The Western title of Ancient's Beyond Oasis, a sublime action-RPG. Elemental magic, polished exploration, one of the prettiest games on the console.
Your verdict
Category
Action RPG1 player7+
Description
Hero Thor battles demons to save the elementals in this Japanese version of Sega's Mega Drive action-RPG. Published by Sega, released in Japan in April 1994. Isometric action-RPG with Thor, elemental magic and demonic bosses in the Story of Thor universe.
Story of Thor, The - Hikari o Tsugumono review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The four summonable spirits each impose their own visual language: sprays of water, columns of flame, shards of ice, whirls of wind, covering the screen for the length of their intervention. Around them, palettes of sand and azure give the kingdom a Mediterranean light rare in the machine's catalogue.
The writing exploits the chip's low voices to set very present bass under airy melodies, an unusual balance that gives the themes a warm footing. The dungeon pieces work on hypnotic repetition, while the narrative scenes shift to held, stripped-back chords.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾1,7 MB📅22/04/1994
Published by Sega
Story of Thor, The - Hikari o Tsugumono (Mega Drive) price, value & rarity
The Story of Thor Hikari o Tsugumono is the original Japanese edition of the Ancient/Sega game, distributed by Sega in Japan with the Hikari o Tsugumono (The One Who Inherits the Light) subtitle. Its collector value comes from this extended Japanese naming and from the fact that the JP version is the Ancient/Koshiro original before the Western localization adjustments.
An underrated gem
The work of studio Ancient, this adventure bathed in warm colors offers sword combat of remarkable fluidity for its time, backed by four elemental spirits to summon. Released late and overshadowed by the genre's benchmarks, it never earned the success it deserved. A sleek action-RPG for anyone seeking a sun-drenched alternative to the run-of-the-mill 16-bit fare.
Is Story of Thor, The - Hikari o Tsugumono still worth playing in 2026?
An action RPG by Ancient and Sega, Beyond Oasis offers a mythological adventure in an oriental world with a fluid combat system and elemental spirits to summon. The sumptuous art direction, Yuzo Koshiro's soundtrack and the depth of the gameplay make this title an absolutely unmissable reference of action RPG on Mega Drive. For anyone fond of quality Zelda likes or wanting to discover one of the forgotten peaks of the Sega catalogue, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without any hesitation here indeed truly.
