If you're one of those gamers who likes to follow the old school releases coming from Retro-Bit Publishing, then today was a big day. That's because the company just announced their next two games, both of which are available for pre-order right now. In case you haven't heard, we're getting a pair of Genesis games from famed developer Wolfteam. This includes both the space shoot ‘em up Sol-Deace and the cinematic action/platformer El Viento. On top of both games coming to Europe for the first time ever, they also offer some cool extras, including a dual-sided poster for Sol-Deace and a reversible cover allowing you to choose between the American and Japanese artwork.

That's genuinely pretty cool, but the question remains: Are either of these two games worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Mega Play, GamePro and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So, make like the wind and get ready for excitement, because it's time for an explosive episode of the Retro-Bit Review Crew.


The first game we're going to talk about today is Sol-Deace, which is not to be confused with Sol-Feace. Actually, go ahead and confuse them, because they are the same game, only that Sol-Deace is on the Genesis and Sol-Feace is on the Sega CD. Aside from the soundtrack and ending cinema, the two games are practically identical. When it comes to Retro-Bit, they are releasing the cartridge-based version, which apparently only came out in North America. When we covered this in our Game Over series, pretty much everybody agreed that Sol-Deace had the better ending. Let's take a look at what critics said about both Deace and Feace.

When it comes to GamePro, they ended up liking both the Genesis and Sega CD versions of the game. Giving Sol-Deace a 4 out of 5, critic Boss Music boldly claimed that “Renovation's latest shooter will be a contender when the 1992 shoot ‘em up awards roll around. Don't think twice about selling your soul to Sol-Deace.” Nine months later, GamePro gave Sol-Feace a slightly higher score of 4.5 out of 5, though seemed to like it less: “This game falls on its Feace with limited power-up weaponry and fewer levels than you'd expect from a CD game. However, this game is still good for your soul.”

The editors over at Mega Play weren't quite as sold on the Genesis port of the game, with some critics loving it and others coming away unimpressed. Mike said that “if you're looking for a tough shooter, this is the one. While not containing anything revolutionary, Sol-Deace is just a solid version of the tried and true blast anything that moves. A good challenge.” Bart agreed: “As shooters go, this one is very intense and offers a decent challenge. The graphics are not spectacular, but the bosses are very cool.” Mega Play gave Sol-Deace an average of 7 out of 10.

That's slightly lower than where most of the critics were at the time. Sega Visions went as low as 75% for Sol-Deace, Computer + Video Games went as high as 89% and MegaTech split the difference at 80%. And then there's Sega Pro, who called it a “superb shoot ‘em up, but lacks levels considering the high asking price.” They praised the graphics, sound and inventive bosses, all of which added up to a proscore of 84%. This is around where I would rank it, so I'm definitely excited to get my copy of Sol-Deace from Retro-Bit.

Long before there was Uncharted and even Tomb Raider, there was the Earnest Evans trilogy, a series of 16-bit games developed by Wolfteam that were inspired by the types of adventures Indiana Jones would often go on. The first game in that series was El Viento on the Genesis, a side-scrolling action game starring a young sorceress from the mountains of Peru named Annet, who is on an adventure to stop a bunch of mobsters and an underworld kingpin from using the Empire State Building to resurrect an ancient demon. Yeah, this game is kind of nutty, which is why it has become a cult classic amongst those in the know. It's a fun blend of platforming action and cinematic storytelling, and is the perfect way to introduce the world to the Earnest Evans trilogy. Let's see what the critics said back in the 1990s.

We're going to start with Electronic Gaming Monthly's Sega-themed off-shoot, Mega Play, which gave El Viento an average score of 8.75 out of 10. This was a big hit with the critics, with Bart gushing that “killer explosions and awesome graphics set this action cart above the rest. The gameplay is absolutely the best on the Genesis, filled with tons of techniques and interesting power-ups.” G.O.G. also loved the game: “Renovation does it again, bringing you another great game with 8 meg power. This cart has gameplay that is rarely seen in Sega games.”

Electronic Gaming Monthly also enjoyed El Viento, but not quite as much as their sister magazine. Steve noted that “El Viento has got one of the greatest combinations of hot graphics and play action I've seen in some time. While the theme is straight side-scrolling, the action is presented with smooth animations, plenty of risk incentives and more than enough challenge. A winner in my book.” It was also a winner in Ed's book: “They've done it again! Renovation will never quit making good carts, will they? El Viento has similar tie-ins with a Power Blade-style of combat and a backdrop, filled with alien factions and awesome cinema displays. Great graphics and incredible play make this a winner!” EGM gave El Viento an average of 7.75 out of 10.

This is the general range you saw a lot of the scores land, with MegaTech giving it an 80%, the exact same score we saw from Mean Machine Sega. Of the UK-based magazines, Sega Pro was the one who gave it the highest score, an 89%. “El Viento means ‘the wind,' and your Mega Drive will be hit by a whirlwind of blasting action. Huge levels with some neat graphics and sonics. Very addictive and playable.”

Believe it or not, the worst review came from Entertainment Weekly, who gave El Viento a shocking (and I mean SHOCKING) D- grade. After mocking the game's setup, EW concluded that “If El Viento's jump-and-shoot gameplay were half as inventive as its made-in-Japan plot, it might be worth 70 bucks. As it is, though, only the game's amusing historical anachronisms – like denim-clad blond bikers wielding scimitars – save it from rating as a total failure.”

Okay, now that we're done with that craziness, let's finish out this episode with GamePro, who gave El Viento the highest marks – a perfect 5 out of 5 score. “Just like the wind, this game moves fast! Annet is very easy to control, but this is NOT a cart that you'll breeze through in one sitting. You're limited to three continues and the upper levels become positively spastic! If you're hyped for a thumb-bustin' action game, give El Viento a spin. You just may be blown away!” And I agree, El Viento is great. Forget that crazy EW review, because everybody else loved it. And you know what, it holds up, too. I've been playing a lot of it this week and it's still great. So, go and reserve your copy of El Viento from Retro-Bit right now.