Record of Lodoss War

"I consider myself lucky to having found this game"

After the death of the dreamcast, many games dropped in price, so I decided to stock up on my collection of dreamcast games. I saw some reviews for this game, ''Record of Lodoss War'' on websites, and here at gamefaqs, and decided I needed to try this game out. I went to many stores and couldn't find it, but I was browsing through Circuit City because I had a gift card, and found it! (of all places). It was still $40, but I thought, hell, I came this far to find this damn game, I'm gonna buy it! I'm glad that I did because this truly is a great game, and one that is not too well known either. Note: This game is based off an anime, and I have never seen an anime in my life. I wouldn't be able to tell you how close the game resembles the anime :P

Gameplay/Controls: 9/10

Gameplay is similar to Diablo. It's an action RPG where you travel through dungeons and kill things. Simple, really, but there are little factors that keep the gameplay interesting and fresh. Sometimes you need to switch weapons/items for different situations. For example, you can have a really heavy pair of boots that keep you resistant from being knocked over, but those boots make alot of noise and alert enemies of your presence and make you move slower. If you don't want to be mobbed by a group of smaller enemies, you'll need to switch to lighter boots and sneak around. There is also a good item/magic system implemented. There is a bar on the right side of the screen where you can place a bunch of items (I think around 8). The bar is there for quick usage of items and works incredibly (I wanna note that your actual inventory is alot bigger than just the bar on the screen). Select the item in the bar by using the d-pad (you move around with the analog stick), and press the button that uses the item. Simple as that. You can also put ancient inscriptions into your equipment which pretty much upgrades them. You'll need to find the inscriptions all over the world and read them, which then makes the blacksmith able to engrave them.

Spells are cast by equipping the spell from a menu, pressing a button to activate it, and then pressing a button to execute it. You can only equip one spell at a time, but this system still works very well.

The game controls beautifully, there really isn't anything wrong with it, except sometimes it can be hard to focus on a certain enemy when they surround you. The control interface, like I said before, works very well for an action RPG and should be used by more games.

The only flaw in gameplay is that it can feel repetitive at times, no matter how many little quirks it has...but overall its still fun to play.

Graphics: 7/10

Well, there's not much thats NEEDED in this game graphically. The camera is zoomed out so you can see around the dungeon (3/4 overhead view). For whats there, the graphics are pretty well detailed, and human (and elf thingies or whatever) characters each look different from eachother. One of the flaws is that the dungeons look the same and generic. I know there aren't ''dungeon interior decorators'' or something like that, but since you'll spend a lot of time in dungeons, it can really start to feel dull sometimes.

Sound: 7/10

The sound effects are all great. Heavier boots will make a loud, crashing sound when you run. Lighter boots will make a weaker sound. There is the clapping of thunder, the clashing of swords and ''swooshing''(for lack of a better word...) of magic which all sounds top notch. The weakness in the audio is the lack of music in the game. Music only plays when you engage in combat with an enemy, and is pretty uninspired at times and simply does not have a big enough role in the game.

Story: 6/10

This probably is just me, but the story seemed fragmented and really hard to follow. When I think about it though, it might be because I don't know the background of the game since I've never seen the anime. But the story seemed like it just supplemented the game, instead of being the main focus point, and I didn't feel drawn in and pushed along by it. In my opinion, gameplay alone can only take you so far in a game like this, and a stronger story would keep my interest level higher. But if you've seen the anime, you might want to disregard my score for the story, cause it might mean more and be alot more interesting to you.

Replay Value: 5/10

I don't see myself coming back to this game after I beat it. There are times when its repetitive, times when its frustrating, and times when I don't even feel like putting it in my dreamcast. I feel despite its few shortcomings, Record of Lodoss War still remains a worthy title and the complete package of the game is solid. If you like this type of gameplay, you could end up addicted, and hopefully it'll last you a while.

Overall: 8/10 (not an average)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/03, Updated 02/23/03