Genre: Action
Publisher: Sammy Studios
Developer: Enterbrain
Release Date: 04-Feb-2003

Now reactivated by Lilia, Rion awakens to find that Dorothy managed to execute one final catastrophic program, rendering a new evil crew to finish her goal of human annihilation. Galerians: ASH puts gamers back into this twisted world, pitting Rion and Lilia against these Last Galerians. With extraordinary 3D graphics delivering an alien future-world, new weapons and tactics that build on the series’ signature arsenal of psychic-induced attacks, and an immersive combination of puzzle-solving and intense action, Galerians: ASH is the next chapter in this epic struggle between artificial and organic intelligence.

Today the good folks over at Sammy Studios sent us a preview copy of Galerians:ASH for the Playstation 2. It is the sequel to the popular Playstation title Galerians. Usually a sequel to anything is a futile attempt to continue something great but ends up ruining it. However, I believe Sammy Studios has broken this mold. Here we go!

Galerians:Ash picks up were the original Galerians ends, and that is fighting Dorothy. You must defeat Dorothy before you can get to the bulk of the new story, which takes place 6 years after the first Galerians. It also seems that Dorothy in her loving nature has cooked up a new batch of playmates for you to do battle with. The basic gist of the story is you are humanities only hope to defeat evil. Now as vague as that sounds, that’s the best I can do. I can not divulge any of the story line from Galerians:ASH, but I can tell you this, it is one of the best stories I have played threw in a very long time. With twists and turns that do not reveal themselves till it’s over.

The game play presented in Galerians:ASH is on par with many of its competitors. An excellent mix of Role Playing and Action Adventure elements keeps Galerians:ASH from being classified as a single genre game. The camera angle in the game is 3rd person and is fixed behind your character. There is a first person angle but that is purely for looking around and only works if you are standing still. The controls to the game are straight forward and easily mastered in seconds. Movement is done via the analog stick, and your attacks/selections are done through the Circle, Square, X, Triangle, and the L and R buttons. The game is broken down into a series of chapters each with their own set of requirements for achievement. The maps vary in size from chapter to chapter; some are quite big while others are simple point A to point B size. Each chapter has its own boss and new and unique enemy creatures. As you progress you become stronger and can wield bigger and better powers.

Rion’s main weapon is his mind. As set forth in the original Galerians, Rion has mental powers and can channel them into attacks as well as defense. You start out with three attacks and one defensive move. As you make your way through the game you can acquire new powers, as well as upgrade your current powers to make them stronger. This holds true for you defensive powers as well. Each power has its own charge and as you use the power it will deplete itself, so you must acquire power ups located through out each map. There is another power meter you must monitor in relation to your attacks, and that is your (for lack of a better explanation) mental stability meter. As you use your attacks this meter will rise and if it reaches full you have a sort of mental break down which leads to your death in rage of telepathic power. The damage system is down by a point system, each attack will yield a different amount of damage done to the enemy, and to your self. This is the classic role playing damage system and I love its simplicity.

The graphics in Galerians:Ash are absolutely perfect, many games put too much emphasizes on graphics and neglect other portions of the game. A perfect example of this is Bouncer *shudders* I will not say one negative thing about Galerians graphics they are excellent. The characters are detailed, the surroundings are detailed, and the attacks are extremely well created. I especially love the telekinetic attacks, the wavy bending reality stuff only adds to its greatness. Also for you hardcore gamers out there, there is no shortage of gore at all. It even warns you that this title is not intended for children. ? The artistry behind the over all display of the game is awesome. It totally gives you that creepy eerie feel in multiple parts and keeps it going throughout the entire game. To sum it up, Galerians:ASH has the graphics where it counts.

The second crucial part is of course, the audio. Galerians has not single defect in this department. The sound effects and music score compliment each other beautifully. The creature effects and level sounds immerse you in this game and offers an experience that can rival any resident evil. Excellent sound bar none!

Phenomenal story, excellent graphics, easy controls, and outrageous sound Galerians:ASH does an excellent job and truly sheds the “sequels are never as good as the first” classification. I am telling you to... no, ORDERING you to go out and buy this game when it becomes available early next year. You will not be disappointed at all. If it were scoring time already, Galerians:ASH would easily earns 9 out of 10 in my book, and no I am not jumping the gun here. I would personally like to thank Sammy Studios for allowing me to preview this superb game. Excellent work mates!