Ragnarok

"Old School RPG"

Quick Ratings
Storyline: 6
Visual: 6
Audio: What Audio?
Gameplay: 10
Replay Value: 10

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Ragnarok is one of the many rogue-like RPGs out there for computers. For those unfamiliar with those, rogue-like RPGs are well known for heavy stat building, TONS of commands and skills, as well as a random map every time you start a new game.

--Storyline--
Basically, the evil gods of the world are plotting to destroy the good gods of the world. Your mission is to bring back enough ''help'' to ensure that the peaceful gods win the fight. Psychlonic's translation: cobbled up reason to go about stat building and playing real RPG style. In any case, I think the game might have been better WITHOUT the storyline.

Score: 6/10

--Visual--
OK, this game is old. The graphics are testimony to that also. At the top of your screen, you have a large ASCII style map in the traditional Rogue sense. At the bottom left, you have a ''zoomed in'' screen. This shows actual graphics which gives the score an extra point. There is also no animation, but I guess that's a good thing cause if these graphics had animation, they'd get a score of 1. While the graphics are certainly not spectacular, they get the job done enough to satisfy most gamers.

Score: 6/10

--Audio--
There is no audio at all. There's a download on the net that gives it so called ''sound'', but all you get are barely audible clicks. Henceforth, I'm throwing this out of the score.

--Gameplay--
HUGE strong point of the game. Once you get your stats strong enough, you can take out many creatures. This is offset by your hunger, which will always add difficulty to your adventure. You will end up using almost all of your keyboard before you finish this game, but all the keys are easy to learn. As far as killing a creature goes, you just run into them. Simple. Alternatively, you can use numerous indirect attacks or traps against them. As you progress though, it shifts to tactical battles so you aren't forced to simply walk into everything you see.

Score: 10/10

--Replay--
Infinite. Simple as that. Everytime you come back to play a new game, you REALLY get a new game. The maps, the creature, items, food, EVERYTHING is rearranged. It is almost like playing all over again for the first time, it doesn't get any better than that if you ask me!
Even if this game didn't have the random levels, it would still be great! Why? Easy, there are literally hundreds of items in the game, and since you cannot carry them all, different combinations come into play. Furthermore, the classes and class changing drives the replay value through the roof. It is impossible to play this game with the same strategy twice.

Score: 10/10

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All in all, this is a very solid game. One of my favorites, but only meant for pure RPG players. This game obviously will not appeal to everyone out there...

FINAL SCORE: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03