Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

"A triumph!"

Rygar the legendary adventure is perhaps the best action/adventure outing of 2002 for the ps2. Ah yes, Rygar. Lets not get carried away though. This game is forged from a formula which has been around for some time, only now it is fully realized in lush 3d environments. Basically you explore a nice sized world loosely organized into 8 levels(not mission based mind you). Some parts of the game can not be reached at first, since you need special items and powers to reach them. As you attain these items the mystery which is the games design is unshrouded and you delve deeper into a world of dreams and myths coming out the other side victorious(or so we hope). People familiar with castlevania: symphony of the night or any metroid game will be quite familiar with this sort of game. The camera style is similar to Devil May Cry's, but it is more refined in the way it changes angles. It is hard not getting carried away if you so dearly cherish this type of game. So, yes, you could say I am a fan of Rygar.

The environments of Rygar are splendid. Lots of slopes and inclines, mountains and various greco roman styled buildings. The mythic symbolism is most strongly expressed in the style of artwork and the subtle touches which nuance the games environments and add texture to your experience when playing it. Rygars graphics are vaguely reminiscent of FFX in their sheer beauty. You can't help but feel good playing this game. The story isn't even worth mentioning but the game its self is really layed out nicely. The music also reminds me of something from a squaresoft game, it is quite a nice compliment to the gameplay and graphics.
You have your diskarmors, and each one has its own unique 'summon' which can be used as a special attack. Each diskarmor brings its own style of fighting and has its own combos. Most of the enemies you encounter are strange wormlike creatures, or little deformed funny looking guys and other assorted riff raff. Needless to say, the ecosystem of Rygars world has some strange stuff going on. There is a wide enough variety that the enemies do not get repetitive, thankfully. The bosses are memorable, more so than other games I have played lately.
There is a lot of adventuring and platforming too, so the enemies fit into the game slightly differently than something like Devil May Cry where the focus pure action. The diskarmor can also be used to swing from nodes which really shows off the layerd and sloping levels since you can maneuver in otherwise impossible ways.Also, some of the indoor area's are ingeniously laid out and are as equally impressive as the sprawling outdoor terrain if not more so due to the detailed ornamentation of buildings, cool looking statues and subtle graphic effects which all fit together as they should. And, incredibly enough you can smash a good deal of this beauty with your diskarmor rendering ruins where great pillars once stood.

The main drawback here is it leaves you wanting more. I hear a sequel is in the works. Thank goodness. Until that sequel is released I will play Rygar again and again. It will still be fun for years to come just as the 8 bit rygar which graced the nes so many years back was(and still is). The sort of person who would not purchase this game due to its length is perhaps the type who does not deserve a game which reaches the nth pinnacle of greatness . This game not only captures the spirit of an epic of wandering in game form, it also is a throw back to the glory days of 8 and 16 bit gaming-- except now it is in 3d. Anybody who has ever enjoyed those special action/adventure's such as Devil May Cry and Castlevania must stop what they are doing right now and play this title. Rygar is the conniseur quality product. It is one of those special ps2 games which is short but great. I do not regret buying this game one bit. If I wanted to I could have easily beaten it in a rental period with time to spare, but I like the game too much to let it slip ot of my grasp as rentals eventually do. At least rent Rygar though, or you will miss out on a good one. For myself this is a keeper. I say buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/03, Updated 01/03/03