8-bit Greek Mythology Greatness
The Battle of Olympus is an awesome 8-bit action adventure RPG in the vein of Zelda II set in Ancient Greece. This is probably the best action RPG for the NES. The basic plot is you Orpheus have to rescue your girl Helene and her awesome cans from the grips of Hades. The story, characters, items and locations are taken from classic greek mythology. You will meet the Mount Olympus regulars throughout this game like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Apollo, Ares (God Of War), Pegasus and the rest of the Olympus B-squad.
The graphics and sounds are great for their day and as good or better than Zelda II. I wonder if the publisher reverse engineered Zelda II to make this game because the graphics are so close in style it's uncanny. The MIDI soundtrack is totally rocking. The controls are very tight and react perfectly, your character is not to floaty or to heavy feeling. The plot of the game is a good story that makes sense and is easy to follow. The game also offers enough difficulty to make the play challenging but not frustrating for most players after the initial 30 minute learning curve.
There are over twenty items/weapons, over twenty enemy types, over twenty bosses and min-bosses and many locations in the game. This large variety makes for a up tempo action RPG.
Fans of God of War will love this game. Forget Pit, Orpheus was the champion of 8-bit Ancient Greece. Battle of Olympus survives the test of time and is still a fun game today decades later, making it a true jem of teh 8-bit NES era.