If Madou Ou Granzort or "Magic King Granzort" (which is what it's actually called and what it can be interpreted as when romanized, but it's actual kanji combination strangely does not reflect this, more on this later) looks or reminds you of "Keith Courage in Alpha Zones", then don't be too surprised, as this game shares quite a bit in common with it, conceptually-speaking, though this game doesn't play much like it. Keith Courage was a modified version of "Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru", which was a game based on a popular anime of the same name (the anime was made back in 1988). Directed by Shuuji Iuchi and created by Sunrise, the series went on to spawn three TV series, several video games and OVAs, a few novels, and other associated merchandise. However, it also inspired Bandai to make a franchise along with Sunrise and the help of Shuuji that was quite similar to Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru one year later: Madou Ou Granzort.

Sharing a similar theme revolving around science fiction and fantasy, a mostly young cast of characters who operate super robots within a multi-tiered world, and even a pun (and also sort of pseudonym or logical fallacy) hidden within its naming convention where the characters used to represent the first two kanji in MOG mean "Demon" and "Confusion", but are romanized as "Madou" meaning "Magic" (similarly to how the first two kanji for MEW mean "Demon" and "God" but are romanized as "Mashin" which can be interpreted as "Machine"), it is often considered a spin-off of Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru. With all that information, it's also easy to see how one can come to the conclusion that this game is a sequel to Keith Courage / MEW, but it's only a spiritual sequel if anything.

Anyhoo, this is also the last respective exclusive we're uploading for the SuperGrafx, and I'd describe it as another decent (if not mediocre) anime-licensed action game that hardly takes advantage of the hardware and is way too easy, and could've done the franchise a little more justice. The game starts up with not even so much as one line of dialogue or backstory, and games based on an anime license usually don't hesitate to show off its characters or universe or have a cool intro. Granzort is different though; it just starts and comes off as very generic. If you knew nothing about what the game is based on, you still wouldn't really know after playing this.

The general story is very straightforward. Playing as the Magic Machine Kings, you are on the moon (which has adapted an atmosphere suitable for sustaining human life) to help protect the Long-Ears (descended from rabbits) and save the land of Rabiluna from the evil Jadou Clan. The gameplay is rather straightforward. You get to control the three prominent Magic Machines piloted by the three main Magic Warriors, who can be switched at will. The first is "Granzort the Magic King of Earth, Fire, and Light", piloted by Daichi. It uses sweeping slashes with a flaming sword (capable of destroying some projectiles), and can also use magic to cause powerful tremors, which damages most enemies or objects on screen. The second is "Winzort the Magic King of Wind", piloted by Gus. It uses a bow that can aim in multiple directions and can use magic to ascend or float briefly. The last is "Aquabeat the Magic King of Water", piloted by Rabi. This robot has greater range than Granzort with its melee attacks and can surround itself with a magic barrier, which can deflect several attacks and deal high damage at close range. All robots can also jump on foes.

Enemies are basically your run-of-the mill adversaries who vary in speed, intelligence, and combat ability. You'll often come across rabbit-mechs that offer power-ups when defeated. While you die in one hit under ordinary circumstances, you can also get silver and gold barriers to make you tougher to beat and withstand a blow. Levels vary in their design but are generally labyrinthine in nature, and the game has way too many one-ups. It features good audio/visuals with some cool parallax scrolling here and there. This is a video of it in action. Enjoy.

Basic Format: SuperGrafx HuCard

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