The Curse of Issyos

Back in the arcade days, video games were designed to be challenging and colorful, with very little regard to things such as character development or realistic physics. The gameplay was usually designed to be both enjoyable and demanding, in the sense that you had limited lives and no save function to continue from where you left off a few days ago.

The Curse of Issyos is an action-platformer inspired by the Greek mythology, in which you play as a fisherman trying to save his daughter from danger. The game looks and plays like something that might have been released three decades ago, but that's obviously by design. In short, your goal is to go from left to right and defeat any enemy trying to stop you, while picking up a variety of weapons and bonuses along the way.

The plot is not groundbreaking, but as mentioned before, it doesn’t need to be. Hence, you play the role of a fisherman by the name of Defkalion, who one day hears the voice of Athena telling him to rush home, because the isle of Issyos has been cursed by the Olympus. In order to save your daughter, you must fight your way through a horde of powerful monsters, including many mythological creatures.

Although you start with a mere short sword as your only weapon, more can be picked up along the way. Some of them allow you to increase your range, while others just strike harder at the enemy. However, most won’t make a difference against powerful bosses, mainly because they have a lot of hit points, not to mention their destructive special moves. Still, you can quickly pick up on their attack pattern, which makes it easier to avoid their blows.

As mentioned before, the game is designed to look and feel old, which is mostly visible when it comes to graphics and sound. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean it looks bad. In fact, it looks quite nice, especially if you are a fan of the retro style. The soundtrack goes well with the action on the screen as well, and the control scheme is both simple and responsive at the same time.

In the end, The Curse of Issyos is quite the challenging experience, even more so if you are a newcomer to the genre. However, if you know what you are getting into and do not mind the many game over screens you’ll see, this is a very polished platformer to add to your library.