Chakan

"Great Dark Game"

This was the first game I ever played that had dark characters in it, and it was memorable. Up until then, I had played Sonic the Hedgehog and similar games, but on a whim I picked this up second hand and have never regretted it. This was the stepping stone for the later, more mature games like Legacy of Kain that I would develop an interest in later. Classic Sega game.

-Story - The dark aspect comes in here. Chakan, a skilled and arrogant warrior, decides to challenge Death himself to a duel. The prize is for Chakan to gain immortality. Chakan wins, but Death plays a trick - Chakan is cursed to live forever in pain until every last bit of supernatural evil is destroyed. His long and torturous journey begins....7.5/10

-Gameplay/Controls - If you are used to the jump and attack style games, this should be easy enough to get into. Controls are simple enough. Chakan is pretty slow, but he makes up for it in combat: Aerial slashes, doing a buzz-saw type attack, and attacking with various weapons. The real gameplay comes into play with his knowledge of alchemy, and mixing various potions you find in the game world to create various effects, such as turning invisible, imbuing you twin swords with fire, ice or lightning and even slowing time. Using these tools and weapons, you will jump and slash your way past a horde of gruesomely detailed enemies (for the time). Gameplay is fun, but the downside for this game is its difficulty. 9/10

-Challenge- The game is tough. It has no save option, and it is reasonably long. I bought it second hand, and it took a lot of work to get to the very end. The first levels are reasonably easy, but once you get to the elemental plane in the later levels, platforms become narrower and areas become more confusing. But the ending alone is worth the work it takes to get through. 6.5/10

- Graphics - Really great graphics for the time (very early 1990's). Sprites are detailed, and the backgrounds and areas you travel are well designed too. Individual monsters are well designed, but some of the boss monsters are very detailed. Graphics are good for the time. 9/10 (when comparing it to other games of the time)

If you find this somehow, and you are a fan of this type of game, it is a classic and must-play. As a side note, the proposed sequel for this game on the Dreamcast was cancelled, and instead the team used many ideas from that cancelled game to create Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2. An interesting bit of trivia.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/23/03