Paladin's Quest

"Originality is both a blessing AND a curse."

Paladin's Quest, also known as Lennus, was released waaay back in the early '90s on the old SNES. And it wasn't quite like anything seen before or since. The graphics, the battles, everything screamed originality. But not always in a good way. But enough rambling, on to the review!

Graphics- 6/10
Somehow, the graphics are both good and bad. Firstly, the backgrounds are wonderful. Not looking like the traditional RPG look, they're all pastel and freaky. Like they were designed by some hippie on mind altering drugs. However, they look somehow beautiful. You never feel like you are on a cheap replica of Earth. The character sprites, however, ruin the look. They're pixelized, and truly ugly. The main character looks 54 years old, and the female lead could be his grandmother. In fact, all of the characters seem excessively old. And one of the races looks like they're giant garbage bags. Ruins the experience, I tell you.

Story- 3/10
Not exactly the best. Your character is a student at the magic school. One day, he and his friends go off climbing a tower in the town. Well, you activate said tower and destroy the Magic School, along with everyone in it. To make matters worse, you've released a massive curse upon the land. So off you go to make things right again. The plot isn't too interesting and has a shocking lack of twists. Character development is almost non-existant, and I laughed aloud at the handling of some serious issues. It may only be bad translation, but the story was never interesting, at all.

Gameplay - 3/10
I hate this battle system. It could have been great, but I don't like it. First, it's akward to use only the control pad for battles. Yeah, you can get used to it, but it can get annoying. I also despise the magic system used. When you use magic, it uses your HP. This may have been clever when it was being implemented, but it is the dumbest idea ever. It almost dicourages the use of magic. But, let us not get all negative, some good ideas are here. The fact you can attack with anything equipped, that is simply a great idea. But, it's overwhelmed by the incredebly bad magic system.

Sound 3/10
I can't remember any of the songs. And I couldn't remember them about 10 minutes after playing either. The music is the essence of forgettable. Not unbearable though. I just don't expect in to be playing in the symphony any time soon.

Replay 1/10
Not many secrets, and not that good in the first place, I doubt anybody will play through this again. Of course, I could be wrong.

Rent/Buy/Burn
Rent. Definately rent before you buy. This game isn't for everyone, but you may find something in it.

Conclusion-
Paladin's Quest isn't completely bad, but it's not going to win any awards either. Average in many ways, it has the potential to make a great game. Here's hoping the sequel (Lennus 2, on the same system) can realize this potential.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 06/08/01, Updated 06/08/01