds by accessing the inventory via the Select button but that would just disrupt the game's flow... not that cycling doesn't do that either......
Argonaut Software's Croc 2/Croc Adventure would do the rail board thing better over half a decade later: they're brief and unconvoluted in design, at least
Also, you can't pause while rail boarding; it's better once you know what to do, but even then there is one moment in the last rail board sequence when you must avoid crashing on the imperfect tracks by shifting the weight to one side in quick succession where the slightest mistiming ends in disaster--and the real kicker is that the final rail board sequence is interconnected with individual doors culminating in a boss rehash. To say I had far less difficulty contending with Goblin King than the redux battle transpiring before him with the slime monster would be a cruel understatement because at least the first time around there was a safe spot to attack from but this time you have be quick on your toes and careful not to get bombarded by its swift-assailing slime dividends and in an uncomfortably narrow corridor at that (it's also here that I get annoyed at Merlin's quick fade to black choking death animation on account of how many lives it takes to defeat the slime monster the second time).
Happy end... NOT!
And while I admire the way it progressed its story without any dialogue, I'd be remiss if I didn't say I feel that at the same token it boiled down to nothing more than "stuff happens" since there isn't really much of a story here. The way that the game bookends itself before the credits start rolling honestly made the proceedings feel rather disingenuous in hindsight, like it was all an elaborate joke of the groanworthy variety. ๐
Are you telling me this is all it led up to? ๐ฆ Don't tell me this is all Young Merlin amounted to! ๐ง
If you search thoroughly you'll come across a heart container, where finding all thirteen will help you reach full health capacity, and should you have done so by the time you beat Young Merlin you'll be greeted to this message once the credits have ended because apparently there was some sort of contest and prize drawing pertaining to this game back in its heyday. ๐คจ
Screengrabbed while watching Artificialraven's "Cool Spot (SNES) Endings" video on YouTube
Was this a thing Virgin Games regularly did? Because they did something very similar with Virgin Interactive's hard to attain Uncola ending for Cool Spot, except I knew about that one when I got it CIB in the Summer of 2010 as I saw it in the manual. Today's game didn't strike me as one that screamed "contest title" while playing it... at all--also, I only got the cart for it.
Left: Torching mushrooms | Right: Planting a harmless, ordinary flower incapable of time manipulation and murder
Thus bringing me to one of its biggest problems: this is a very short game, contributed mostly because of the small nature of each setting despite their less than simple layout design (the sad thing about those rail board sequences is that without them, the game would be even shorter than it already is) and occasionally required backtracking that adds a feeling of redundancy after awhile. I've noticed that there is a full playthrough on YouTube with a time stamp mere minutes shy of an hour and a half, and that's without messing up at all; worse yet, I noticed that there is also a speedrun video on the same site with a length of less than fifty minutes... ๐ณ Seriously??? I've played platformers that were longer than this! Platformers!!!
Left: "Ohhhh noooo! Heeee's HOT!!" ๐ฑ | Right: Freezing time so I can get through a floor switch-operated gate
That an action-adventure game made during the '90s was made to be this short is just unfathomable. I haven't played much by them, but I looked up that Westwood Studios had a good track record of getting their games ready on time for their release date and I've watched gameplay footage of the first two of their The Legend of Kyrandia games (listened to some of their music too) and their first Lands of Lore and they seem like they were a good company, but Lord help me if I have any clue what happened with Young Merlin because I... honestly don't. ๐ And it seems most people who've played it share that same sentiment.
Left: Ah, Merlin and Nimuรซ, a relationship that totally does not end up in tragedy, foooor suuure (she'd be much better off being a bouncer in Camelhot) | Right: Scorching red dragon ๐ฒ
But like I brought up, Young Merlin isn't without merit, it does have merit; unfortunately whatever goodwill it had is substantially counteracted by its lack of depth and polish and ultimately a point (because only the best endings make you question why you played the game, clearly, regardless of said game's overall quality). What happened? Without any production notes to go on (aside from the attempted port rumor) or retrospective behind the scenes interviews of those involved all we can do is speculate, and even then we might not know what truly occurred (no telling whether Virgin screwed Westwood over or if it was Westwood who ended up undoing themselves). It had the makings of a good or even a great game for it had a strong concept and premise (even started out fine), but the execution did not live up to its lofty potential and not enough was done to make it feel wholesome.
Left: Merlin Through the Looking Glass | Right: Cool off, spider
Quintet's spiritual Gaia trilogy (Japanese version, Western version, pick one) felt more wholesome than Young Merlin; SquareSoft's Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3/Trials of Mana (I guess this is the official English title it's sticking with... still getting used to it), and Secret of Evermore felt more wholesome than this; Software Creations' Solstice II/Equinox felt more wholesome; Kemco's Nintendo 16-bit port of Zoom's Lagoon felt more wholesome; Tokai Engineering's Super Famiconversion of Micro Cabin's Xak: The Art of Visual Stage felt more wholesome; Produce's Brain Lord (both versions) felt more wholesome; as did Koei's Nintendo 16-bit port of Nihon Falcom's Brandish; Nihon Falcom's Popful Mail, also; the entirety of Adol Christin's Nintendo 16-bit excursions in Nihon Falcom's Ys franchise felt more wholesome (Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, by the way, like Popful Mail was a sidescroller and they were longer than today's game) than this, et al. Also, Nintendo's Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce/The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Left: Wild boar rematch | Right: "Thank you for releasing me, do tell Bilbo Baggins that his old friend Gandalf said 'Hello' should you see that little hobbit, wherever he is--hopefully not in possession of the One Ring since I saw him last"
I've played through Young Merlin four times since I got it, and no doubt I'll come back to it again. Yes, I make a big deal about its lesser aspects and how it doesn't live up to its premise, and yet, I find myself revisiting it once in a while (this despite not having much reason to replay it once you know how to get all the items). And the reason behind that is I've played far worse, which is true (sometimes I revisit lesser games, if not for screenshot getting purposes whether I reviewed it or not since I stopped recycling screenshots years ago, then to remind myself that there are worse games that I could be playing). Yes, I would've preferred a more in-depth experience and one that had more meaning if not a great sense of polish, but the unique visuals and sense of brevity makes it easy to replay it. Today's game is not good, but it's not horrible or unplayable--at best, it's harmless (almost along the lines of guilty pleasure depending on the mood) and lightweight fare; at worst, it's a hugely lost opportunity with a potential that was not fully explored that borders on feeling short and repetitive.
Left: Face to face with the Goblin King's final form | Right: *ahem* Thor wants to know Merlin's location
There's no taking away the fact that it's a very unique experience on the SNES, but uniqueness alone does not make a good game if its controls aren't polished or solid enough to justify it. The right ingredients were there, but Westwood Studios sadly missed the mark by a mile. There is plenty to like in the game, it's just too bad that the overall quality wasn't as top-tier as its premise initially made it out to be. If you were curious or if you just have to play one of the lesser examples of the action-adventure genre in the Nintendo 16-bit console, it's okay to play through it once but be forewarned there isn't much in terms of depth, gameplay polish, and replay value, otherwise I'd suggest playing pretty much anything else (anything, that is, except Bullet-Proof Software's port of Scenario Developments' Obitus), like Lagoon and Brain Lord and Secret of Evermore (give those a go), for instance, you'll get much more mileage from them. As it stands, however, Young Merlin is a miscalculated mess--a visually pleasing, colorful, and silly mess with innocent ideas and intentions tragically gone south. ๐
My Personal Score: 6.0/10
● Incidentally enough, the previous game I reviewed (Blue Turtle's Adventures of Yogi Bear) right before this one was also the previous SNES cart I got prior to Young Merlin. ...... Just... felt like adding that for quirky coincidence sake... ๐
Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW allowed); hope you have a great day, be a nice human, keep yourself safe and protected during this pandemic, and take care!
