Alundra

"Alundra makes no difficulty in establishing itself as one of the greats"

People have always known Alundra to be widely popular for being the best action RPG ever made. Yet it has achieved this with minor work - there is no cutting edge graphics that haven't been seen before and even the gameplay resonates something from the past - but forgetting that easily makes Alundra adorable and all the more alluring when you play it. Even the most vain of gamers will find Alundra irresistable, call it the Zelda of the playstation and be happy. In fact, there is very few things that Alundra suffers from (aside from the less constrewed things that only perfectionists will notice).

Impressively, the intro has a seductive effect of cartoon manga that instantly chokes your attention. Though it is miles away from the atsmophere in the game, Alundra shall keep you mesmerised and sat in the same position waiting for the next buzz. There is little doubt that Alundra is simply beyond belief at how fun, difficult and attentive it is for it's genre. While the story will not amuse everyone, the environment reducts any disappointment.

The tale is of a young dreamwalker, Alundra. His defect, or power, is that he can enter people's dreams or nightmares and change the outcome. His voyage on a ship is destroyed by a violent storm and he wakes up in the village of Inoa and has been kindly taken in by the caring and friendly Jess. He then has a visage of the village of Inoa where people have succumbed to their nightmares and have suffered through the peril of an evil entity controlling the chaos, who appears as a God of nightmares. Alundra arrives in time to catch up with the villagers suffering nightmares that steal their mortality and tries to reverse them. His story becomes a fight for the safety of the villagers before they all die with nightmares.

The story is really set in the village of Inoa though the world of Alundra is basically consisting of dungeons. When you're breaking into a church, a pyramid or a cave, it's for a mission or goal while the story revolves around the village where most of the characters are based. There is no world map, in which you have to explore everywhere manually, going through one dungeon to the next. This is a lot like Zelda. Again with the general and blatant case of solve quest to get item whilst fighting twins of monsters and solving hard puzzles.

Characters are also subsedised to the village where they have intricate and deep personalities. This may seem disappointing but there is a nice selection of NPC characters that all have backgrounds, secrets and neediness pleas you will encounter through the game. They are vital for completing the game as you have to help them, though they drop like flies after a while. Alundra himself does not have a personality, which is a flaw in many people's eyes (including myself) but the supporting characters and the number of them make up for it.

Huge debates have been held over this question: Is Alundra the hardest RPG?. Well, yes and no. Yes, the puzzles are hard and hour long for average RPG fans but people who have mastered the gameplay system of Zelda, may find the challenge of Alundra a fair one. The dungeons have the same objective tagline; go in, hack and slash the enemies and gain the item you need to progress in the story. Though that may seem banal, the process of getting there is no doddle. There are puzzles that will surely complicate your way and bosses that will map themselves upon you.

Satisfying as Zelda, Alundra gives you the option of weapon choice. A few swords and magic attacks is what you're limited to but without them, Alundra would not be so dazzling. You can also throw things at enemies which is fun and funny. But mostly appealing is the exploration of travelling to new areas - it beats out the world map and classifies as the strong point of the gameplay. But people who can't yield to the puzzles will fall on their faces and get wounded up easily.

For people who love graphics that are like rough diamonds - look no further. The 2D sprites that have proved so popular in other games are used here, and gorgeous to look at. Excellently drawn, with a slight slant to being watercoloured, the visual effects of Alundra are nothing but appealling. It gives the game the lighthearted look it needs to carry off such a unusual plot. Admittedly, both character and monster designs aren't superb or outstanding though it remains calm and cool and playful. Just like Uncle Zelda.

But Alundra makes up for this in the FMV with the cartoon manga that IS excellent. The intro is lush and the ten minute cartoon ending more than give Alundra personal satisfaction in completing the game. It is your typical Japanese magic, and as in reality, Japanese culture never fades or bores.

RPG or even game music in general has always been hard to judge. Here, only a few tunes are used, bringing down the excruiating pain a notch. The music for the opening sequence is amazing while the game music is catchy and generally pleasant. The sound affects are decent and not too exaggerated. There is no voice acting, which is disappointing but some of the music may or may not be memorable for some. And in Alundra's defense, they could have gone on to make several tunes that probably would have been annoying and odeous but for the limited amount that is used, they are just right.

Not much lays beyond the surface of Alundra, meaning that with the difficulty of puzzles and arguable less than revolutionary plot, Alundra does not hold more to give it that one more time for old tims sakes. But for those who loved the pure excitement of the gameplay (the intense boss fights spring to mind). In terms of anything else, Alundra remains endearing but hardly much to play for once you've completed it. But there is total guaranteed satisfaction for completing the tale of Alundra the dream walker.

There is so few action RPG's for the playstation market but Alundra makes up for the small count. It's a challenging adventure with an interesting enough story and characters you'll care about with high octane gameplay that is unforgettable. For Zelda fans, this is a must and for people looking for a different format of RPG, Alundra is just waiting for your money. Because of the fact that Alundra hasn't deliberately gone out of the way to prove anything and to just make an ordinary action/adventure RPG, they have walked out successful with the popular graphics and gameplay in good use here. In the sense that it is a standout, Alundra itself is very precious and unique - two things that are beloved in the RPG genre.

Alundra outrightly deserves the title of best action RPG. Bar nothing. Even though it may seem like a second rate Zelda, it has enough suprise to allure anyone. The game definetly recommends itself to anyone in any particuliar genre. Buy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/04