Akuji the Heartless

"Akuji would be one of the most overlooked game of the year"

As the year comes to an end, Akuji would be one of the most overlooked game of the year. Released at the early part of the year, Akuji tells the tale of a warrior (Akuji) who must venture in to the gates of hell to save a loved one.

On the night of Akuji's marriage to Kesho, Kesho is kidnapped by a evil Voodoo priest. Normally Akuji would just jump in to rescue her, the thing is his heart his ripped out and sealled in wax. There fore Akuji fall's into hell. Now a broken and helpless soul Akuji must once more regain his power with the aide of his uncle and a few ancestral heads.

The graphics is quite good compared to the everyday Eidos games. Instead of going for the usual noir, gothic look the game has instead used a unique tribal Voddo setting with bright lighting. Your enemies vary from monsters to zombies that would look like they came from a African Folklore or a childs worst Bogeyman. You would feel a very strong jungle theme in the whole game. Every level has its own sets of monsters and puzzles, thus keeping the player on his toes.

Unfortunately there is really not much to say about the controls. As it is sluggish and sometimes very anoying. Precision jumping is quite hard to do and would sometimes be the cause of your death. The camera angles on the game needs to get used to as it is not really user friendly.

As the puzzles are fairly hard and entertaining, Akuji would be one of the games that is a must for the year. There is rarely a dull moment in the game. fans of the genre should surely give this game a try.

Ratings

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Storyline - 10

Graphics - 10

Sound - 10 (The Narrator is Excellent)

Replay Value - 1 months minimum

Gameplay - 6

Controls - 3 (The only downfall of the game)

Overall Rating - 7

Buy/Rent - Either.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99