Record of Lodoss War

"Goblins, Dragons, Evil Demi-Gods? Nothing the "B" button and about 40 hours Can't Handle"

So, do you want to blow 40 or 50 hours on your Dreamcast before retiring it to your closet or sending it loose in the wilds of ebay? As most gamers know, nothing can kill mucho chunks of your precious time like the old favorite Diablo. What’s that you say? Diablo was never released for the Dreamcast? Sure it was. It’s just called Record of Lodoss War. And, the name is just about the only difference between the games.

Actually, Record of Lodoss War is a very unofficial DC port of Diablo. I’m positive the Blizzard developers had their lawyers on the phone mere seconds after seeing this game. The game’s name comes from a anime series. But, the only anime I can spot in the game is the cutscenes. The rest is heavily “borrowed” from Blizzard’s hack and slash epic.

Which, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you. The Diablo series is very fun, mindless, and addicting. Record of Lodoss War knows if the formula isn’t busted, no need to fix it. And in turn, is a very fun, mindless, and addicting game in it’s own right. The story is, you’re a warrior brought back from the grave to wander around a Tolkin influenced world, killing everything in sight. I guess you’re actually brought back to make the world safer, but it seems it would be safer if you left, seeing how every where you travel, you leave a pile of dead bodies behind you. Yes, there are no shortage of creatures for you to lay the smacketh down, almost to a fault. After you slay, oh, about 5,000 creatures, you begin to wish there was something else to do. While the game does have some light puzzle elements, the solutions are usually explicitly spelled out to you, often numerous times. So, the blob between your ears will get no exercise and a bit of tedium will set in. However, Record of Lodoss War is pretty clever about always throwing something new at you. Be it, a boss battle, a new item to play with, or a NPC that joins your side. The game can almost sense when the player is saying “Man, this is getting old” and will instantly turn it into “Man, I got this new lightning spell. Let the electrocutions begin!”

And, while the game is fairly linear, it does a pretty good job of hiding that fact. There are quests, and sub quest, and sub-sub quests over very large portions of the globe. Often making you forget what you were setting out to do in the first place. Also, the way they let you customize your equipment by adding and subtracting various attributes, always give you something to tinker with. Of course, all of these tinkerings yield the identical result, that your character becomes a killing machine. But, the illusion of choice is still a lot of fun. I know that in a dystopian future the illusion of choice is an evil thing. But, this is just a game, so you might as well go with the flow.

Record of Lodoss War earns it’s “epic hack and slash” title, by fulfilling the two requirements of that title. There’s more than adequate hacking and slashing, as mentioned before. And, the game is epic length. You’re not going to beat this in 10 hours, or 15, or 20. Maybe, 30 if you cheat. The game is long, very long. If you want a hack and slash you can bang out over the weekend, I’m sure Baulder’s Gate or Two Towers for the PS2 will be more your speed. But, as I stated in the opening paragraph, if you want a game that going to squeeze about 40 or more hours out of your Dreamcast, this is the one. And, it’s a pretty refreshing thing. In the days of epic adventures that barely last you a three day rental, it’s nice to see one that remembers the meaning of the word epic. But unfortunately, this is also one of the aspects that cost it a point. It’s long, too long. More acutely, you may finish the game before the game is finished. After 35 hours of pounding the B button and watching the blood fly, I’m not going to blame you if you’re ready to call it quits. That said, you’re going to have fun for those 35 hours, but everything has a breaking point. Unfortunately, Record of Lodoss War goes about 4 or 5 hours past it’s own.

Graphically, the game’s nothing to write home about. It basically looks like a mildly scrubbed PSX port of Diablo. But, the graphics get the job done and have some neat subtle touches that pop up from time to time. Sound again is serviceable, although at times, a little grating. For instance, the NPC that exclaims “Ha!” every time he swings his sword (which seems to be constantly), can get to be a little annoying. One wonders if the developers ever thought to have him exclaim every 5th swing, or 10th. No, “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” is what you get. Also, if you get a pair of boots that are described as “very loud,” the developers seemed to find it necessary to make this fact excessively apparent on the soundtrack “Klank! Klank! Klank! Klank! Klank!” And if you’re wearing these boots with the “Ha!” guy, look out. “Klank! Ha! Klank! Ha! Klank! Ha!” Thank the sweet lord for the mute button.

All in all, Record of Lodoss War is a supreme time waster. And, I mean that in the best possible way. And like it’s daddy Diablo, it’s addictiveness is downright evil. But hey, with all these goblins to slaughter, who has time for friends, family, or a social life? True warriors don’t go to dinner parties.

Note: This game was released in the twilight of the Dreamcast with a “priced to move” sticker of $19.95 (USD). Since then, folks have deemed this game to be “rare” and have been charging upwards of $50 through various auction and sale sites. So, I feel obligated to address any “Is the game worth this much?” questions you might have. I do think the game is worth $50, it’s length alone gives you more than your money’s worth. However, I would have some reservations forking over $50 for a game I know the seller paid no more than $20 for. Last week, I was at my local game shop and saw two copies of this “rare” game for $9.99 a pop in the used bin. So, I would shop around before I laid down any serious loot.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/02, Updated 12/10/02