An Average RPG - Defenders of Oasis for Sega Game Gear | hungrygoriya 

"When in doubt, talk to everyone several times" would later become textbook RPG design

Arabian-flavored fantasy worlds are always great. And using Ahriman as the villain is icing on the cake. Japan always just seems to have a lot of fun with the setting. Even in manga you'll periodically see "we drew everyone in robes and turbans, for fun!" interstitial art.

I have this game on my 2DS, I really miss the 3DS eshop , it was the only place to buy legit digital game gear games . I first heard about this game from Daria’s video . I like her video but you took this to a whole other level. The amount of detail you put into this video is impeccable and I love when you talk about the issues with the game gear battery, that was a nice touch. It’s good for what it is and what system it’s on. I really need to go back and play this. Excellent video !

This is probably the most refreshing video I've seen from a retro gaming RU-vidr and a while. I'm so glad you covered this game and on real Hardware no less!

Developers: "Let's not put any Warp or Exit spells or items in our game." HungryGoriya: "But thou must!"

That is so cool, I had never heard of this. I absolutely love the colours of the SMS/GG. I wish there had been more RPGs for those.

I never knew about this game, but I'll have to test it out. Thanks Hungry!!

Thank you for covering this game. This was an absolute staple in my childhood RPG adventure, so it was really nice to sort of reexperience the game while watching this. The last trek to the end will always remain forever burned into my memory along with the music...

8:45 Yes! It does save on every step. Which is kind of brilliant and player-friendly for a handheld game. Also, you can totally use the autosave to cheat through the sliding ice puzzles, with good timing. 😉 But yeah, this one really impressed me back in the day. An 8-bit handheld RPG that, at times, almost looked as good as a 16-bit game. And it was SO rare to get a JRPG with such genuinely good writing. Even as a kid, I noticed that the translation and storytelling were much better than normal for the time. It's a shame the combat is kind of bare-bones, but I still consider this one of the hidden gems of the era. (It's odd, though, I don't recall it being that hard. I even replayed it on 3DS a few years ago and I didn't have much trouble.)

Another classic review! You put your heart into every video, and it shows.

This was my very first JRPG. I live in a place where English isn’t our native language, so when I grew up with friends who had game consoles, all their games were action or adventure games with very little English, but a friend of mine got a Game Gear at one point and this game by mistake (probably just bought it off the cover). It was right as I was learning English in school and I was blown away how captivating the gameplay and systems was. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that it largely was a rip-off of Dragon Quest in its design. A few years ago he found his old gamegear and games as he was moving abroad and have them to me. The gamegear screen is shot, but I love that I still have that original game that made me fall in love with an entire genre, today.

I didn't get to play this on the GG, but did snag it as a digital download on the 3DS shop. Honestly, sounds like you felt exactly how I did playing this. Liked the music and story, graphics were great, battles were bland and way too often, etc. Genie should have been WAY more op IMHO. The equipment would have been a nightmare if I hadn't looked up full walkthroughs on the game that had stats listed for everything. BIG shout out to people on Gamefaqs and such for taking the time to write those things! You're also not kidding, that game was VERY unforgiving, I was in panic a LOT in dungeons. I ended up spending weeks grinding levels anytime I was somewhere I had to just sit and wait like dr appts or the laundromat, probably the only reason I was able to finish the game without an over abundance of issues. Thanks again for yet another trip down memory lane. I always look forward to your videos. More so since, unlike so many other creators that are hell bent on getting vids out daily, you take awhile, make honest content, and the wait and build up waiting always make them a special occasion for someone like me. Stay awesome and game on! Edit: I was reading some comments and some thoughts: 1) your hubby is an absolute chad! Hug him daily! 2) I appreciate that you play some of the less experienced games, that's a lot of what I was into in those days so it's always wonderful to see a fresh perspective on the games that made my youth so awesome. That said, have you ever managed to score a copy of "Ghost Lion" for NES? I found out about it way too late sadly and never got to try it, but was told it was vaguely 'Dragon Quest' inspired so have always been curious. Ok, I shaddup nao. Rock on!

What i love about ur channel is, that u are able to excite people to actually dig into games, that often seem unaccesible by todays standards.

"We have Magic of Scheherazade at home." Magic of Scheherazade at home: I kid, I kid. But for real though, the Arabian/Middle Eastern setting and lore/mythology is underutilized in roleplaying settings. Although they managed to somehow create enemies that are a mesmerizing blend of both potato and nightmare fuel, simultaneously. Great vid as always. Thanks for your work. 👍

Oh boy, the Game Gear. I was absolutely in awe when I first saw a classmate playing it back when I was like 8 or 9. But man, he always had to carry a couple of spare batteries XD Also: "phenomenal cosmic powers" - RIP Robin Williams, great guy

I think you've hit on an important point here when saying you encountered more battles than someone who knows what they're doing. Many old RPGs are infamous for their high encounter rates and this may be the reason why. The people making/ testing the game know what they're doing. They would probably always proceed on the shortest possible path and never took into account the end user, who is wandering about, trying to figure out where to go. I also love how just as you're talking about talking to people to open the next part of the game, we see the main character trying to talk to a sheep. It's like saying 'THIS is how desperate I got. I talked to the sheep, hoping that would open the next part of the game!" 😂

I love the idea that the characters interact with each other! It's fantastic to see that kind of writing. That said, you gotta tell your player who's item belongs to who! This looks like a fun little time though!

Yayy! Another awesome video by Hungry Goriya! This game looks very interesting, and a little trippy! I love videogames that are mostly trippy (fantasy). Playing Sea of Stars but will check this out. Good work!😁❤

I wish that Edward's 'hide' ability from Final Fantasy 4 worked like that. That's a pretty cool idea for a hide command!

I recently.discovered this channel and I've just subscribed. It's just so nice seeing all these retro reviews especially for RPGs.

Oh wow, this is a blast from the past! I just discovered your channel yesterday through the Star Tropics video, which popped up on my sidebar. (That was also a great trip down nostalgia lane.) I had a Game Gear but only ever had a couple games for it and this was one of them. I remember liking it a lot, but the Game Gear itself was a huge disappointment. The battery life wasn't the only thing that made it less than ideal as a portable. The screen was horribly reflective, so you were pretty limited to where you could play it and still be able to see the screen. I basically could only play in one spot in the living room where I could sit under a lamp and have it plugged in at all times.

The Game Gear definitely flies under my radar because I never had one nor knew someone that did. There's no nostalgia factor and I don't know its library. This definitely inspired me to give it more of a look, thanks!

Great review. I really enjoyed how your analysis pointed out that the game flow can have a different feel in a portable game, because the player’s time might be limited by battery life etc. Glad you persevered after losing your saves!

I am discovering your channel, and I am hooked! Keep up the good work! Long live Retro SEGA love!

Haha, that "Uh oh" at the end, I've definitely been there before XD

This is a title Sega Game Gear fans hold high, and truth be told it is pretty average when you compare it to every other console's RPGs in your rom list. However if you were a kid in the 90s and had a game gear, you probably were not readily exposed to the RPG greats that were on the Snes, and this was a great introduction to RPGs and was/is an incredible solid experience. I never was bothered about the high encounter rate when I played this back in the 90s. I think being a small child and being an adult you experience games differently. I notice the older I get the more I become aware of time wasted while playing video games. I just never had that thought when playing games as a kid.

Those end-game difficulty spikes might be the absolute worst in RPGs. Especially when it comes out of nowhere. It can quite quickly take you from loving a game, to a feeling of "oh...that was good, I guess..." Nice review, friend!

Great vid and thanks for covering this one! I read about this way back in the day in Sega Visions, never got to play it when it came out, but was definitely one of the first ones I sought out when emulation became a thing. Spot-on analysis; it's a fun idea on a system not really known for RPG experiences but it doesn't really do a whole lot to test the limits of the genre.

Nice, this is one I also managed to beat. I agree, the localization is surprisingly good for the time. Generally, you'd get fairly bad-to-middling translations in many cases back then, but not here. There aren't so many RPGs for the system and most of them are fairly simple, seeing that it's a fairly old handheld RPG. As for other interesting GG games, I liked Moldorian (you definitely need to check the manual for that one though, to learn how to battle); there's also a good SRPG, Royal Stone, with a very interesting narrative.

I love this game! I didn't have a hard time beating it twice. Maybe I just grinded too much. Love your reviews!

Oh awesome! Had hopes youd cover this gem sometime!

I discovered this game a few years ago when I was looking for decent games to play with my Game Gear that I got for cheap. I did a recap and installed a backlit screen upgrade. Always wanted a Game Gear when I was a kid but never got one. This game is an excellent game! Good music, mature themes, and overall good gameplay/story. I love medieval themed RPGs but really enjoyed the change of scenery from another culture.

Awesome review! I do not recall ever seeing anything about this game. I certainly want to give this one a try now. Thank you for the review!

Just gotta say, i think you've got the best retro game channel on the platform right now. So much of the field is people flexing collections and talking about rarity/prices. It's refreshing to see someone that just loves playing these old games and drawing some attention to some underappreciated and neglected titles. Your presentation is so calming and relaxing after a rough day too. Thanks for drawing attention to these games and keep up the excellent work. 😊

😀😃😀😃 THANX GORIYA !!!! Defenders was the only jrpg I had on my game gear growing up & your reviewing it brings back memories !!!!!! I luv all your content 👍👍🤠

I was just wondering when we were going to get a new Goriya video! This is one of those obscure little titles that I've known of for a while, but never gets talked about. Happy to see it get an in depth review. I kind of want to start a GoFundMe for your Game Gear though. She looks like she's been through a lot.

I actually own this game through the 3DS VC. Haven't gotten around to playing it, but I knew it looked interesting to me when I saw it and had to buy it (Especially since the eShop didnt have much longer left). As for the game itself, its good to hear its well-written. I'm definitely looking forward to eventually playing this. I also don't really mind the static battle scenes. I get why it's not necessarily everyone's thing, it ain't flashy at all. Some flashiness would be nice, but it's fine I guess. (I will say tho, with what you've mentioned, its a good thing I'd be playing the VC version. Thank god for restore points/save states. Lol)

I need to give this another go. I didn't have the heart to go back after my save was lost. I think I had just made it to chapter 4 after some grinding and I was just done. Another solid review HG.

I remember loving this game on game gear but didn't remember anything about the game,thanks for the memories this game and dragon crystal were 95% of my playtime

That bit at the end was great.

Love this game, the music especially. Your retrospectives are always a treat.

Yikes, this game seems like it had some positive qualities here and there, but is flawed enough in specific ways that it drags the experience down. particularly how you describe the last leg of the game. I give you massive props for sticking it out and seeing it through to the end, you're a real trooper.

Great review, I'm not familiar with this particular title but it looks fun and the sprites have a charm to them.

Thirsty Goriya Oasis was pretty refreshing, no pun intended.

So glad I found this channel!

Fantastic video, as usual. Thank you for the upload.

"...after probing the locals there for information..." Sheep: Baaaa. 2:55 :-D If you didn't do that on purpose, take the credit anyway. I did like it.

I really like the monster designs! Never played Defenders of Oasis but feels super confy :)

Hello Hungry! Thank you for the video👍

Great take. I finished this game on game gear as a kid. Practically had to be plugged into the wall every time I played. Battery drainer. If they had a Phantasy Star style background during combat, those 6 AAs would disintegrate

awwwww yeah~ love it when you upload something. 7/10 times is a game ive never seen but wouldve loved way back.... which normally leads to me going out and buying another cart~

Something about your more recent recordings sounds much better. Did I miss you getting a new mic?

I loved this game on my early teens. I was just starting to discover rpgs with the Final Fantasy Legend games or Gargoyle's Quest, and becoming my favourite genre of games, so I was always a little disappointed the game gear had so few rpgs compared to the gameboy. I wish Moldorian had been localized as well, I'd have loved playing it back then. Ax Battler wasn't bad as well. Thanks for this video, has brought back a few memories.

Wow, the sprites look amazing!

I regret not having bought it on the 3DS eShop when I still had the chance. The savestate function would have been a great improvement in the experience.

One of the last games I purchased on the 3DS Eshop before it closed! Another great review HG!

I kind of wish this game had been released on the Master System too. Would have been a great addition to the system.

For more good Game Gear RPGs, there's Royal Stone, Sylvan Tale, the Madou Monogatari series, the Shining Force trilogy, Moldorian, and Lunar: Sanposuru Gakuen. (Americans got shafted on Game Gear content.) They all have English patched roms if you don't mind the emulation route.

Nice review I gotta check this out on my Game Gear

Fun fact - Ahriman is the name of the evil opposing spirit (ie the Devil) of Ahura Mazda (the benevolent and wise creator deity) in Zoroastrianism Another great review! The combat screens remind me of Dragon Quest (Warrior) 3 and 4 on the NES. I just got an analogue pocket and Im looking for good game gear RPGs now, since its a system I never had. This looks good, sort of, maybe. Im kind of burned on "take 3 steps, get in mindless turn based fight" after 35 years of JRPGs though. Or a game with no item stats that autosaves. Or no exit spells. Or a ramp up in difficulty. Ehhh. I think Im gonna pass on it unless I come across it real cheap. Thanks again!

It’s my baby! It’s not amazing but it’s got charm

Despite the very "this is an 8-bit RPG" flaws, I'm very looking forward to giving this one a run through. I actually have it on 3DS (I basically raided the eShop for every retro RPG before it shut down xD) so I can hopefully avoid the autosave shenanigans with the Retore Point feature (basically Nintendo's official name for Save States) and not to mention GG games look crisp and pretty on the 3DS' screen. Interestingly, in the original Japanese release, this wasn't related at all to Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor, the connection was pure marketing for the English localization. It is kind of funny that Sega had two unrelated middle-eastern mythology inspired RPGs so close together, though xD

This game is an example of why using a guide can be so important, at least for the equipment stats. The older RPG's that don't tell you the equipment's stats in game are a real drag. Guides are a must for those! This game also badly needed an Escape item....What a shame it doesn't have one. Just another example of unfortunate early RPG design.

Always happy to see more Goriya content. Can’t wait til you get to Alundra. Any plans to cover Lufia 1/2?

Fair warning, I have a lot to say about this one So as you know, I love this game. I admit it's mostly nostalgia tho. I only had one RPG for my Game Gear for a long time. I had a car adapter for road trips, headphones, and everything. I got by with the Game Boy and the light attachment but that was rough at times So that's why I love this game, mostly. It's also because I like the setting and the cutscenes are fun. The encounter rate is ridiculous but I always over level in RPGs anyway. I like to grind until I can make sure I survive. This game tested my patience too tho. It got frustrating. But yes, Agmar is the game changer I needed, tho Saleem did get me thru a lot of battles alive. I like the soundtrack a lot more than you seem to. It's one of only a handful of 8-bit games I listen to. I usually hate 8-bit game music I also wanted to mention that "Varyu" is clearly a mistranslation of "Barrier," which always reminded me of the Varia suit in Metroid I have a soft spot for the Game Gear, Sega, handheld RPGs, and the Arabian setting so it's kind of a sweet spot for me. It's a comfort game I was a lil bit confused about one thing tho. The genie has a spell that transports you to any town you visited. It's called Raag. I used it to get back to town many times. Did you get that one? I'm not sure if I misunderstood that part Also, if you're ever looking for suggestions on handheld RPGs, especially Game Gear, it's my wheelhouse

I don't remember how much trouble I had toward the end, but I do remember mostly enjoying the game. Of course, this was like 20+ years ago, when I got the game off of eBay after buying one of the Majesco Game Gears. Which means I played the whole thing on that terrible screen... but I persevered! I'm curious if my cart still has an intact save now! EDIT: Yep, still there! Level 35, right before the final boss. Which... went down strangely easily? Maybe I did some level grinding.

Cool video. I never had a game gear. This reminds me of Scheherazade for the NES, I'd probably play that instead

Great review as always!

This is one of the few games you've reviewed that I've actually played before you have! I didn't grow up with Sega devices so I'm discovering many of them through you. I had a lot of the same frustrations as you with Defenders of Oasis. I was playing on an emulator, however, and I very quickly started resorting to playing the game at fast-forward speed. I actually ended up so overlevelled because of this (I got stuck at the same place as you- in the island trying to figure out how to open up the temple). I found that any time I bought a piece of equipment, at least someone could use it. I just stuck to the general strategy of more expensive = better. There was one time where I got burned by this and that was a piece of equipment that heals whoever is wearing it... at the cost of them sleeping through the fight. At first I didn't understand what was happening, but a piece of text in a dungeon clued me in and I had to march back to a town to swap to another piece of equipment that was less good stats-wise, but didn't put my guy to sleep. Like you, I found the battles to be the weakest part of the experience. Even Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior for NES/GBC/PS1 fans) managed to add little effects like the screen flashing or descriptions of what the enemy were doing back in the 8 bit days. Heck, Final Fantasy Legend had monochrome graphics and it managed to add some little animations as well. I feel like if Defenders of Oasis had completely done away with the battles and instead used adventure game style puzzle solving (like King's Quest), it might've proved a little better. It doesn't help that you're essentially given three physical attackers and a single supporter who acts as your healer and magician. And the genie requires a ton of money to level up or getting lucky with enemy drops as he doesn't grow the same way the others do. I did appreciate that characters get back up with a small bit of HP after battle if they fell during it. The story is definitely the highlight of the game with many twists and turns. It reminded me a bit of old Saturday Morning cartoons where the heroes would do something then it would shift to the villains gloating and scheming until things went awry for them once the heroes messed their plans up. The music is also pretty good although I did eventually get tired of it. I have to disagree with on the graphics. They're competently made but the Prince (or maybe his name is Prince) looks like he belonged in a different game. He's got the typical big eyes while everyone else has these small 1x1 dots for eyes. I think the only other character that looks like they belong next to him is the princess. I do like the portraits, however, and the cutscene graphics are great as well. I'm indifferent to most of the enemy designs but there are some standout ones, especially towards the end. I swear that some look like they could be 3D models. I came out of Defenders of Oasis feeling less impressed than I was hoping for. I first learned of it from RU-vid channel "Now in the 90's" and they made it sound very good. To be fair to it, when placed next to the likes of Final Fantasy Legend, it looks better overall and only falters on the feel of battles. In the year 2023 where we're spoiled for choices when it comes to underground availability of games (if you're not squeamish about it) then it comes off as underwhelming and a non-priority next to games that admittedly appeared on stronger hardware. If there's anything notable about it then it would be the auto-save feature. I don't believe any RPG before it did that except for games based on Rogue? But it's a footnote overshadowed by the influences of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

I totally get your criticism of the combat. As I've gotten older, I've become less tolerant of monotonous battles in RPGs, especially when there's no strategy or it's just to pad out a game with very little story and exploration content. I fell like all you do over and over again, is tap the button as fast as possible to fight and get it over with. I'm much more interested these days in tactical RPGs where the larger and less random battles are the main focus of the game, and computer RPGs especially from the 90s where combat challenges your reflexes or tactical knowhow.

Time to get at least a 24 pack of AA batteries, and fire up my ancient Game Gear, and replay Defenders of Oasis. I'll fire it up on my Retroid Pocket 2+. Thank you for reminding me of this gem.

an exceptional review of an average game 😏 great work HG!

I remember having my save data wiped when I was playing Shining Force on Game Gear in the late 90s. I was so pissed! But I did start again and made it through eventually.

I lost my save twice with this game when I was little and was never able to beat it. It’s like the worst thing ever when that happened back then. I remember it happening somewhat frequently with battery backup games, I’m glad that’s no longer an issue with modern gameplay methods.

That's some fun music. Reminds me of Ultima 4

Replaying this one after 30 years away. It wasn't the best RPG ever, but it was one of the few decent ones I found for the Game Gear.

OMG you lost the battery!? T_T I love this game for the console. That last dungeon though man. You are not joking. I had to do so much grinding to just feel remotely powerful enough to deal with it, and even then it was a struggle to the finish.

I've never been a big fan of games with first-person RPG combat like Etrian Odyssey or Earthbound (tho it is still a great game). I like to see my characters do the thing. Also the main character's proportions in this game seem to be really different from most NPCs like his head is twice the size of theirs. I'm not sure if you've covered it before but since you're in the realm of Sega games, I recently got ahold of Shining Force CD for the Sega CD and it's a fun little jaunt back thru the Gamegear Shining Force games with upgraded graphics and expanded story; recommended!

I also agree that the 3DS eShop was amazing. Virtual console, etc. so good.

love your vids

I tried that game on emulator and I liked it but not enough to finish it and I did the Phantasy Star on GG emulator also but didn't finish it. Not bad games and your "spot on" about the pixel art and if I would've played that instead of my black n white Game Boy, I would've been blown away 😂 There's definitely some Phantasy Star resemblance in character artwork and backgrounds. Sega had a small but super talented team. Excellent review with actual critical thought, I enjoy your reviews

Great video as always. That auto save sounds wacky and I’m so sorry you had to restart after your save messed up! That Salwa enemy is terrifying looking. So is this game not related to Beyond or Legend?

I had a Game Gear. I must have burned a few thousand bucks on batteries with Streets of Rage, man. Somehow it never even occurred to me there were RPGs on the system at all, despite me being a Sega kid and Shining Force fanboy

I beat this game a few months ago and thought you would probably like it.

Thanks!

I never seen you post this! First Lady of gaming 👸

As there are 3 saves slots, I copy my save on to another save slot before adventuring out from a safe area, that way if all goes wrong I can reload back at “base” with full health. I’ve never been able to get into RPG’s, but after watching your video I decided to give this more than just a quick go and I am starting to enjoy it. So thank you for your video. Have you played Game Gear Crystal Warriors? I wondered how it compares to this?

If that had happened to me I think I would have said something stronger than "uh-oh". 14:40

Interesting. I've never heard of this title, probably because I never had a Game Gear. I looked it up to see if this title had anything to do with the Sega Genesis game Beyond Oasis, which was also wholly owned by SEGA, had a middle-eastern theme and had "Oasis" in the title, but from what I can tell, there's apparently no direct relation between the two games. Which is very odd. But you should try Beyond Oasis too, as it's sort of SEGA's answer to Nintendo's Legend of Zelda games, but with the middle-eastern theming and some really good graphics.

I've tried a few times to get into this one, but for whatever reason, it never quite stuck. I did want to take on its final dungeon, just because it's so notorious, but never got there; congrats on pulling it off!

Hey. I'm the guy who pissed you off in this stream. One thing I didn't say during then and you didn't seem to internaluze before this video is that thanks to the auto save feature, running from battlea is a moot point because when you lost you'll be where you got into that battle but not in it, as if you had already run from it, so if you want to run but don't want to deal with the game telling you you can't, resetting allows you to always get away from battlea.

Amazing 🤩

Good review.

I own this one, and I've loved it so far, but sad to know no creature comforts like return to town spells. Still, a very enjoyable game I look forward to beating! I did buy it thinking it was part of the Legend of/Beyond Oasis series 😂 but I didn't have internet then in my defense!

The setting and graphics kind of remind me of The Magic of Scheherazade, but without the overhead action sequences. Looks like it's much more difficult too. BTW, how did you capture the video from the Game Gear?

The save battery! D:

Watching this on my TV now, but commenting on my phone (I’m like that). I regularly rotate your videos when I work from home and I cannot recall a Gamegear game that you have covered? Is this the first? I vaguely remember this game lol. Focus on vaguely.

Got to the end of the video and oh no! 😢😅 That must've stung hard but nothing you could've done about that

Wait, did you seriously play this whole game with a Game Gear that was missing the 2 button? How? That must have been a nightmare! I'm hoping that picture of the Game Gear with the AC adapter wasn't the one you used!

I'm sorry you struggled. Game hint: The game continuously remembers your progress. When are stuck in a dungeon and you are trying to head back to a healing spot, after a battle starts, then soft-reset. When you resume your game, it will be at the location you had an encounter, then continue your trek back to town. SR every time until you are safe. Literally impossible to die this way. Not like FF1 dungeon where you must use tents, etc.