El Viento

El Viento (エル・ヴィエント, Eru Viento, from Spanish meaning "The Wind") is a platform game developed and published by Wolf Team for the Sega Genesis game console in 1991. It is the first in a trilogy of games, which includes Earnest Evans and Anett Futatabi.[2]

For other uses, see El Viento (disambiguation).
El Viento
Cover art for the Japanese version
Developer(s)Wolf Team
Publisher(s)
  • JP: Wolf Team
  • NA: Renovation Products
Director(s)Hiroyuki Kayano
Producer(s)Masaaki Uno
Programmer(s)Yukihiko Tani
Hiroshi Izumino
Artist(s)Kazutoshi Yamane
Writer(s)Chishio Otsuyama
Composer(s)Motoi Sakuraba
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release
Genre(s)Platform game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

El Viento is a platform game. The player has access to an endless supply of bladed boomerangs and eventually up to five spell attacks. Each level ends in a fight against a stage boss.[3]

Plot

The game shares the same fictional universe with Earnest Evans, and happens several years later. It also features many references to H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The game takes place in New York City during the late 1920s, when cult leader Henry, the gangster Al Capone (Vincente DeMarcoto in the American localization), and a sorceress named Restiana plot to awaken the ancient and malevolent god Hastur. There are some people that have descended from Hastur's ancient bloodline, one of which is the young Peruvian sorceress, Annet Myer. With some assistance from Earnest Evans, Annet attempts to stop the cult from resurrecting Hastur using the very spells of this bloodline.

Reception

El Viento was given mixed but mostly positive reviews, including being rated 93% by Joystick in France,[4] 66% by Super Play,[5] and 68% by Video Games[6] in Germany. Damian Butt from Sega Pro gave it a score of 89%: "With super fast graphics and brutal gameplay, El Viento will take your breath away."[3] On the other hand, Entertainment Weekly gave it a D-, opining that "only the game's amusing historical anachronisms-like denim-clad blond bikers wielding scimitars-save it from rating as a total failure."[7]

Retrospectively, Rodger Swan from Sega-16 gave this "great and challenging action game" an 8 out of 10 in spite of being at times "far too difficult," stating: "It may not have as pretty graphics or music as the Valis titles, but it has some really fast game play that gets players in the mood for action. This is a game that I encourage all action fans to pick up, and fans of Valis will appreciate the sense of speed!"[8] According to Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101, "overall, it's a bit of a sloppy game, with haphazard action and iffy level design, but the fast pace and overall craziness make this worth looking into, especially since it's one of Wolf Team's better titles."[2]

References
  1. "1991 Mega Drive software list". Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  2. Kalata, Kurt. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Earnest Evans Series". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  3. "Out-of-Print Archive • Mega Drive reviews • El Viento". Outofprintarchive.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  4. "El Viento article image" (JPG) (in French). Download.abandonware.org. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  5. "Die Powerplay und ASM Fan Site". Kultpower.de. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  6. "Video Games (1991-04)(Markt & Technik)(DE)". Archive.org. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  7. "El Viento | Digital Review | Entertainment Weekly". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  8. "Sega-16 – El Viento". Sega-16.com. 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
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