Alundra

"Last Action Hero"

Alundra is in my opinion the last good action RPG. Remember when such games as Landstalker and Story of Thor(why was that called Story of Thor anyway?) were plentiful? However when FF7 came out the Action RPG began to die out. Thank heavens that Alundra came out.

Story(8/10)
Alundra does not have the best story I have ever seen. It is very slow-moving at first and you find yourself going to places simply because you can. However, about halfway through the game, the story really gets good. Basically it is about a youth named Alundra who has the ability to enter people's dreams and save them from nightmares which are somehow connected to a creature known as Melzas. I won't go into too much detail. One of my favourite things about Alundra is that it is set entirely around one village. Many people don't like this idea, but I think it gives strength to the storyline as you get to know all the villagers personalities really well.

Graphics(8/10)
If you have seen screenshots of this game, you will know that it is in 2D. This may put some people off, but 2D works a lot better for action games as you do not have to worry about annoying camera angles. Also it is some of the most beautiful and highly detailed 2D graphics I have ever seen on a game. If you've played Chrono Trigger, the graphics are in that style, but of much better quality.

Sound
Music(10/10)
Effects(8/10)
This game has some of the best music ever. There is not one bad tune among them and everything is catchy and goes well with the background. There is even a song at the end. Don't get too excited though, it sounds like something by S Club 7 (shudder). Still it's not bad if you like pop.
As for the sound effects, what can I say?, they're pretty standard. But then again sound effects are rarely exciting.

Gameplay(10/10)
Alundra is the most playable and addictive RPG ever! It is often compared to Zelda: A link to the Past, but it is MUCH better. Combat is fast paced and some of the puzzles are extremely challenging. This game is often thought to be extremely tough to beat, but once you get used to it it becomes second nature. The game is also very long for an action RPG. It takes about 25 hours minimum. Which is much longer than Zelda:Ocarina of time. One thing that is slightly annoying is it sometimes takes a while to load in between areas. But it's not too bad.

Overall(10/10)
As I said before Alundra is the last good action RPG. Yes I know Zelda: ocarina of Time is said to be better, but it has barely anything in the way of story and combat is annoying. Get this game if you can find it. You will not be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/02, Updated 08/02/02