GameBanshee review LionHeart
GameBanshee review LionHeart
Review - posted by DarkUnderlord on Tue 13 January 2009, 01:58:03
Tags: Lionheart: Legacy of the CrusaderAnyone remember that game? No? Well there's a review up about it anyway:
Played from an isometric perspective, gameplay is perhaps most reminiscent of Diablo. Yes, unfortunately, Lionheart is at its core a hack and slash game. While Barcelona is filled with interesting quests, and important choices are ruthlessly thrown on you (something lacking in many RPGs), most other areas have nothing but enemies. The wilderness around Barcelona maintains some semblance of design, but as soon as you pass the first town in France, it's predominately monsters. Of course, there's more depth than Diablo in some aspects - searching for hidden doors and caches is an important element of the game, as well as unlocking of various treasure chests, but Diablo wins with the sheer number of combat skills offered. Unfortunately, that is a key element of the hack and slash experience, and Lionheart just can't compete.
[...]
Unfortunately, the numerous skills options are mostly just wasted - all the fighting required immediately precludes a focus on thievery (though sneaking does give experience, up to 75% of the worth of a kill), and playing a mage character is almost impossible. Namely, while there are some hard battles requiring a maximally optimized character build, mages must also wait for their mana to regenerate, and the tedium involved will dissuade all but the most determined. Slain enemies leave behind health and mana spirits, which does help with the pacing, but mages will run out too fast regardless. In the end, a character focused on melee, with enough knowledge in magic to heal himself, is the only realistic option.
[...]
Lionheart is a flawed game, for the most part. It is unsure of its focus, and because of that it fails both as a hack and slash title, and a more traditional RPG. However, the unique setting and compelling design of Barcelona make at least the first several hours worthy of play.In the end they gave it 7.4 out of 100,000 bananas.
Played from an isometric perspective, gameplay is perhaps most reminiscent of Diablo. Yes, unfortunately, Lionheart is at its core a hack and slash game. While Barcelona is filled with interesting quests, and important choices are ruthlessly thrown on you (something lacking in many RPGs), most other areas have nothing but enemies. The wilderness around Barcelona maintains some semblance of design, but as soon as you pass the first town in France, it's predominately monsters. Of course, there's more depth than Diablo in some aspects - searching for hidden doors and caches is an important element of the game, as well as unlocking of various treasure chests, but Diablo wins with the sheer number of combat skills offered. Unfortunately, that is a key element of the hack and slash experience, and Lionheart just can't compete.
[...]
Unfortunately, the numerous skills options are mostly just wasted - all the fighting required immediately precludes a focus on thievery (though sneaking does give experience, up to 75% of the worth of a kill), and playing a mage character is almost impossible. Namely, while there are some hard battles requiring a maximally optimized character build, mages must also wait for their mana to regenerate, and the tedium involved will dissuade all but the most determined. Slain enemies leave behind health and mana spirits, which does help with the pacing, but mages will run out too fast regardless. In the end, a character focused on melee, with enough knowledge in magic to heal himself, is the only realistic option.
[...]
Lionheart is a flawed game, for the most part. It is unsure of its focus, and because of that it fails both as a hack and slash title, and a more traditional RPG. However, the unique setting and compelling design of Barcelona make at least the first several hours worthy of play.
