Beyond Oasis

The Story of Thor
North American cover art
Developer(s)Ancient
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Yuzo Koshiro
Designer(s)Kataru Uchimura
Programmer(s)Yukio Takahashi
Artist(s)Ayano Koshiro
Writer(s)Juri Ogawa
Composer(s)Yuzo Koshiro
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release
  • JP: December 9, 1994
  • EU: March 1995
  • NA: March 15, 1995
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Story of Thor,[1] known in North America as Beyond Oasis, is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The game was produced and had music written by Yuzo Koshiro. The Story of Thor was later released in various emulated collections. A prequel, The Story of Thor 2, was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.

Plot

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The player takes the role of Prince Ali, who has discovered a buried gold "armlet" which once belonged to a wizard who waged a long war against the evil wielder of a silver armlet. The silver armlet was used to create chaos and destruction, while the gold armlet had the power to summon four spirits: the water spirit, "Dytto"; the fire spirit, "Efreet"; the shadow spirit, "Shade"; and the plant spirit, "Bow". Ali travels the land of Oasis, gradually acquiring the ability to summon all these spirits, in an attempt to stop the person who has discovered the ancient silver armlet and is once again using it for evil.

Gameplay

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The game has action adventure elements similar to The Legend of Zelda series. The player controls Prince Ali and control him across the map to fulfill his quest. Along the way the player picks up special items to restore health and mana, special weapons to help defeat enemies, and four magic spirits found in shrines to aid Prince Ali in his mission.

Prince Ali's default weapon is his knife, which can perform special attacks and has unlimited usage, but during the course of the game the player can equip Prince Ali with special weapons such as swords, crossbows, and bombs. Some crossbows (and a sword) can ignite their targets on fire. However, unlike the knife, these weapons do generally not have unlimited usage and will break after a set number of uses, unless unlimited versions of these weapons are found.

Re-releases

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Beyond Oasis was re-released as a downloadable game for various home and portable platforms: on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007,[2] on Steam in 2012, App Store and Google Play Store in 2017 (now delisted[3]), and Nintendo Switch Online in 2022.[4] Additionally, the game was included in the 2009 Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection compilation for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Vol.5 of Sega Genesis Classics, and was preloaded on the Sega Genesis Mini hardware.[5]

Reception

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Game Informer gave the game a "very good" score of 8.75/10.[11] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 38/50 (7.6/10 average), praising the vast game world and strong plot twists.[8] A reviewer for Next Generation contended that the combination of RPG and action elements results in a game which is average on both fronts. He added: "The use of magic, whether it be the fireball or meteor storm; a user-friendly interface; and an ever-ready map put Beyond Oasis beyond others of its type. But ultimately, poor fighting and an uninspired storyline leave this title looking more like a mirage."[13] GamePro commented that the game "is definitely not for hardcore RPGers" due to its small game world, limited challenge, and greater emphasis on hack-n-slash combat and puzzle solving than on RPG elements, but would be a good game for players new to the RPG genre. They praised the "intriguing" gameplay and the 3D feel of the graphics.[16]

IGN gave the Virtual Console re-release an 8/10, calling it "very stylish," and expressing "surprise" that despite a lack of polish in certain areas, its "unique" mechanics "deserve to be mentioned alongside such classics as Secret of Mana".[18] In 2017, GamesRadar rated Beyond Oasis 38th on their Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time, giving praise to the game's graphics and sound.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Japanese: ストーリー オブ トア 〜光を継ぐ者〜, Hepburn: Sutōrī obu Toa (Hikari wo Tsugu Mono)
  2. ^ "VC Monday Madness: Beyond Oasis, SPLATTERHOUSE [update 1]". Engadget. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  3. ^ Extension, Time (2023-09-28). "Sega Forever Games Are Being Delisted From iOS And Android". Time Extension. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  4. ^ "Switch Online's latest Mega Drive/Genesis update adds Alisia Dragoon, Beyond Oasis and Earthworm Jim". VGC. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  5. ^ "Sega Genesis Mini Games List: Sonic 2, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Tetris, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  6. ^ "La Legende de Thor" [The Story of Thor]. Consoles + (in French). No. 41. March 1995. p. 92.
  7. ^ Rad Automatic; Patterson, Mark (March 1995). "CVG Review: Story of Thor" (PDF). Computer & Video Games. No. 160. pp. 78–80. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2023 – via Sega Retro.
  8. ^ a b "Review Crew: Beyond Oasis". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 68. Ziff Davis. March 1995. p. 36.
  9. ^ "New Games Cross Review: The Story of Thor (Japanese: 光を継ぐ者)". Famitsu. No. 313. December 16, 1994. p. 39.
  10. ^ "Genesis Review: Beyond Oasis". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 3. March 1995. pp. 18 & 38-41.
  11. ^ a b "Ultimate Review Archive". Game Informer. No. 100. August 2001 [Review originally published March 1995]. p. 55.
  12. ^ "The Story of Thor". GamesMaster. No. 27. March 1995. pp. 54–55.
  13. ^ a b "Beyond Oasis". Next Generation (4). Imagine Media: 94. April 1995.
  14. ^ "La Légende de Thor" [The Story of Thor]. Player One (in French). No. 51. March 1995. pp. 78–81.
  15. ^ "Gamefan's 4th Annual Megawards". GameFan. Vol. 4, no. 1. January 1996. p. 106.
  16. ^ "Beyond Oasis". GamePro. No. 70. IDG. May 1995. p. 103.
  17. ^ "Beyond Oasis for Genesis". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Thomas, Lucas (March 21, 2007). "Beyond Oasis Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  19. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (October 17, 2017). "'Beyond Oasis' Review – A Sight for Thor Eyes". TouchArcade. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Loveridge, Sam (June 21, 2017). "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time". GamesRadar. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
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