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True story, I actually own the JAMMA board for Rastan Saga. It's a game I grew up with and as an adult I happily parted with the cash for what I consider to be the definitive version. Any popular movie, TV series or video game will be imitated and Rastan Saga is no exception, so when I was told about Inferno for the MSX2 my interest was piqued.

The manual provides a premise that is vague. You awaken to horrific visuals and sounds, with monsters approaching you. You have no idea how you got there, but you know you need to fight your way out of the situation. You can assume that the story will progress as you make your way through the game. For the purposes of this review I was playing a demo provided by the developer. The title screen is bright, colourful and sets the expectation that this game will make good use of the expanded colour palette on the MSX2 hardware. As you can probably see from the screenshots, it does not disappoint!

Your barbarian inspired character is shaded quite nicely, rather than being made of solid colours. The same amount of effort was also put into the enemies, with the zombie like 'Vomanders' being shaded in black and the vampirish Scarlett being… well… obviously topless! I can feel the inspiration from Raf Cecco's Stormlord. Maybe… It's possible Aetherbyte haven't experienced the Hewson Consultants classic and they just like topless fairies too!

As you make your way up the tower the settings and backgrounds change, and it really seems like a lot of care and effort has gone into making this game look as varied as possible. This is the first MSX game for Aetherbyte, who actually specialise in the PC Engine, or Turbografx 16 for all you Americans out there. If you've had a chance to check out their earlier shoot em up, Atlantean, then you know to expect quality.

Music plays throughout the game, starting from the second it loads. Unlike many other efforts out there, it's not a single track that plays throughout the game. The opening screen, the map screen and the game all have different tunes playing in the background. The music feels dark and moody, fitting the situation that your character finds himself in. While the tune does loop I never found myself reaching for the volume controls in annoyance.

The controls are precise with little to no delay. Being a platform game there are a lot of jumps around the levels, but you never feel like the game has cheated you if you accidentally fall into a pit. It simply means you missed your mark and hit the jump button at the wrong time, and you know it when it happens. The same is true when hitting an enemy. If you swing and miss then you know it's your fault.

Upon awakening you find yourself in a pit with three 'Vomanders'. They spew green vomit hurling it forth, the challenge is getting to each of the fiends while avoiding their projectiles. At this stage you have no weapons to aid you on your quest so it's time to throw your fists around and hope for the best. Defeating enemies is not a prerequisite for progression, but it does feel satisfying to knock one of the beasts down.

As each screen flicks over to the next, the position of the enemies can be a cause of frustration as you accidentally change rooms only to immediately hit a monster, sapping valuable energy. Your health is represented by a heartbeat which can be heard and is visible on the bottom of the screen. This provides you with a sense of urgency, as the more hits you take the faster your heart pumps. If it beats gets too fast then it explodes, taking you along with it. The final death screen is rather bloody, with various body parts hanging out of your corpse.

You encounter your first weapon upon defeating a skeleton. Your barbarian takes one of the bones and uses it as a club, providing you with more distance when it comes to dispatching the monsters you encounter. This makes the game just a tad easier to get through. Other weapons are available as the game progresses and it's well worth your time getting ahold of one as soon as possible.

Rastan Saga is already available for the MSX2 and didn't need a fan made rerelease. Thankfully Aetherbyte haven't done this and though Inferno appears to have taken inspiration from the Rastan Saga it has developed into its own beast. You have to applaud the developers for taking a few chances with this title and for refining it into an enjoyable experience.

The clear and colourful graphics are a standout, as is the soundtrack. This game is so polished but not to the point where the playability was ignored. Gameplay is still very much a part of the experience.

When the screen flicks you can end up hitting an enemy, depleting your precious supply of energy.

This game is so polished but not to the point where the playability was ignored.