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Sailor Moon: Another Story Retroview
Mid Princess Power!
During the mid-90s, anime was not the most popular media to air on American television. Still, there were a few stations that aired some shows, and while getting ready for school, I remember two that would air on the local channels: Dragon Ball, and the show that preceded it, Sailor Moon. While Dragon Ball was the show I looked forward to on a daily basis, the other held my attention long enough, plus it had a catchy theme song. Needless to say, I watched enough Sailor Moon to learn its lore, and when I found out there was an SNES RPG based on the series, I was definitely intrigued. Sailor Moon: Another Story eventually got a fan translation, and I was finally able to play it to completion on my SNES Mini. While the game looks and plays great, there are bumps that make this ride a rough Moon landing.
Sailor Moon: Another Story is based on the manga and anime series of the same title. Created by Naoko Takeuchi, this game picks up somewhere after the first three seasons of the show. As such, this game does not give great explanations of past events or character dynamics, and RPGamers unfamiliar with the franchise may feel lost. It’s not too hard for new players to get into the game, since it is about pretty soldiers fighting evil doers. The titular Sailor Moon is the main protagonist, but there will be plenty of other characters joining her throughout the journey. This game has an original plot not seen in the series, which introduces new villains and a time-traveling plot that aims to bring back old foes.
[caption id="attachment_197794" align="aligncenter" width="415"] Wake up, meatball head![/caption]
The game is broken up into five chapters, with the first introducing players to the five iconic Sailor Scouts, who engage in a few five-person turn-based battles before each one embarks on a separate, solo adventure in chapter two. The second chapter can be a rough experience for some of the scouts, as they are strong as a unit, but can struggle on their own. Sailor Mercury has a noticeably rougher go of completing her solo section compared to the others, and players will need to grind out a few levels before she is able to do adequate damage to beat her chapter boss.
Another Story has fantastic-looking graphics for its age. The character models in and out of battles look crisp and defined, and all the Sailor Scouts have unique attack animations in fights. A lot of the enemies seen in this game are foes from the show's past, so fans and observant players will be able to spot a lot of characters from the series. There are also character portraits for all important characters, which look ripped straight from the anime. The world that the Sailor Scouts explore is full of visual intricacies, but unfortunately there are not a lot of interactable areas outside of plot-relevant points. Towns have buildings to explore, but usually, they are empty and offer little rewards for deep exploration.
Combat in Another Story is fun to look at, but can be a grindy affair. Enemies will be nearly impossible to defeat until certain levels are attained. If a player goes into a battle at low levels, they will do minuscule damage, regardless of how well geared they are. There is a lot of equipment and items to use and utilize in combat. All the Sailor Scouts are present and accounted for, but it will take quite a bit of time before the player will be able to play as all ten scouts. Tinkering with formations and finding unique combination attacks can help make encounters more manageable. Each character has a unique move set, with some scouts being offense-oriented, and others focusing on healing and status effects. Sailor Pluto and her time-stopping magic will become a player's best friend, as she can freeze enemies for three turns, and it works on all normal enemies and bosses alike.
[caption id="attachment_197795" align="aligncenter" width="415"] Fighting evil by street signs.[/caption]
The music in Another Story would have been a standard RPG experience if only a few tunes were omitted from the experience. There are a few glaring tracks that play throughout the adventure that have awful, brain-piercing notes that are not needed. There are some nice melodies in this game, but the bad ones are noticeable. This game would have been better served if those songs were left off the soundtrack.
Overall, Sailor Moon: Another Story is fun eye candy, with some level scaling issues and a few musical misses that place it in the middle-of-the-road RPG category. Players may need to run around and gain a few extra levels to make fights less excruciating, and the world outside the main character's interactions is bland to explore. Fans of Sailor Moon will get more enjoyment from this game, as it jumps into an original story, with a fan translation that fits the iconic characters, and players can set up their dream-team parties. I had a good time with the game, but I also didn't catch every reference since my Sailor knowledge is from 90s binging. It's a game I might play again if the desire and timing are perfect, but other than nostalgia for the anime, there are better RPGs on the SNES to occupy my time.
Disclosure: This review is based off a fan translation and is purely comparing this game to other SNES RPGs.
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