Welcome to February 2024 dear readers. You’re finally going to get that review of El Viento that I promised 2 weeks back (sorry about that). Let’s dig in, shall we?
Description:
It is the year 1928 when the cult of Hastur, an evil god of the winds, seeks to resurrect their master. To do this, a massive ceremony must be performed atop a large structure in New York City-the future Empire State Building! The cult’s leader Restiana has brought even mob boss Vincent DeMarco to provide additional muscle to their dark plans. All seems lost until a sorceress from Peru arrives to put an end to their plot. Annet has harnessed a portion of Hastur’s magic and can control various elements such as the magic of the Wind-el Viento! Guide Annet through speakeasies, factories, alleyways, and more throughout the city and put an end to the ritual!
Features:
- Rosa Intensa Cartridge for SEGA Genesis®/Mega Drive
- Full-colored instruction manual
- Reversible cartridge inlay sleeve
- Embellished cartridge slipcover
- Individually numbered certificate of authenticity
Unboxing:
Gameplay:
El Viento is an absolute baller of an action/platformer game where you get to be Annet, a total boss when it comes to boomerangs and magic spells. You’ll face an immense amount of challenges like spinning platforms and force fields. The level design is also challenging but fun as you make your way through different levels filled with (sometimes funny) baddies and tough boss battles. Even though the graphics are sort of basic compared to other Genesis titles, El Viento makes up for it with some fun effects that enhance the look when at all possible.
In between levels, you’ll get to see story sequences with dialogue and anime-style art that wraps everything up nicely. Not everyone cares for an anime style, but I’m still glad to have some context in my games. The music by Motoi Sakuraba totally rocks, adding to the fun vibes of the game. I’ve included a little help here if you want to know what it sounds like. For the story, I won’t spoil any more of it than what you heard me read in the unboxing video. But at it’s core, you’ll help Annet discover her powers and fight against a sketchy-ass cult trying to raise a demon from where it’s waiting! All things considered, it may be a bit of a dark story line and rather violent for kids, so just assume it’s rated T for teen. Armed with only a boomerang and magic spells that get stronger as you go, you’ll face challenges in all sorts of places, from taking on mobsters (yes, it’s true!) to exploring spots like Mount Rushmore.
Click the images to see detail.
Gameplay Trailer:
Overall Thoughts:
El Viento was a surprise to me, and while I don’t personally enjoy action platformers on the whole, I still found myself playing this more than others. It’s not the prettiest game on the Genesis, it may have looked better if they had waited for the 32X. But hey, if you like games like Strider, I definitely think you should get your hands on a copy of this game, even if it’s used. And if you can’t do that, I have a little suggestion for you.