Battle of Olympus

Have you ever beaten this game?



When I was 13 I sold off my entire childhood toy collection from the 80's and the only thing besides a Sony Discman and some clothes that I bought was Battle of Olympus.  I've never even gotten halfway through it. 



After letting a living fortune of GI Joe's, Star Wars, He-Man, and Go-Bots get away.....the only way that I can ever have peace is to at least beat this crappy game.

Comments

  • I did a long time ago. Its a great game and when I started my NES collection back up again, it was one of the first 5 games I had to own. Its definitely a tough game.
  • I completed Battle of Olympus as well a long time ago, it is a great game but can be very difficult.

    There are some stages where you have to make some tricky jumps with creatures just ready to bounce you down a pit, while carrying a full load of olives to pay for something.... which of course get lost or halved when you die!
  • I got Battle of Olympus not too long ago CIB. It took me about two and a half days to beat it. It was a really, really good game. Fans of Zelda II should definitely grab a copy and play it if they haven't already. I really love the charm of the Greek mythology thrown in there, even if it doesn't completely line up with canon. By no means do I think it is crappy, but the game can be quite difficult. Like Zelda, you have to figure things out.  Such as [spoiler: Using a fire staff on the thorny vines in the middle of the wods of illusion or whatever it's called]. It's not too difficult at all, but you actually have to think a little bit. The most frustrating part in the the entire game; however, easily has to be the olives. The olives are the currency in the game, and when you die, you lose half of them. They're not hard to come by, but they're not exactly common either, and dying is very common. Your first playthrough you'll probably have to grind a little, but you'll develop techniques and trips for farming olives quickly. Another learning curve may be navigating. It's one of those games that you go through go through doors to go to the back of places and such, similar to Friday the 13th and Giligan's Island, only this one does it much better. The only time it's remotely confusing is whenever you're in the "darker forest"/forest of illusion (I can't remember the name right now), which is intentionally confusing anyway.



    If I recall correctly, you'll probably only have to grind olives about three times. You use them to buy necessary items from the gods, so that's why it's necessary. I believe the highest you have to attain is 70. It can be tough as you have to carry a large amount of olives in high-risk places. But that's what I like about the game. If you take it slow, you can usually figure it out. It has some "Castlevania moments" where being hit will bounce you off a ledge, though.



    My favorite thing about the game was the sense of adventure was really there. Also, the way the levels are laid out and the way you have to go about doing things, you really feel like you get things accomplished. Especially if you don't use a guide. I know that's how I felt. The satisfaction you get from progressing in this game is there. 



    It's like a harder version of Zelda II with a different setting with less overhead views (instead, you travel with a map). Another significant difference is that you don't level up; however, you get "powered up" by using certain items. There's an item that you can get to boost your health, your attack power comes solely from weapons, et cetera - that's how your character grows throughout the game. There's another differences, but they're not as significant. 



    I think I've rambled enough about it. I know you own the game, but I just wanted to share what I like about it and give small patches of descriptions for people that haven't played the game. I highly recommend it. Beating the game is very rewarding.
  • Fun game I beat it as well in about 2-3 days. I did look up a guide for the final nymph location because i was getting bored of wandering for hours with no progress. Some are a little cryptic. The thing i hated most about it was farming for olives. That aside a must play for zelda 2 fans!.
  • Thanks for the reviews.  I definitely don't think it's crappy, and shouldn't have said that.  I'm just frustrated that it's so difficult for me.  I'll hunker down and give it a go.  After all....it's been 21yrs.....


  • Good luck! It may be helpful to take a few notes before you get use to the navigation. Especially in the "forest of illusion" area. (I don't remember what it's actually called, as I said earlier). You get used to it, though.
  • The forest is certainly tough to navigate at first ... almost every door looks like every other door. The other area I found frustrating was the one with the buildings in the back ground. Stuff flying all around and all it takes is one tap in the air to bounce you straight into a death hole.

  • Originally posted by: Soera



    The forest is certainly tough to navigate at first ... almost every door looks like every other door. The other area I found frustrating was the one with the buildings in the back ground. Stuff flying all around and all it takes is one tap in the air to bounce you straight into a death hole.



    Yeah. And there's a spot nearby where you need to exchange olives for an item, too. So it can be nerve-wracking.
  • I think it's frustrating to not know where to go and it's difficult to hit the enemies. I don't have the patience for this type of game anymore. I would have loved it as a kid. Same with Willow.
  • I beat Battle of Olympus sometime in the early 1990s, and remember enjoying it. I think it was lengthy but not too difficult.



    It must have been 1992 or so, because IIRC, the game lets you name the hero AND the girl you're trying to save. I put in the name of a girl I had the hots for (and who had a fairly unusual name), and then totally forgot about it. When I got to the end of the game, I did a total spit-take when her name showed up!
  • I seriously gave this game a go a few weeks ago. I used a map occasionally, just to keep me from wandering too much. Like Sanna, I don't have time for that anymore.



    The physics are very much like Zelda 2. Unfortunately, the enemies' sizes/locations/hitboxes are not. In Zelda 2, the basic enemy is the slime (whatever it's called), and you can crouch and hit it. In Battle, it's these worms that you can only hit if they jump. It's a pretty weak example, obviously, but as far as I played the enemies were all rather cheap-shot-y.



    I adore Zelda 2, but I quit this one not too long after the woods of illusion. Just much too frustrating, and not enough fun.



    Good luck, though!
  • ^ For the slimes, you can step back a bit and use the fire staff. If the fire doesn't hit them as it goes down at and angle, it also slides forward a little bit. It only takes one hit with that to kill them. So whenever I'm in that area, I equip that fire staff and attack at a distance. You can also avoid them by just running forward constantly (though if you stop, at all, they may land on you, so you need some familiarity with the area); however, by doing that, you don't get as many olives.
  • I always enjoyed this game, but I couldn't get too too far when I was a kid. I busted it out again in the early 2000s, determined to finish it though, and I did. I had to use the aid of a walkthrough at points though, as some parts are quite difficult to figure out unless you stumble across the solution by accident. For instance, the snake pit you have to fall into in that one set of caves. Never would have figured that out on my own.



    Fantastic game overall IMO. It is challenging, but not overly so. You need a bit of patience and discipline, otherwise you will get destroyed in this game. It's a lot of fun though once you get a handle on it and start discovering things for yourself (with the occasional bit of help from the interwebs).




    Originally posted by: Nightowljrm



     You can also avoid them by just running forward constantly (though if you stop, at all, they may land on you, so you need some familiarity with the area); however, by doing that, you don't get as many olives.



    Yeah, and when you get the boots that let you walk upside-down on the ceiling, you can avoid them completely by walking on the top of the screen (provided the trees don't have a gap).



  • Originally posted by: Austin



    some parts are quite difficult to figure out unless you stumble across the solution by accident. For instance, the snake pit you have to fall into in that one set of caves. Never would have figured that out on my own.



    So true. I found the snake pit by accident - I got knocked into it. Glad I did, too! That's also a good spot for grinding olives once you get really good at the combat. I wouldn't suggest it for everyone.
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