Alundra

"The hardest game I've ever played..."

Welcome to my review!

Alundra...if any one word described this game...that word would be HARD!!! This RPG is full of puzzles, many of which you don't get hints to. It's also an extrememly non-linear game, which is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that they're is nothing that you ever have to immediatley do, and the curse...the curse is the blessing. Since you never have to immediatley do anything, you can basically wander around the game for weeks without accomplishing anything important.

Alundra is an ''action-RPG''. It's no Final Fantasy where you enter a battle, have an ATB bar, and wait around till it's your turn to attack. It's a traditional see the enemies onscreen, run up to them and start fighting.

Story 5/10
Eh...same old story...your character, Alundra, is on a ship traveling towards a distant land, the ship wrecks, and Alundra is the only person that survives. He then has to find where he is going, and discover his true self.

Graphics 8/10
The graphics are fine. Nothing terribly new or revolutionary, but they work great for the game. The people look like people, houses look like houses, etc. And you can tell a difference in between things. The enemy character animations are done very well.

Sound 4/10
The music in the game made me want to shut it off and listen to country...yes, it was that bad. The ''spooky'' music in the Haunted House made me happier... The only saving grace this game's so-called sound has is the sound effects. They were great!!!

Gameplay- 9/10
GREAT gameplay!! As I mentioned before, it's a traditional hack-and-slash RPG. I love these kinds of battles. For some odd reason, you can't walk diagonal, though...

This is an average-RPG. It's not terrible, but at the same time, it's nothing over-the-top. Save your money and get something better. Unless, of course, you like puzzles. If you want to be challenged, by all means purchase this game immediatley!! Otherwise....it's not worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/00, Updated 10/21/00