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ALUNDRA
SLUS-00553
Copyright (C) 1997 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Sony Playstation, 1 Player(s)
Rating: Teen Ages 13+ (Comic mischief and mild animated violence)
English translation © 1997 Working Designs
Published in the US by Working Designs under license by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
$54.99
—by Eri Izawa
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In a nightmarish world with a lack of anime-style action
RPGs, ALUNDRA the dreamwalker comes to the rescue!
Heavily reminiscent of ZELDA,
ALUNDRA features yet another elfin hero
whose survival depends on both the player's reflexes and the
character's equipment and development. It's a refreshing
change for those tired of the sometimes mind-numbing
roll-the-dice combat of RPGs like FINAL FANTASY VII.
ALUNDRA was originally published by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
(www.scei.co.jp) in April of 1997, and was brought to the US by the
talented Working Designs team (www.workingdesigns.com) in January of
this year. The story features Alundra, a young man (yes, with
pointy ears) who has the ability to enter others' dreams. His
task is to root out the cause of a village's nightmares. To do
this he must explore the land, find treasure, mow down
vegetation (Like ZELDA, thar's money in
them thar bushes!), talk to a lot of people... and solve a
whole ton of puzzles.
If any aspect of the game deserves particular praise
or condemnation, it's the puzzles. Using pressure plates,
pushable pillars, breakable objects, switches, ledges, timers,
bombs, rising bubbles, and so forth, the designers have managed
to put together a wide and varied assortment of puzzles that,
while familiar to any action RPG fan, will prove themselves to
be memorably difficult and interesting. Unfortunately, a
number of them require what may seem to some like ridiculous
dexterity—if your reflexes, precision, and sense of timing
are a little rusty, be prepared to try some puzzles over and
over and over again. A few particular scenes, such as an early
one where four monsters need to be killed within a very short
time to get a treasure, may well exceed some people's
frustration tolerance.
Battles also require dexterity and timing. For the most part, though,
the battles actually seem easier than the worst of the puzzles.
They also require a bit of thinking; the opponents tend to
become invulnerable at certain times, for example. Also, some
battles—as well as puzzles—may prove impossible
without certain pieces of equipment. Thus it's key to explore
everything, especially the landscape, carefully and thoroughly.
For those who like their games to have plot,
ALUNDRA does pretty well. The
story— unfortunately characteristically linear—
is engaging and stays strong through the whole game. The
characters are reasonably well developed, though our hero
himself seems somewhat distant and hard to get to know. More
importantly, Working Designs has done a magnificent job with
the dialogue translation. While I can't compare it to the
original Japanese, I do know the English version is well
written, humorous, and enjoyable to read—a rare thing to
find in translated RPGs!
The graphics are pretty good though admittedly not
as snazzy as anything from FINAL FANTASY VII.
The music is likewise pretty good, which is to say average for
a Japanese RPG game. It's the refreshing combination of real
action and good old fashioned adventure that makes this game
worthwhile. Again, though, those with limited dexterity might
want to reconsider—or be prepared for frustration.
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