Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

"The first true RPG for the 64 does not have all the elements of a true rpg, but makes them better"

I love RPGs. I play Dungeons and Dragons. And I have very few RPG games because the Nintendo 64 has very few RPGs. When I herd about this game I was very happy. They said it was a true RPG, but not all of the elements are there, because they changed some to make them better.

Gameplay: It only takes a little bit to learn the controls in this game, even with out the instructions. The game is easy in most places, but then it jumps to super hard in other places, making it a bit unfun. Also the experience points system is very good in this game. It is one of the things they changed from normal RPGs. When your character grows a level in most RPGs there stats raise right? And you don't get to choose what stats raise, because the game does it for you. In this game it is the other way around. You get 2 experience point meters. After you win a battle the experience that you get goes to two experience point ''meters'' (for lack of a better term). One is the level up meter. When you level up you get one hit point. That is all. No stats increase. But that is one of the best parts of the game. The other meter is the experience points you use to raise your stats, skills and spells. So you get to choose which stats/skills/spells get more powerful. So if you have a wizard you can raise there wizard skill, spells, and intelligence and stamina stats. If you want a fighter you can raise there warrior and what kind of weapon they use skill, and there dex, strength, and endurance stats. But with this comes the problems with spells. You need to raise the spell's level with experience points, and if you have a lot it makes it hard, along with raising you other stats and skills. Rating: 9

Story: The story is different than the save the princess or stop the bad guy from taking over the world, but the story is kind of boring at first but then it picks up. Rating: 7

Video: This game looks very bad at the beginning of the game. The forests look look like the one from goldeneye. But it gets better. The characters and monsters look bad and blocky. This gets a low rating for it. Rating: 7

Audio: Well, the music is...not heard most of the time. There is no music most of the time, but the sound effects make up for it. As you get closer to a river it gets louder and as you move away it gets quitter. Also you hear the grass you step on, and if you step on a wooden bridge you hear wood sounds. Also you can hear the monsters foot steps as they come near you(there are no random battles, you see them coming and when they get close enough you go onto a battle field), and the little noises they make. Also other things have noises, like fires, rain, etc. that sound very real. Rating: 9

Replayability: There are 12 characters besides you that can join you(max. of 4 in your party), and in each game you can teach them different skills to make them different than the last game. So in one game someone can be a thief and in the next they can be a wizard. So I give this a ten out of ten. Rating: 10

Total Rating: 8 out of 10

Rent or buy: If you have a short attention span don't rent or buy this game. The first hour or two is very painful. There are to many cut scenes. You have to give 40+ hours to beat this game. If you think you can do that then get it. It is very fun. You should only rent if your not sure because you wont have enough time to beat this game, but if you rent it you can save the game on your memory pack(you have to have a memory pack to save) so if you buy it you can use that game. I think that most people would like it enough for 50 bucks.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/22/01, Updated 05/22/01