Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

"Seriously, this is Tecmo's idea of a Legendary Adventure"

Rygar is a 3d action/platformer, some what where a lot of classic games are jumping to. Well, Tecmo didn't do a good job to say the least.

Ok, from the beginning... you are Rygar, a nameless warrior of a land named Argus. So the game had a little potenial, save for the opening video that had nothing to do with the game... So you start playing as him in a little room...

You get a shield for a weapon, which isn't bad at all... it's like a whip in some ways. But this isn't the truth, maybe if the combat system wasn't so crappy. Your primary weapon in the start is a whip that attacks strait foward. This wouldn't be too bad, but once you start a combo, you can't change direction... Just what I would expect from a warrior that was so driven to battle he forgot his friggen name!

Don't worry, the tacky system doesn't end there... if you want to block your enemies, you just have to stand still for about a good second. This games as have to have the slowest block speed... it's just not even funny. At least the enemies aren't hard to beat, just mash the hell out of a button...

Speaking of which, you'll find 5 types of enemies in this game... 5. No, I'm not lying just because I'm disappointed in this game, there is just 5. Of course they like to palatte swap a lot. I know the original Rygar and most games of that era had basic and few enemies, but this is suppose to be a next gen console game? Well, I can live with a few enemy types in a game... ONLY if they were ALL decent. You won't find that here... most enemies, wait, ALL the enemies have 1-2 attacks.

Well least they look good... as do the bosses, but they lack as well. Most have little story, and use redundant attacks... over and over again. All of them are friggen so easy, it's not even funny... actually it's boring... since your block time is snail's pace, most of the time you are standing still blocking... Well, you have to, I mean, it's a marval to have an action game with no evading... well there is sliding, but you usually don't go in the direction you want.

One semi cool thing, least they have "sockets." Finding ruins with powers, not a bad idea at all... too bad it wasn't in a better game with more uses for them.

Another sweet thing about this game, the enviroments are freaking great looking. Everything looks pretty, very pretty... unmatched by very few games I've seen before... tons of things to break as well. But they ruined it like everything else in the game... Not only are there very many and annoying invisiable walls blocking everything you want to jump on, everything you have to do with new powers is babied to you... Want to swing across a gap? Lift up a cliff? Well there is surely an out of place, out of color orb floating there making this game look like crap.

The cinemas aren't bad looking... but the voice acting rivals the worse of any I've ever seen... worse than Resident Evil1... Castlevania SotN... yea... that bad.

The music is ok... nothing too great, nothing too bad. This girl Izzy sings a song... whoopie do... she's bangable though :P

Well that's about all there is to it... now lets review with a list.

The Good:
Great enviroments
Good graphics
Mystic stones make the game a tad deeper

The Bad:
Enemies aren't varied
Enemies, most of the time, come out too much, or not at all
Floating orbs that tell you where to go, ruin the came... like bumpers in bowling.
Bad acting
Short game

In closing, I want to say this: This game is a let down in many ways... I honestly wouldn't recommend you to play this game with high hopes. Many other games these days and before this so MUCH more promise. If this game was on the PS1 with a tad bit dumbed down graphics... I could see a decent game, but that is not the case. 4 is what I'm sticking on this game... THANK GOD I only spent $12.99 plus tax @ .06%.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/05