User Rating: 7.4 | Ultima Gaiden: Kurokishi no Inbou SNES
Ultima: Runes of Virtue 2 is a little bit of a departure from the Ultima game series on a number of levels. Rather than a detailed and deep roleplaying game, this is more of an action RPG in the genre of Zelda. You basically chose to play one of 4 heros as the Avatar. You can chose from Iolo, Shamino, Mariah, or Dupre, each of whom are old friends from other Ultima games. The story takes off as you land in Castle British and find that the Black Knight has kidnapped Lord Tholden. And your task is to rescue him and dispose of the Black Knight. Gameplay: 7/10 The gameplay is a bit awkward. Your health is measured in hearts rather than hit points. You have keys... which work in the way that they do in Zelda or Guantlet (one key fits all) save for a few special keys. As you adventure around you can collect hearts for health and new weapons to aid you in your quest. Each of the main charaters brings different strengths to the game. Iolo is probably the easiest to beat the game with, while Mariah is hardest. Your character has decent inventory management and stat recording in the way of Strength, Intellegence and Dexterity. Graphics: 9/10 The graphics in this game are great... very colorful and very detailed. The game world is fairly extensive and the variablility of the different locations and scenes is impressive. The character drawings from conversation are also very well drawn. The only awkward part of the graphics is that the top down view does not have very good shadow drawing. Sound: 8/10 The sound effects are decent... with different sounds for killing mosters, missing them, etc.. The background music is not over exciting nor too dull. The blend of ambient sounds and music provides a nice backdrop to the game. Reviewer's Tilt: 7/10 The game was a bit long and I got lost a few times. But once you know where you are headed, this is a pretty engaging game. This gives Ultima fans another place to explore the world of Britannia.. and in a very different way. I still prefer the standard games to this action-rpg with the hearts. But for what it is, it is a good game.
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