Actraiser Renaissance

User Rating

7.3/10 (46 ratings)

Release Date

23rd Sep 2021

No. of Players

1 (Single Player)

Genre

Action, Strategy

Publisher

Square Enix

Developer

Sonic Powered

Content Rating

PEGI/7

More Information

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Actraiser Renaissance combines 2D platforming action (Realm Acts) with a City-building simulation (Realm Management) in the ultimate battle between good and evil!

Featuring the soundtrack that sent shockwaves through the gaming world when it was first released, composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro - now remastered!

Help humanity flourish by playing as the Lord of Light and their loyal angel in a world beset by evil.

NEW FEATURES

Remastered 2D graphics present the game in beautiful HD
5 new music tracks, as well as re-arranged original tracks by Actraiser composer Yuzo Koshiro!
New stories, expanded action and realm management gameplay, additional action stages, an all-new realm, and new more powerful bosses!
Auto-save and difficulty levels

GAME SYSTEM

Realm Acts: Strategically cast powerful fire, ice, and other magic in these 2D action stages. Humans return to reclaim the realm after you conquer these stages, allowing you to begin cultivating your settlements.

New magic that was not available in the original game has been added along with the ability to dodge. Players can also attack with upward and downward motions for a more dynamic action experience. You will need every new trick in your arsenal to defeat stronger bosses at the end of the new action stages.

Realm Management: Help humanity flourish by cultivating your settlements and offering guidance. Use your miraculous powers to summon lightning and trigger earthquakes to remove obstacles such as trees and boulders that impede the growth of your chosen. Play as the Lord of Light's angel and use your mighty bow and arrows to drive back the evil monsters that prey on your people.

Protect your settlements from enemy raids in real-time strategic battles. The placement of your forts and timing of your miracles is key to achieving victory in these engagements.

Experience all-new tales of humanity's struggles to overcome their flaws and failings as they learn to love one another and together grow stronger. Altogether, these new scenarios amount to more than twice the story present in the original. Explore the vast new realm and enjoy building your settlements for longer than ever before!

MUSIC

The original Actraiser composer, Yuzo Koshiro, has re-arranged all of the iconic original tracks and added 15 new tracks as well. Players can listen to the original music or switch to the re-arranged versions while playing the game. Tired from protecting and raising your villagers? Then just sit back, relax, and enjoy the tunes.

Mon 27th Sep 2021

Nintendo Life said:

While the updated graphical style and jerky scrolling don't make a great first impression and there may be some who feel the 'Tower Defence' sections are given too much screen time, Actraiser Renaissance is ultimately a successful attempt at updating a solid-gold classic from yesteryear. Rarely are two totally different gameplay styles fused this effectively, and the enhancements introduced by developer Sonic Powered really do improve things; combat in the action sections is more fun, while the 'God Sim' portions of the game are lent increased depth thanks to thoughtful gameplay upgrades. To cap it all off, Yuzo Koshiro's music – available in both its SNES and rearranged forms – is masterful. While it's not perfect, Actraiser Renaissance will nonetheless find favour with fans of the original, as well as pick up plenty of new fans along the way.

Read Full Review

8/10

Mon 10th Mar 2025

JJtheTexan said:

I love the original ActRaiser for SNES. ActRaiser: Renaissance is not exactly a remake of the 16-bit classic, but more of a re-imagining. It follows the same basic structure and has many shared elements, but the overall presentation is somewhat different.
The original ActRaiser is a unique blend of "god game," city manager, and 2D hack-and-slash action platformer. Renaissance adds quite a bit in terms of story, plus numerous "tower defense" portions in the various cities.
If you've never played the SNES game, this is a pretty decent take on that brilliant formula. Fortunately, it preserves Yuzo Koshiro's smashing soundtrack, and the legendary composer has produced all-new arrangements for this release. (You can still enjoy the original SNES music as well, if you like.)
I played for about 18 hours and completed the main campaign. I have a lot of gripes, like the excessive hand-holding and the all-too-frequent tower defense battles. If more content was desired, I would have preferred more Acts (action battle sections).
Honestly, I think the SNES game is the better version of the two, but Renaissance is still a very good game and worth your time.

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