What comes to mind when you think
about developer id Software? Probably all of the great first-person shooters the
developer has created over the years. Yet id Software has decided to jump into
the realm of RPG’s with the release of Orcs & Elves. Instead of pushing
technical boundaries, which id is known for, we get a rather straightforward
role-playing game.
The game has you playing the role of
an elven adventurer who was given a magic wand named Ellon by your legendary
father Eol. Ellon soon receives a mysterious message believed to be from King
Brahm, a friend of your father. You set out to talk to King Brahm only to
discover his kingdom of Mount Zharrkarag has been overrun by orcs. To make
matters worse the king is nowhere to be found and your wand Ellon has suddenly
weakened. It’s up to you to find the king and find out what’s happening with the
sudden attacks by the orcs.
The gameplay of Orcs & Elves can
best be described as a throwback to classic first-person perspective
role-playing games of years gone by. The gameplay is presented in a first-person
viewpoint, which takes place entirely in a dungeon setting. Movement is done by
moving one grid or spot at a time on the map. This might seem a little strange
for new gamers since the movement can feel a little choppy. The game can be
played with either the touch pad or the d-pad and movement requires a screen tap
or button press.
Combat in the game is a mix of
action game and turned-based RPG. You can press the A button or tap the Use
button to attack with a weapon but you need to take notice of your movement.
Since every time you move is considered a turn you need to be careful and not
run straight into combat carelessly. The monsters will almost always be able to
take an extra turn to your one turn while engaged in combat. This can easily
result in you jumping head first into an empty swimming pool if you’re trying to
run away from combat.
Besides combat using any of the
items you collect in the game falls under the same movement rules. Every time
you want to use an item in the game it counts as a turn. During combat it almost
makes no sense to bother using an item, especially if you’re facing stronger
monsters. I found using magic spells and enhancements before combat offered a
better chance of survival than during combat. All of the items in the game are
your typical RPG fare such as Potions, Rings, Weapons and Magic spells for your
wand Ellon.
What we end up with Orcs & Elves is
a standard, almost vintage, type of RPG that plays well for the DS. While
movement in the game might seem restrictive it really adds to the strategic
elements. Running straight into combat without supplementing yourself with
potions or spells can result in dire consequences. You need to make sure you
explore every corner in the dungeons and pick up all of the items you discover.
Leveling up isn’t a huge requirement in the game since monsters rarely respawn
but being as powerful as possible helps when you run into a boss monster. Saving
the game can be performed at anytime. Orcs & Elves is a good RPG game for the DS
that won’t win you over with flash and special effects but will reward you with
a solid portable gaming experience.
Review Scoring Details for Orcs & Elves |
Gameplay: 7.7
Everything you would expect in a RPG is included in Orcs & Elves. The turn-based
movement setup helps in building strategic elements gamers wouldn’t expect with
a first-person perspective RPG.
Graphics: 7.0
Visually the game won’t be winning any awards. The character models all look
like they came from a mid-90’s first-person shooter. Each character is made up
of just a few animations that you will see repeated over and over again. The
best part of the visuals is when the game freely shows you different parts of a
dungeon by swooping through parts of the map, unfortunately controlled
completely by the computer. However, for a DS game Orcs & Elves doesn’t fall
flat on its face.
Sound: 6.5
The sound effects and music offer nothing too exciting or catchy to keep your
headphones plugged in.
Difficulty: Medium
You can select from three different difficulty levels when you start off in the
game. Make sure you follow a slow and cautious approach during combat or the
easy and normal difficulty might seem harder than you expect.
Concept: 6.7
This type of game doesn’t come along that often, probably because new gamers
have been brought up expecting RPG’s to offer the same visual overload found in
current Final Fantasy games. What some of them don’t realize is that at one time
this type of RPG would be considered revolutionary. Unfortunately that was
several years ago and now the game can almost be considered “vintage.”
Overall: 7.0
Orcs & Elves is a well-balanced RPG that plays well on the DS but doesn’t offer
anything new or exciting we haven’t already played. All of the elements you
would expect in an RPG are included, but when you play this on the DS it still
works.
