Beyond Oasis
Encyclopedia
Beyond Oasis, known in Japan
as and in Europe
as The Story of Thor: A Successor of The Light, is a action role playing
video game developed by Ancient
and published by Sega
for the Mega Drive/Genesis
console
. The game was later re-released to the Wii
's Virtual Console
on March 19th, 2007 in North America, and April 5 the same year in Europe. The game was also added in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
, however in the European version of the latter, it is entitled "The Story of Thor"
"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.
series. The player controls Prince Ali and takes him across the maps to fulfill his quest. Along the way the player picks up special items to restore health and magic, special weapons to help defeat enemies, and four magic spirits found in shrines to aid Prince Ali's mission.
Prince Ali's default weapon is his knife, which can perform special attacks and has unlimited usage. Also 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 not have unlimited usage and will break after a set amount of uses.
Each of the magic spirits acquired in the game has a number of spells that can attack enemies, restore health, or unlock hidden areas. Each spirit is summoned by the Light Ball (C Button) and is sent away by tapping A, B, and C at the same time or when the magic meter runs out. Each spirit's power can be increased by picking up gems that correspond to the color of the spirit: Blue for Dytto, Red for Efreet, Black for Shade, and Green for Bow.
gave the game a "very good" score of 8.75/10. 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
."
to the game, The Story of Thor 2 (The Legend of Oasis in North America), was released for the Sega Saturn
in 1996.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as The Story of Thor: A Successor of The Light, is a action role playing
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
video game developed by Ancient
Ancient (company)
Ancient Corp. is a video game developer founded on April 1st, 1990, and managed by the game music composer Yuzo Koshiro. The company was founded by his mother, Tomo Koshiro, while his sister Ayano Koshiro also works at the company as an art/character/graphic designer...
and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. The game was later re-released to the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on March 19th, 2007 in North America, and April 5 the same year in Europe. The game was also added in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, however in the European version of the latter, it is entitled "The Story of Thor"
Plot
The player takes the role of Prince Ali, who has discovered a buried goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
"armlet" which once belonged to a wizard who waged a long war against the evil wielder of a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
armlet. The silver armlet was used to create chaos and destruction, while the gold armlet had the power to summon four spirits: the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
spirit, "Dytto"; the fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
spirit, "Efreet"; the shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
spirit, "Shade"; and the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
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
The game has action adventure elements similar to The Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
series. The player controls Prince Ali and takes him across the maps to fulfill his quest. Along the way the player picks up special items to restore health and magic, special weapons to help defeat enemies, and four magic spirits found in shrines to aid Prince Ali's mission.
Prince Ali's default weapon is his knife, which can perform special attacks and has unlimited usage. Also 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 not have unlimited usage and will break after a set amount of uses.
Each of the magic spirits acquired in the game has a number of spells that can attack enemies, restore health, or unlock hidden areas. Each spirit is summoned by the Light Ball (C Button) and is sent away by tapping A, B, and C at the same time or when the magic meter runs out. Each spirit's power can be increased by picking up gems that correspond to the color of the spirit: Blue for Dytto, Red for Efreet, Black for Shade, and Green for Bow.
Reception
Game InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave the game a "very good" score of 8.75/10. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
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
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
."
Sequel
A prequelPrequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the game, The Story of Thor 2 (The Legend of Oasis in North America), was released for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in 1996.