Very fun game, loved it!!
I don't play many side scrolling games but I surely liked this one and would recommend others to play it as well too. The way the game is played is a bit different from most side scrollers I play as it incorporates the feel of an RPG with a level up system. The higher your level the easier and faster you can complete a level here.
I found the game play to be straightforward with the ability to swap what attacks and leveled up spirit creature you were using as you evolved it later in the game. Also liked how you could go back and change what the leveled up creature was by clicking on an earlier form of the spirit creature. That made it pretty fun.
The accessories and items are a real help. I always made sure to have at least one lady luck on me for the later levels when I could synthesize better items to equip on me. Also nice how the golden apple is on the list of things to synthesize that can't be made, it had to be found and earned instead.
The story line was also beautifully mastered here. You start off with the simple task of finding someone and then have to go on to beat all twelve zodiac beasts before you fight the final boss who takes awhile. I found an easy thing to do was go back through the earlier levels and try to play the easiest one you can that gives you the most exp with each run through to beef up your character and beast while gathering stones and other items in the level.
The graphics were greatly done here. The bosses looked pretty cool. The one I liked the most was the third one though, she looked pretty awesome. However I was able to dodge her with ease after figuring out her attack pattern. I would wait until after her attack and continue the assault afterward. The background images and foreground images were very nice looking here too. When it all came together it made a beautiful scene.
The status ailments make it true to an rpg genre, the only thing I ever got annoyed with was the poison status as early on in the game I would have to restart a level several times to get enough exp to try boosting my poison resistance enough. The no attack status was cool but short. The only one I never understood was the heart barrier. I didn't get what was going on and saw nothing happening with the hp either.
The game overall was a big blast to play. The final boss was fun and trying to play through using all three characters gives a great view point and challenged me to try different attack strategies as well. I will say that overall I really enjoyed this game. Excellent piece of work!!