Outdated Graphics, strange gameplay, but gripping story.
User Rating: 6.6 | The Legend of Alon D'ar PS2
It seems like the designers of this game tried to strike a balance between turn based and action gameplay, and failed. The gameplay is effectively turn based, but with each turn determined by a timer, not an order of players. Each character has a timer, and when the time runs out, that character can make another move/attack. Naturally, this can be confusing when more than one character's timers play out at the same time. However, after playing for a while, this system does become workable. The game also has a "fetch lots of hard to find item" quest for each "level", which is nothing short of annoying because you get no benefit unless you find ALL the items, and those items are not highlighted or readily visible in the graphic soup of the game. Thankfully, these quests are all optional. The graphics are very old-school. With blocky character models and bland textures, they're only a small step up from PS1 graphics and get nowhere near tapping the abilities of the PS2. All but the opening cutscene are played out in the game engine, too, so there's no relief from the pathetic graphics. The story and gameworld are what makes this title worthwhile. Clearly a great deal of thought went into the backstory, and the twists and turns of Jharek's life (and past) are fascinating. If you can stick with the game long enough to get comforable with the combat system (and aren't put off by yester-year's graphics), it becomes an enjoyable experience.
