Review Date: April 30, 2021
Release Date: January 25, 1991
Platform: NES
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Genre: Linear Platformer
Anecdotes: Krion Conquest is known as a Mega Man ripoff, but outside of the level design, I didn’t get that vibe. Mega Man has to defeat bosses to gain weapons; Francesca gets them right away. Mega Man allows the first round of stages to be completed in any order; Krion Conquest is linear from start to finish. Don’t get me wrong; this game still “borrowed” a few things, but I wouldn’t call in a full knockoff.
Description: In yet another aggravatingly hard game, Francesca has to go through 12 stages and a series of bosses to complete her objective. Francesca has a group of weapons at her side right from the start. There’s “Normal,” which can shoot left or right. There’s Fire, which turns Francesca into a Phoenix, which is awesome but impractical. She’s got Freeze, which I didn’t find a use for in the five levels I could reach. Also on the list is a Ball, which fires diagonally and can ricochet off walls. Shield is also one, and I honestly don’t know what it does. Lastly, she has a broom, which I had trouble figuring out how to move, but thanks to the “magic” of the Internet, I understood.
Positives:
-The Ball weapon has some good uses. It nicely let me get shots in on the first boss. It also gave me the ability to hit an enemy below from a higher platform. It offers the ability to hit enemies that can’t be reached with the normal weapon.
-There are some decent Broom puzzles early on, which will require players to know how to use the Broom. The Broom can move upward, left, or right. It also helps that the Broom has unlimited uses.
Negatives:
-The Fire and Freeze weapons are useless. The Broom also disappears when Francesca jumps. For the most part, there really isn’t much use for these things, except for the Ball.
-The difficulty goes through the roof by stage 2-2. I couldn’t get past there. If I use the Broom, enemies keep flying at a level where I can’t hit them. If I just jump the platforms, I keep landing on enemies. On top of that, I didn’t see any way of continuing. I’m getting tired of these extremely difficult games that force players to start the WHOLE GAME over after losing a few lives.
Screenshots:
Final Opinion: This game became insufferable in stage 2. The lack of continues, the limited energy bar, and the tricky platforming make me want to pass on this one.
Grade: D (first two stages only)