Conan is as derivative as it gets, but it's also a lot of fun.
As of late, the gaming world has witnessed a renaissance of sorts when it comes to Robert E. Howard's famous barbarian. You've got games popping up left and right, all of them taking advantage of Hyboria's unique setting and Howard's dark, bloody take on fantasy. The latest such effort is titled simply Conan, and is an action adventure hack'n'slash in the vein of God of War. In fact, developer Nihilistic is treading a fine line between homage and rip-off. While the game is derivative to a fault, it does a number of things well enough to merit a purchase by anyone interested in the premise or just in need of a decent action game to tide you over until God of War III arrives.
As mentioned, the gameplay is almost a carbon copy of God of War. Not only is it brutal and sexually promiscuous, you've got context sensitive button mashing as well as red and green orbs you need to collect for the sake of maintaining health and magic. What's that you say? Conan using magic? I can understand why this may irritate some purists, since the Cimmerian has long been known to oppose magic quite adamantly. The powers here are nothing special, and even though they are varied, it all boils down to the simple fact that they all allow the player to gain some breathing room in a crowded fight. As such, they are easy to overlook, for better or for worse.
So you go about as Conan, traversing the various lands of Hyboria in search of your stolen armor. Along the way you meet up with a busty warrior princess and ally yourself, in more ways than one. Sure, the story may not be much but at least it gives an excuse to hop around differing locales, slicing off limb after limb. And if anything, the game is good at dismemberment. Even though Conan fails to live up to the visual prowess and high quality of Heavenly Sword, it handily bests Ninja Theory's effort in terms of combat and gore. The action is smooth and soaked in blood, which is the way it should be. Combos are easy enough to execute that you'll end up not only using them but enjoying the bloody mess they leave behind. As is customary for a game of this nature, abilities and new combos can be purchased and upgraded with experience points. Also making an appearance are gigantic bosses that have layers upon layers of defenses, which you need to systematically get rid off before the actual death-dealing can begin.
If there is one place where Conan clearly falls flat when compared to the competition, it's the visual department. After downloading the demo, I was stunned to see a game circa 2007 look so bland. The most disappointing part is probably the character models, which all manage to look quite dreadful and artificial (except for the bare-breasted babes). Texture work is shoddy and conveys an overall sense of muddyness. In contrast, levels look quite fine and the design is competent. The game is also light on any kind of visual wizardry and special effects, which further help to make the game look dated. One saving grace is the blood, thankfully of which there is an abundance.
The music in Conan takes many cues from God of War as well, featuring sweeping, epic pieces suitable for a game of this time period and setting. It's not that it's particularly bad, it's all just so average you tend to forget about it. Voice acting on the other hand is not average. Too bad then that it is below average, with even Ron Perlman as Conan failing to stir up any emotions in himself or the player. Couple this with the normal clangs and screams of battle and you're left with a decidedly average sound world. It could have been better, but it could also have been a lot worse.
This review may sound a bit on the negative side, but that is exactly the opposite of what I am trying to convey. Conan may not be a must-buy, but even with all it's faults and derivative choices, it's a fun and entertaining game that is well worth the time and investment. Just give it a chance and you may be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.