Folklore

"Stunning. One of the best PS3 games to date."

Folklore completely took me by surprise. It really did. I played the demo, enjoyed it slightly, and took the jump after hearing great things about it. I'm real glad I took the jump and definitely well worth the full price. Wow, I'm stricken in awe with Folklore, I don't know what to say. This is easily one of the best games out on the PlayStation 3 console to date. Anyway, let's begin.

Graphics: 8/10
The FMVs are simply astounding and make lovely eye candy. However, for the in game graphics, I've seen better on the PS3, but the in game graphics are still great. Looking at the game in HD, little details are noticeable, like wrinkles on clothing, clothing and hair moving realistically, Keats's hand ACTUALLY being in his pocket if you look close enough, etc. I really liked the artstyle of this game and the colors used for each different realm evokes a certain type of feel to each realm.

Sound: 10/10
I am so infatuated with the game's music. Especially the melancholy tunes while in Ellen's room as well as the theme in Doolin. Two words can describe the overall perfection of it: SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. The incredible music sets the mood and the overall theme. This type of music invokes a special feeling in your soul. One thing different about the game that sets it apart from other games are the “comic book” type scenes. There will be one image with dialogue, which then shifts to another image with dialogue, and so on. These will grow on you and you'll find that using the “comic book” type scenes are actually more effective than using voice acting due to the emphasis on the music. While you're reading the dialogue, melancholy music plays invoking a more powerful message.

Story: 10/10
The Story is about a young woman named Ellen who receives a letter from her dead mother telling her to visit Doolin. Ellen has been curious about her missing past, leading her to come to the village despite knowing the danger. Keats on the other hand, is a writer for an occult magazine who receives a phone call telling him to visit Doolin. The story then proceeds with Ellen taking adventures to other realms in order to communicate with the dead in order to find out about her mysterious past. A series of mysterious deaths in Doolin start to follow. Is this past something Ellen wants to know? Maybe Ellen repressed this specific memory for a reason. The story will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat as the mystery unravels.

Gameplay: 10/10
Wildly addicting! The gameplay is one of the strongest points. You start off with two folks. One folk who can do minor melee attacks, while the other folk is a guard. One original thing about this game is that you don't actually attack your enemies, you “summon” them to attacked in a fast paced fashion. This whole game is pretty fast paced and the standard combos are there, with block, and evade that are in just about every action game. This game is basically an action/adventure title with RPG elements. And this is where it shines. Once you destroy your enemy, you collect their Id. (Yes, this game has references to Sigmund Freud). One cool thing is killing several enemies at once and collecting their Ids at the same time. Sweetness! Anyway, getting the Id means that you gain their deadliest attack. You can actually level up these attacks. For example, leveling up a melee attack would add an extra hit. Leveling up a powerful attack will let you hold the button and charge for an even deadlier attack. This leads to a lot of variety and ways to defeat enemies. There are also different elements with these ids thus, strategy must be used to defeat some enemies. For example, one way to gain Cu Sidhe's Id is to stun him with an electric attack, and use Impet to release his Id. Don't worry, there is a picture book that will help you though. There are 100 folks to capture and this will lead to plenty of hours in the game especially if you want to capture them all and level them up. Plenty of unlockable items, plus a dungeon maker you can share with others online will make you want to spend a lot of time on this game. However, one downside is that Keats and Ellen's levels are quite similar, which they should be because they are in the same realm, but they changed the folks well enough for variety.

Conclusion:
So you want a great game for how much money you spend. Please, look no further, this is it. Rent or Buy? This game is a definite must buy for any Playstation 3 owner who is a fan of Action/Adventure games. We need to support them so they would make a sequel to this fantastic game. What are you doing? Go to your nearest retail store and get the game. Don't walk. Run!!!!!

Overall Score – 9.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/07

Game Release: Folklore (US, 10/09/07)