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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ten times superior to its sad, decrepid sequel, March 15, 2002
Rpg's throughout the ages of cmputer and video gaming have come and gone. Many have silently slipped through almost unoticed however this is one of those that manages to remain in the memories of the people involved in the world of gaming oncomputers of all kinds.When you say the word RPG games such as Zelda, Final fantasy and Breath of fire fly through the air. However this is one game that easily stands up to the challenge that these rpg classics set. The game takes place in around a village named Inoa, where you play an elf-like character who shares the same name as the game's title. Taking the game mechanics you would find in an RPG like the Zelda series and coupling it with a plot as dramatic as a Final Fantasy Psygnosis and dream matrix made an all time classic here. The story is that Alundra was on board a ship named "the Clark" and it sunk during a storm, washing up on Inoa beach he is nursed back to health and is drawn into a saga that has been plaguing the village inhabitants for some time. Within this village numerous people are falling ill and dying as a result of dreams being turned into nightmares by a demon named Melzas. The player finds themselves summoned by a guardian named "Lars" (no connection to the Metallica drummer!) to stop this demon. Sounds cliched? In a way I suppose you are correct however the dreams idea is turned into a beauty of its own when you find that Alundra has the power to enter dreams and change their outcome. Thus you find yourself treated to numerous psychadelic images before winding in a usually dark rpg type dungeon where the dreams prisoner must be saved. Of course this would be of no use to the gamer if there was no gameplay and naturally for an RPG there is tons buried beneath the surface. At first you feel that is a basic and simple rpg, yet later on it is that fact that makes this game such a well crafted piece of genius. The difficulty in this game comes commonly from the difficulty of the puzzles. Expect to have to decipher lock codes, organise a makeshift stairway from nothing amongst the obligatory demon slaying. The game also boasts some fabulous variation in locale, whether it is the aforementioned dark dungeons, volcanoes and of course large castles expect to find lots to do. What makes this game even better is that it is between the plains of linear and non-linear. While like all other rpgs you are guided by information passed on by the usually passive characters in the village, you find that there are tons of secret locations to uncover within the mammoth quest that is available. If you like the idea of unlocking portals, uncovering life extending gems or new gear expect plenty of variety within the quest ahead. Of course the game is not perfect. The main flaw with this game is that commonly you find puzzles being basic ones where you have to jump onto switches or simply time the throwing of a barrel and jump into a room. This may sound unchallenging yet it does prove difficult quite often when you find the time limits being incredibly tight. This is plus point in that you have to work at it, yet it is a negative point as you can sometimes fall from these jumps and wind up right at the very start of the puzzle or worse the dungeon. This is one game that only the patient should try, if you have a low flashpoint then you may wish to give this a miss unless you can stop the urge to snap the disc! Persevere though and you find in this game a true classic that was slated for being a mere clone, however this is a foolish analogy to follow and is a joy to play from start to finish. Highly recommended.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just like Zelda, January 4, 2003
The formula for this game is simple - Solve one mind-numbingly hard puzzle after another until you beat the game - Simple!Unlike any of the Final Fantasy, Suikoden, Breath of Fire, Wild Arms, etc..., there is no: ()Random monster battles every 20 seconds. ()Experience points. ()A bevy of party-members to mix n' match and constantly upgrade. ()Complicated and numerous menus to learn and navigate. The Legend of Zelda of the super Nintendo era is the only game that plays like this one. Why do they not make more games like this one? The game is hard, yet the formula is simple.
You will most assuredly need the cheatbook to get through to the end - it is that hard.
Though the graphics are simplistic by most any standard, they are still well-done and convey what they are intended to; a fantasy world populated by friendly villagers and homey houses. The story is well thought out and interesting, also.
The monsters and bosses are mostly easy - it is the puzzles that will impede your progress. This game is fun because it really makes you think. The pure unmitigated joy of solving 3 or 4 puzzles in a row w/out using the cheatbook is fantastic! And when finally admitting defeat while stuck at a particulary vexing puzzle, you will read the solution in the cheatbook and then shake your head in annoyance at the simplicity of the answer, and ask yourself 'why didn't I figure that out myself...the answer was so obvious.' High kudos for this obscure little game and a wish that more RPG's followed Alundra's winning formula of less is more.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great game, if you can keep your sanity, that is., July 20, 2001
This game fun and highly addictive, but OH LORD IT'S SO FRUSTRATING!! At times, anyway. Don't plan on finishing this game quickly. It's a lot like Zelda as far as the gameplay goes. The story goes like this : You're a little elf boy named Alundra who has the ability to enter people's dreams and control them. You are on a journey in the beginning, on a ship to some place or other, when a storm comes up and the ship sinks. You wash up on the beach near a town called Inoa, where there seems to be an epidemic of nightmares that are killing off the villagers. Your job is to enter their dreams and confront the demon (or whatever he is) Melzas and his various minions. The gameplay is pretty fun, the enemies and bosses are pretty easy so far. I've only had the game a couple of weeks, so I haven't finished it yet. There are some puzzles that are extremely difficult, so you will find yourself online looking for a walkthrough so you can know what the heck to do. That's not so bad. The part of the game that really ...[stinks] is the jumping. You can spend thirty minutes trying to jump from one ledge to another so you can progress in the game. The distance from one ledge to another is sometimes just a little bit farther away than it should be, or else you have to take time to carefully jump from one pedestal to another without some big iron ball knocking you off. The jump button is very sluggish and sometimes doesn't respond at all, so after trying to make the same jump 50 times you will probably need to go to another room and smoke a cigarette or something and count to 100 so you don't end up destroying your Playstation. Oddly, in spite of this the game is highly addictive. I would recommend it only if you're a very determined soul, however, or if you're a masochist.
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