I must admit
that I never expected the RPG genre to play an integral part in the handheld
console industry. The “pick up ‘n go” mentality associated with portable
gaming conflicts with a role-playing game type requiring many hours of
commitment and patience. Sony Online Entertainment, however, felt confident in
its release of Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, a hack n’
slash RPG featuring warriors, monsters, and magic. Brotherhood of the Blade
was met with mixed reviews, complimenting the game’s combat experience
while bashing other gameplay issues including a
flawed story-driven campaign. Now, about a year after the PlayStation
Portable’s release, the developers are offering up a sequel to Untold
Legends, Warrior’s Code. While the game is definitely an improvement upon
its predecessor, some of the major drawbacks associated with Brotherhood of
the Blade are back including a few new ones.
The story is a
bit uninspired: an evil emperor has risen to power in a world once plentiful
in birds, berries, and squirrels (Martha Stewart’s paradise). The emperor has
turned his kingdom into a realm of darkness, and it’s up to you and a few
other warriors to destroy him and his evil forces to restore pleasantness to
the kingdom. Before playing, you must choose a character to play as, each with
their own unique abilities. I chose the Guardian, a massive warrior perfect
for close-ranged battle but lacking in speed and magic skills. Other classes
include the Mercenary who sports a long saw-blade, the Scout who is as small
as she is versatile in combat, and the very large Disciple whose magic more
than compensates for his desperate need of gastro-bypass surgery. Because
there are such stark differences between the characters, it is important to
make sure you pick the right one. In determining which character to choose,
focus on the four main statistic references each character has including
strength, stamina, intelligence, and dexterity (Intelligence is specifically
focused upon the character’s ability to use magic).
The problem
Untold Legends: Warrior’s Code faces, just like many hack n’ slash titles,
is the large amount of nonsensical button-smashing required. The simplicity of
pressing ‘X’ over and over again to successfully beat the game provides little
entertainment value, and I soon grew in the habit of the repetitive
button-smashing to progress further. Each character has an armory menu to
store the items and weapons they collect on their quest. I was pleased that
the developers included a simple and straight-forward menu option featuring a
slot-system for which to place armor and weapons, although the button-smashing
limits the need to actively utilize it for varied combat.
Through the
game, you travel to distant lands smiting armies of beasts along the way. As
the game progressed, I felt as if the level design wasn’t diverse enough to
hold a player’s attention. I started questioning “Haven’t I been here before?”
which greatly detracted from the gameplay. The
baddies you meet in-game are relatively easy to annihilate (with the right
dose of button-smashing, of course) and the ability to perform special attacks
become of little interest to you. Attack of Opportunity, a charge-up attack
you utilize with the Square button often resulting in devastating damage to
the enemy, was used infrequently as I progressed through the game. I found
this attack most useful in boss fights, which require more effort and patience
to successfully finish. Warrior’s Code also features several
multiplayer modes via Ad Hoc and Infrastructure (both co-op). Unfortunately, I
was unable to successfully find other gamers around the world playing at the
same time to test the capabilities.
Warrior’s
Code looks
better than Brotherhood of the Blade, with nice looking visual effects
and cutscenes. But the bland environment and level design is a lot like its
processor and brings the visual allure down. There is some solid voice-acting
featured in the cutscenes and the sound effects are on par with the visuals,
but the music isn’t awe inspiring.
I tip my hat
to Sony Online Entertainment, who is trying to deliver an assortment of genres
to it’s PlayStation Portable. I think role-playing games have a place in the
future of the handheld industry, but the simplicity of hack n’ slash
button-smashing detracts from an otherwise excellent opportunity to introduce
an action RPG for portable gaming. Untold Legends: Warrior’s Code tries
to find an audience between casual gamers and hardcore RPG fans, but it fails
in achieving success because of this. It’s too complicated for the “pick up ‘n
go” player and too simple for the niche RPG consumer.
Review Scoring Details for Untold Legends: Warrior’s Code |
Gameplay:
6.7
The
button-smashing greatly detracts from an otherwise good RPG
Graphics:
7.0
An
improvement on Brotherhood of the Blade, but still features uninventive
level design and environments
Sound: 8.5
Nice
voice-acting and sound effects with a forgettable soundtrack
Difficulty:
Easy
Concept:
8.5
I believe
the future is bright for RPGs in the portable
console business
Overall:
6.9
While
Untold Legends: Warrior’s Code is definitely an improvement upon its
predecessor, there are major drawbacks including bland level design and
nonsensical button-smashing
