Waiter, there's a sim in my side-scrolling platformer!

So much for Square-Enix's boycott of the Virtual Console. Who knows for sure why the gaming behemoth decided to flip-flop on VC support, but thank goodness they did, otherwise Wii owners wouldn't be treated to a brilliantly-creative SNES game like ActRaiser. It's also the only videogame out there that's part side-scroller, part God sim.

Besides the Dragon Quest games, 90s-era-Enix was hailed for producing a series of loosely-tied adventure games for the SNES. ActRaiser was the first of those games, followed by Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia, and ending with the Japan-only Terranigma. Each title's main quest was different, but shared religious themes and characters, employed similar gameplay styles and even contained some of the same sound effects.

ActRaiser is the only game in Enix's adventure series to contain platforming stages in which you must battle through enemy hordes with your sword and magic spells until you reach the boss. Once the boss is extinguished, the game switches to a Sim City-esque mode where you must build a town while protecting its inhabitants from monsters until they can seal the monster lairs scattered throughout the map. Once your town is complete, you must battle through another platforming stage and defeat a second boss before your hero can move onto the next area.

The graphics in ActRaiser's side-scrolling stages are amazing considering the game is 17  
years-old. Equally extraordinary is the vibrant orchestral soundtrack which, particularly at North Wall and during the closing credits, is incredibly reminiscent of Star Wars. The town-building stages aren't as artistically impressive, but nonetheless offer a unique God sim where you guide The Master's angel as you construct bustling utopias while simultaneously defending them from monsters with your bow and arrow.

The whiny townsfolk will consistently pester you to solve their problems for them as well as use elements such as lightning and rain to make their land more hospitable. As your town grows, your people will reward you with offerings in the form of items and spells that can be used by The Master in the side-scrolling stages. Your total town population also acts as experience points and, as such, every time it surpasses a certain amount, both The Master and the angel will gain a level.

If I had one complaint about ActRaiser, it would be that it ends just when you're getting the hang of it. Even if it's only a Super NES title, 6.5 hours is way too short for an Enix game. The controls also get a little stiff during jumping parts in some of the platforming stages. Ok, so that's two complaints. Still, the Virtual Console was created for games like ActRaiser; Underappreciated gems that vanished off store shelves before most gamers had a chance to experience their awesomeness. Whether you're looking for a side-scrolling platformer or a sim for the Virtual Console, go get yourself 800 Wii Points and download this game.