<s>
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
arcade	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Alpha	O
Denshi	O
and	O
originally	O
published	O
by	O
SNK	O
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
launch	O
titles	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
MVS	I-Application
(	O
arcade	O
)	O
and	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
(	O
home	O
)	O
platforms	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
of	O
also	O
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
pack-in	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
AES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
it	O
was	O
initially	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
MVS	I-Application
,	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
both	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
and	O
Neo	B-Device
Geo	I-Device
CD	I-Device
in	O
1991	O
and	O
1994	O
respectively	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
re-released	O
on	O
compilations	O
and	O
through	O
download	O
services	O
for	O
various	O
consoles	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
ways	O
to	O
play	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
,	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
received	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
colorful	O
and	O
detailed	O
graphics	O
,	O
sound	O
department	O
,	O
gameplay	O
and	O
for	O
being	O
a	O
showcase	O
of	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
,	O
though	O
critics	O
felt	O
divided	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
the	O
difficulty	O
and	O
was	O
considered	O
a	O
financial	O
flop	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
positive	O
reception	O
it	O
garnered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Ghouls	B-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
Ghosts	I-Application
and	O
Rastan	B-Device
where	O
the	O
player	O
takes	O
control	O
of	O
Elta	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
protagonist	O
,	O
through	O
eight	O
stages	O
of	O
varying	O
themes	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Cadacis	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
recover	O
eight	O
mystical	O
books	O
that	O
were	O
stolen	O
by	O
Gal	O
Agiese	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
antagonists	O
by	O
defeating	O
his	O
servants	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
creations	O
that	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
boss	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
to	O
progress	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
unless	O
the	O
player	O
inserts	O
more	O
credits	O
into	O
the	O
arcade	O
machine	O
to	O
continue	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Poseidon	B-Application
:	O
A	O
more	O
powerful	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Waterman	O
form	O
,	O
Poseidon	B-Application
can	O
shoot	O
powerful	O
waves	O
of	O
water	O
that	O
travel	O
along	O
the	O
ground	O
for	O
several	O
hits	O
but	O
this	O
form	O
moves	O
very	O
slowly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shinobi	B-Application
:	O
In	O
this	O
form	O
,	O
Elta	O
becomes	O
a	O
Shinobi	B-Application
,	O
gaining	O
an	O
increase	O
in	O
agility	O
and	O
attacks	O
with	O
powerful	O
magical	O
arcs	O
of	O
fire	O
,	O
covering	O
a	O
wide	O
area	O
but	O
are	O
slow-moving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samurai	B-Application
:	O
Though	O
limited	O
in	O
range	O
,	O
the	O
Samurai	B-Application
is	O
the	O
only	O
form	O
that	O
allows	O
Elta	O
to	O
attack	O
through	O
walls	O
,	O
shields	O
or	O
multiple	O
enemies	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
boomerang-styled	O
attack	O
that	O
deals	O
heavy	O
damage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
upon	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
peaceful	O
and	O
prosperous	O
land	O
of	O
Cadacis	O
and	O
its	O
people	O
were	O
almost	O
at	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
extermination	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
sudden	O
emergence	O
of	O
a	O
sorcerer	O
named	O
Gal	O
Agiese	O
,	O
whose	O
evil	O
power	O
brought	O
a	O
legion	O
of	O
monsters	B-Application
to	O
invade	O
upon	O
the	O
land	O
and	O
seeking	O
to	O
resurrect	O
Az	O
Atorse	O
,	O
a	O
demonic	O
god	O
of	O
destruction	O
,	O
to	O
conquer	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Cadacis	O
and	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
all	O
hope	O
seemed	O
to	O
be	O
completely	O
lost	O
as	O
the	O
demons	B-Operating_System
were	O
about	O
to	O
take	O
control	O
completely	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
magician	O
capable	O
of	O
many	O
feats	O
appeared	O
and	O
fought	O
against	O
the	O
unleashed	O
beasts	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
sealing	O
both	O
Gal	O
and	O
Az	O
away	O
into	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
eight	O
magical	O
tomes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
young	O
magician	O
later	O
became	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
"	O
after	O
saving	O
the	O
world	O
from	O
evil	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
years	O
went	O
on	O
with	O
peace	O
reigning	O
supreme	O
on	O
Cadacis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elta	O
,	O
the	O
last	O
descendant	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
"	O
,	O
goes	O
on	O
a	O
journey	O
to	O
retrieve	O
the	O
eight	O
magical	O
tomes	O
from	O
Gal	O
and	O
his	O
henchmen	O
,	O
before	O
Az	O
is	O
completely	O
resurrected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
defeating	O
the	O
demonic	O
henchmen	O
,	O
Elta	O
arrives	O
at	O
the	O
tower	O
where	O
Gal	O
Agiese	O
resides	O
,	O
who	O
managed	O
to	O
summon	O
Az	O
Atorse	O
before	O
being	O
sealed	O
once	O
again	O
by	O
Elta	O
and	O
after	O
defeating	O
and	O
sealing	O
the	O
god	O
of	O
destruction	O
,	O
peace	O
returns	O
to	O
Cadacis	O
once	O
again	O
and	O
the	O
legend	O
of	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
"	O
is	O
reborn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
and	O
planning	O
of	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
started	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
quarter	O
of	O
1989	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
before	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
and	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
title	O
developed	O
by	O
Alpha	O
Denshi	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
platform	O
and	O
featured	O
graphical	O
effects	O
such	O
as	O
zooming	O
and	O
rotation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
launched	O
for	O
arcades	O
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
during	O
the	O
same	O
period	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
,	O
when	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
originally	O
a	O
rental-only	O
system	O
for	O
video	O
game	O
stores	O
and	O
hotels	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
later	O
reversed	O
due	O
to	O
high	O
demand	O
and	O
price	O
,	O
coming	O
into	O
the	O
market	O
as	O
a	O
luxury	O
console	B-Device
on	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
games	O
that	O
were	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
,	O
there	O
are	O
several	O
differences	O
between	O
the	O
MVS	O
and	O
AES	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
increase	O
of	O
hit	O
points	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
an	O
introductory	O
sequence	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
changes	O
,	O
while	O
later	O
reprints	O
of	O
the	O
AES	O
version	O
included	O
the	O
original	O
MVS	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Device
Geo	I-Device
CD	I-Device
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
1994	O
,	O
featuring	O
a	O
CD-quality	O
soundtrack	O
and	O
other	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
received	O
multiple	O
re-releases	O
in	O
recent	O
years	O
on	O
various	O
digital	O
distribution	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
1	O
compilation	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Wii	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
was	O
also	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
20	O
pre-loaded	O
games	O
included	O
on	O
the	O
Neo	B-Architecture
Geo	I-Architecture
X	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
recently	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
international	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
mini	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
unofficial	O
tech	O
demo	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RePlay	O
reported	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
to	O
be	O
the	O
tenth	O
most-popular	O
arcade	O
game	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
Famicom	O
Tsūshin	O
scored	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
average	O
rating	O
of	O
18	O
out	O
of	O
40	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
gave	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
version	O
ratings	O
of	O
5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
in	O
all	O
five	O
categories	O
of	O
Graphics	O
,	O
Sound	O
,	O
Gameplay	O
,	O
Fun	O
Factor	O
and	O
Challenge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
consider	O
this	O
the	O
best	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
for	O
the	O
system.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GameFans	O
four	O
reviewers	O
scored	O
it	O
99%	O
,	O
91%	O
,	O
92%	O
,	O
and	O
95%	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
ever	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
the	O
king	O
of	O
action/platform	O
games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jason	O
Weitzner	O
of	O
GameFan	O
also	O
gave	O
a	O
positive	O
outlook	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
their	O
June	O
1999	O
issue	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
graphics	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
still	O
remains	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
2D	O
games	O
ever	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reception	O
since	O
its	O
initial	O
release	O
in	O
arcades	O
and	O
later	O
on	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
gave	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
release	O
of	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
a	O
rating	O
of	O
6.5	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Fans	O
of	O
Capcom	O
's	O
Ghouls	B-Application
'	I-Application
N	I-Application
Ghosts	I-Application
series	O
and	O
the	O
old-school	O
,	O
linear	O
Castlevania	O
adventures	O
would	O
probably	O
be	O
the	O
closest	O
candidates	O
to	O
becoming	O
appreciative	O
players	O
of	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
Life	O
gave	O
it	O
7	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
concluding	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
is	O
still	O
a	O
classic	O
game	O
and	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
people	O
still	O
regard	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
decent	O
platform	O
romp	O
speaks	O
volumes	O
for	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
this	O
appealing	O
title	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
HobbyConsolas	O
identified	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
twenty	O
best	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Likewise	O
,	O
Time	O
Extension	O
also	O
listed	O
it	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
was	O
supposedly	O
in	O
development	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
system	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
eventually	O
moved	O
to	O
the	O
Neo	B-Device
Geo	I-Device
CD	I-Device
as	O
a	O
non-linear	O
,	O
free	O
exploration	O
platform	O
game	O
,	O
serving	O
the	O
same	O
purpose	O
as	O
Crossed	O
Swords	O
II	O
did	O
when	O
it	O
came	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
cancelled	O
during	O
development	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Crystalis	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gal	O
Agiese	O
and	O
Az	O
Atorse	O
have	O
been	O
defeated	O
,	O
and	O
sealed	O
away	O
by	O
the	O
powers	O
of	O
Elta	O
,	O
who	O
became	O
the	O
newly-proclaimed	O
"	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
then	O
carried	O
over	O
toward	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
in	O
1998	O
,	O
simply	O
known	O
as	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
an	O
alpha	O
test	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
was	O
ever	O
produced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
offered	O
more	O
transformations	O
than	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
played	O
very	O
similarly	O
to	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
Metroid	B-Device
and	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Symphony	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Night	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
difference	O
being	O
the	O
ability	O
of	O
the	O
Magician	B-Application
Lord	I-Application
to	O
transform	O
at	O
will	O
.	O
</s>
