experience with 3D camera programming, polygonal modeling, or the Sega Saturn. Programming the adjustable camera alone took six months, and getting the game to run at a decent speed proved difficult. Despite this, director Kan Naito felt that the decision to create the game for the Saturn rather than the PlayStation proved to be the right one: "The PlayStation may be better at managing polygons, but you can't write in assembler, you can only use C and we just don't know if Dark Saviour could be done in C. The PlayStation's polygons become easily distorted, too - especially when big polygons come close to the camera." Lacking the Silicon Graphics workstations employed by big developers, Climax had to program the game using a little-known 3D software package called Cyclone and their own custom software tools, apart from the two full motion video (FMV) sequences, which were designed in Softimage 3D by freelance artist Masayuki Hasegawa (who had previously designed the FMVs for Clockwork Knight). With the game's development already running past its original release date of May 1996, Climax employed freelance graphic designers, composers, and scenario writers in order to get the game done in a more timely manner. Reception Dark Savior received generally positive reviews. Comments on the game varied widely, though the most common subject of praise was the large, graphically impressive polygonal environments. The fighting game segments were somewhat controversial; while Computer and Video Games, Ultra Game Players, Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine commented that the inclusion of a fighting game component is unique for an adventure game and works well, GamePro, Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot, and Smith's co-reviewers Dan Hsu, Crispin Boyer, and Sushi-X all remarked that while the ability to fight with captured enemies is an interesting novelty, the actual fighting is rudimentary and lackluster, with each character having only two basic attacks and one special attack, and Mean Machines Sega felt that the restriction of battles to a separate gameplay mode makes the platforming mode "seem empty and lifeless." GamePro found the game too easy in general and judged the story to be simplistic and overly linear, but concluded that the variety of gameplay styles make Dark Savior "a good buy for novices". The reviewer also said the multiple endings give the game high replay value. Gerstmann commented on its "monotonous" platforming sections and unique combat