Alundra 2

"Buy it. Just dont spend too much."

This was my very first Action RPG and I came away from the whole experience with a positive outlook on what other Action RPG's could have to offer. Now Alundra 2 is obviously the sequel to Alundra. However Alundra from what I am told was 2-D Alundra 2 however is not. Now at first glance you might go and scream at the top of your lungs ZELDA RIP OFF!! And yes there are multiple elements that probaly were influenced by the Zelda series. Such as chopping bushes for money and the trading games. However it is a good Zelda rip off in my opinion. As I will state below.

Graphics:Now for a PSX rpg about 1999 if I'm correct it has somewhat good graphics the dungeon graphics are slightly Vague in some spots with the same scenery passing on and on. The characters look blocky expectedly at there joints like knees etc. However for the graphics as a whole I would say decent for PSX graphics at that time period. I do however think that more could have been done with the graphics if more attention was put into them. I will dismiss the Graphics with a : 5/10

Story:Ok Ok now here is where it can get interesting or fail depending on if you like the story you might be able to stay with the game until the end. You are Flint the pirate hunter your family was killed by a band of pirates and now you search the world exterminating all pirates you can find. I will not go to much into actual details of it so as not to spoil it for you. However I can tell you that the story does change to what your ultimate goal is more than once in the game. I found the story amusing for the 2 play through I gave the game. I give it a : 6/10 on story.

Controls:Ok now this has your basic hack and slash controls you can jump,attack, do sword combos etc. You however should get fairly skilled with the controls as some enemies will make you dance around the screen dodging there attacks. You will be able to learn new combos and sword techniques by collecting puzzle pieces scattered around the world. Overall there is no really fancy stuff in the controls just your basic they aren't too hard to master and for the most part give you fairly decent control of Flint. Ill give it a : 7/10

Sound:Ok now Alundra's soundtrack probably isn't going to be the kind of stuff that you hum around the house whilst you clean the toilet. However it does have a couple of catchy tunes. The soundtrack is your basic varying classical instruments. The usual song in the background is a mellow tune which Is barely noticeable. However the music does change for the appropriate times. Such as a boss battle. The sound effects aren't nothing to fawn over either as there just your usual run of the mill sounds. Sword clangs etc. Ill give sound a very average: 5/10

Gameplay:Now as for the game play it has all the action RPG elements. Hit a enemy and hit it again until it pops and gives you a silver coin. Jump over the broken bridge. etc. However where Alundra 2 really steps up to the plate is the puzzles. Yes, I can seriously say that if my IQ did not go up at least 10 points from beating this game then a blood vessel in my brain must have burst instead. The puzzles in this game are a challenge indeed. There are various puzzles through out the game some testing your brain power while others will test your fingers ability to rapidly push buttons until your fingers bleed. I think the puzzles are Alundra 2's saving grace so I give it a : 8/10

Shelf Life:Ok now will you be replaying this game anytime soon??? My answer is yes. I say that because there are tons of side quest things you can do. One thing that the developers did put time into is making fun mini games. Not just your average side quest of go kill the boss type thing. I mean fun games like go kart racing. A pac-man like game and so forth. The mini games are truly fun and will have you playing them for hours. I will give Shelf life a solid: 7/10

When we throw all of this into a blender and get the results overall I give Alundra 2 a :6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/03, Updated 07/17/03