A classic PS1 game from the late 90s brought back to life to see if it can win our hearts, in a way just like the hero of the story, kind of ironic.
The Basics
This is your basic hack and slash adventure. Very simple at its core, you run through a number of small levels using a variety of melee and ranged weapons that you collect along the way and fight enemies in order to redeem yourself and hopefully in the end stop an evil sorcerer.
One of the best things about this game from an older gamers perspective is how true it is to the original. Many of the elements from the first game are here just updated. It feels and plays very much like the game from 1998. This actually causes some issues for some people.
This is because there are no re-spawn points, you die you head all the way back to the start of a level; which if you’ve gotten used to modern games and the idea of: “if I don’t beat this boss, no problem, I’ll just start again right here” then you will get frustrated. However, if you truly are an old school gamer who remembers that games used to be a challenge and were built off of big machines meant to be difficult and gobble up your quarters, you’ll have less of an issue. Plus, just treat your life bottles like “lives” that don’t cause you to start over and you’ll be just fine.
Each level gives you the chance to collect a chalice from eliminating enemies. Now, while this is not mandatory, collecting a level’s chalice will give you new weapon upgrades so it is certainly worth your time to clear a level and find its chalice.
Late in the game is some new stuff to do but it is optional. I will say however that if you choose to do it you unlock something very unexpected, so you should probably do it. I mean, you bought the game, why not do all the stuff they gave you to do?
On the Plus Side
- Short levels make it easy to pick up and put down
- All the stuff you loved from the original is still there
- A few small things have been added to freshen it up a bit
The Negatives
- Some make take issue with checkpoints
- Many of the original glitches are still there (some may see this as a plus, ahh nostalgia)
As far as "Is this a fun game to play?" I think that depends on who you are. If you are old enough to have played the original and want to relive it in its new glory, you’ll most likely enjoy this one. If you are younger and want to pick this up because it’s cheaper and you’ve heard good things, be ready to get a bit frustrated.