Year released: 1989 (NES)

Number of Players: 1

Press button!

Graphics: Think the Legend of Zelda, only a bit smaller.

Play control: It's 3/4 view, so you have the up, down, right, left on the + control pad to move in the according direction. Our hero (whose name I don't know) is automatically in defense mode, and you can switch to attack by holding down A. Letting go switches back to defense. I'm not entirely sure, but I think you harm enemies by running into them in attack mode. This also harms you. A manual would kinda help, but used games typically don't have such things.

Sound: You've got some original tunes in there, but you know your NES instruments by now. Same old, same old.

Challenge: Figure out each puzzle (collect the item) while keeping the little health you have from depleting. Avoiding enemies is crucial, but sometimes you just have to attack.

Gameplay: You can gather what the gameplay is like from the above. However--there are fights with dragons, supposedly, which I have never reached. Or tried to reach. I guess that's an indirect comment on the game's gameplay.

Bottom line: At Game Stop, Hydlide currently costs as much as Ice Hockey. I know pricing is based off of rarity, but still, you know? Running into stuff and wondering when the game will stop isn't fun. At least for me.

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