Sigma Star Saga is one of the best, most intriguing Game Boy Advance games to come around in a long time. I've thought of what would happen if someone took popular game genres and turned them into RPGs. Who hasn't dreamt of the day when Tekken, Soul Calibur or some other great fighting game would get the proper RPG treatment? Dreams like these stay dreams when publishers look at the viability of trying new things (it's anything but a sure thing).

Knowing how popular fighting games are, if a fighter/RPG wasn't going to be made, there's no chance we'd see a smaller genre get the role-playing fix.

Wrong.

Separated by two kinds of gameplay, spaceship (aerial) combat and character-based exploration, Sigma Star Saga offers two entirely different styles of gameplay. Think of the human-oriented stuff as being a traditional, isometric RPG. If necessary you do have the ability to defend yourself. Attacks are limited and not all that fun, but it sure beats death. Ground battles are second to the importance of searching for the right person to talk to, scouring for secrets, and doing whatever it takes to advance the story.

Sigma Star Saga is an unusual game with an unusual story. It seems timid at first – all too typical. Before long the plot takes a twist, surprises are revealed, and things are no longer what they seem. A story like that is impressive on a console game, but on the GBA it's like gold. An original tale told entirely on the small screen is not something we're used to getting.

The game is doubly interesting by being an RPG with gameplay that's better than the story that's being told. Every battle is controlled in space, in a cave, and in any other location big enough for a spaceship to fly through. The real-time, dodge-and-shoot-heavy combat is taken right out of R-Type, not Final Fantasy. It'll come as a surprise to many who believed this was a straight RPG, but anyone who enters will be satisfied with the new formula, craving more from what could be done with sequels and others that apply similar gameplay mechanics.

The first aerial battle is really tough. The developers must be expecting a hardcore crowd, otherwise they wouldn't have kicked the tar out of us so quickly. There's a learning curve with a little pain and frustration involved, and when you know the ropes you won't leave the frustration behind.

Battle levels are rough but have a straightforward path, while the exploration/story development portion of the game has multiple paths. Most lead down the same road, but it's nice to be able to run around and talk to the locals when they have something interesting to say. Their dialog isn't always on par with the main storyline, having brief comments that are repeated each time you strike up a conversation (not surprising, all RPGs do that).

The developers have compared Sigma Star Saga to R-Type and Radius. Its battles aren't as intense; you don't have as many enemies to shoot or as many bullets to weave in and out of. You will, however, encounter giant laser beams that can take down your ship with one hit. It'll regenerate itself if the life bar hasn't been completely drained, but with all the things you have to avoid (like kamikaze attacks), no chance is worth taking. Extra lives have been replaced with a life bar that takes a hit every time your ship does. Precise actions are needed to get through unscathed, like an aerial puzzle that must be solved immediately.

Ship controls are highly responsive; ground controls are slow and somewhat stiff. In the air nothing holds you back. Multiple weapons are available, along with a meaty combination of power-ups that can turn your ship into a flying arsenal that can't wait to unload its ammunition. The items are referred to as Gun Data, but to make the process more clear the developers compared it to Final Fantasy VII's Materia system. It's not exact, which they pointed out, but the idea of equipping items together to increase their power or to create something new – that's the idea gamers are familiar with.

Outside of the story sequences, the exploration portion of the game is just plain boring. When I fell in love with RPGs several years ago I didn't mind all the walking and all the lame discussions I'd have with stale NPCs (non-playable characters). I'm not as patient now. I want to get to the good stuff and leave the rest behind. Besides, the character controls are slow. It's extremely difficult to go from an exciting space battle to something like [enter boring RPG moment here].

When it comes down to it this is another story of a game with two conceptually great pieces. If one doesn't work the other has to carry all the weight, and at times that's a bit much for Sigma Star Saga to bear.

Gameplay: 7.5
A mixture of good vs. evil. There are great moments when you fight passionately to get through a stream of tricky opponents, dodging what you can, but never too many. Otherwise your ship won’t advance, and your personal skills will not increase. When you get through all that and you make it to a boss, defeat the ugly monster and come out victorious – that’s a great moment. An R-Type moment. A Galaga moment. A Sigma Star Saga moment.

Then you land on a planet or in a space station. I hate to say this, but a part of me wishes I could just play the shooter battles and leave the rest behind. That defeats the purpose of the game (an RPG/space shooter combo), but I’m not excited when the ship lands. “Time to go talk to someone,” I say to myself. Five minutes later, “Yeah, a space battle!” Rewind and play, rewind and play.

Graphics: 7.9
Not the flashiest space shooter or the flashiest RPG, but there are some solid images here that will appeal to anyone who has a taste for 16-bit graphics. The deformed characters add to the visual fun (if you like that sort of thing).

Sound: 7.1
The overly loud laser beams drown out the music, which was well composed but somewhat repetitive.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Almost a case of too much too soon. Sigma Star Saga begins in the skies, taking players through a series of ultra-tough shooter challenges that are easier to avoid than they are to fight head-on. There’s a cooling-off period shortly after that, but overall this is one of the most challenging games designed for the Game Boy Advance.

Concept: 9.0
Sigma Star Saga is the first Game Boy Advance game to explore the possibilities of an R-Type-style space shooter set in an RPG universe. Great idea, great features, imperfect results. When the story got too long I wanted to battle. When the battles got too long I wanted more of the story.

Overall: 7.4
I was really surprised by some of the events that take place. It’s akin to Square’s best work, though there aren’t as many characters to latch onto and fall in love with.

Sigma Star Saga is worth the time it takes to play through it once you understand that it’s not all shooter fun. RPG enthusiasts expecting Final Fantasy or Golden Sun – move onto something else. Space shooter fans wanting non-stop visceral action – get in line with the role players. Sigma Star Saga is a niche property with a niche audience in mind. Gamers who want something other than the turn-based level up system. Gamers who want a shooter with a mission more interesting than “Save the world!” That’s who Sigma Star Saga was designed for.