Run alun 2 the shops to get it (Alundra 2 (PS))

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Product:	Alundra 2 (PS)
Date:	18/06/01 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Zelda 4 psx

Disadvantages: not as good as prequel

If you were fortunate enough to play a game called Landstalker on the Sega Genesis a few years ago, you probably enjoyed the experience. The game was described by all as Legend of Zelda on the Genesis. I thought it was even better. It had elements of timing, puzzle solving, action, and finding secret items. If you played the game and loved it, by all means, stop reading this and buy Alundra 2, the best action RPG for the PSX.

In Alundra 2, you play as Flint, a pirate hunter who is wanted for treason against a corrupt kingdom. The evil sorcerer Mephisto (who looks like Yoda) has kidnapped the king and replaced him with a wooden puppet. Coincidentally, you meet the king’s daughter, Alexia, in the first 15 minutes of the game. Then, you both decide to team up and find out what’s going on.

Like in Landstalker, the level design is pure genius. The very beginning of the game shows Flint on the outside of a flying airship. Through various things that happen, the ship eventually crashes, and Flint lands a long way from it. After going through a few areas, you come upon the ship, which has crash-landed vertically. Your next task is to go through the same exact ship in a completely different way. That floored me.

Most of Alundra 2’s gameplay is made up of going through mazes, jumping on switches, and solving puzzles. While it doesn’t sound like much, it’s really fun. The puzzles aren’t frustrating because they’re hard to solve, rather they’re frustrating because of the dexterity and timing needed to solve them. One that really tested me was a fireball chase. There’s an unlit torch at one end of a cavern, and at the other end, there is a statue that shoots a fireball. As long as the fireball doesn’t hit you or the wall, it will keep chasing you. Your object is to get the fireball to hit the torch. That’s much easier said than done, believe me.

Unlike its 16-bit broth
er, the camera can be rotated in Alundra 2. This makes things less frustrating, yet more difficult at the same time. Furthermore, items aren't hidden in places that can’t be seen. Many items are in places that can easily be seen, but players darting through the game are likely to miss them.

Speaking of darting, there are some great mini-games in Alundra 2. There’s a dart game that is more fun than the one found in Shenmue. There’s also a part when a bull chases you down a cavern filled with jumps and obstacles, a mine cart challenge, and many more. In stages such as the bull chase, the game is very forgiving. If you fall down a hole, you can restart from the beginning or from a checkpoint, and believe me, that is a good thing.

The story is told through 3D cinemas, as in Metal Gear Solid. Some of these cinemas have special effects which really push the PlayStation to its limits, and because of that, there is a lot of load time. In fact, it’s not uncommon to have two or three cinemas play back-to-back. Having three cinemas in a row is the same as having three load waits in a row. Like Metal Gear Solid, these cinemas really slow down the game. I would much rather have forgone the cinemas and focused entirely on the gameplay. Too much time is spent watching cinemas and wandering in towns, and not in mazes.

I think many of the graphic effects push the PSX to its limits, but the graphics themselves aren’t the best, even in the cinemas. Some textures are extremely pixilated, and the characters are very blocky. Still, the game is done completely in 3D, and it uses no pre-rendered backgrounds. The sound effects are good, with plenty of cows mooing, but the music itself isn’t that great. There’s a song performed by one of the characters in the middle of the game. I was looking forward to hearing it, and when I did, boy was I disappointed. Other than that, the voice acting is above average.

A
ctivision also added a new difficulty level and a new opening movie. The opening movie is among the worst I have ever seen. It wouldn’t make anyone actually want to play the game. The new difficulty level is also awful. You can choose between normal and easy. They should rename normal to “impossible.” At the very beginning in normal mode, Flint has 200 hit points. When an enemy touches him, he loses about 40 hit points. When he damages enemies, he takes away six or so of their hit points. Easy mode allows you to take less damage (20 points) while dishing out more damage (15 points). That’s the only difference, but it's a huge variation in the game’s overall difficulty, especially going against the bosses, who are usually extremely tough.

There aren’t many action RPGs on the PSX. In fact, I’m having a hard time thinking of any, aside from the original Alundra. If you're a fan of the original, be forewarned: Alundra 2 has nothing to do with Alundra. It’s a completely different game altogether. But it’s a damn good one, and it's worthy of being in any PSX owner’s collection.

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