Rune Viking Warlord
Review of Rune Viking Warlord
Ragnar, the Viking Warrior, was handpicked by the Gods to defend humanity from the evil doings of the war masters of the Netherworld. Ragnar can slice, dice, and chop your head off with the help of his trusty axes, hammers, and swords, oh my!
Starting off, you play as Ragnar, a fearless Viking Warlord who must defend his world from a group of devious enemies. The story is a little “heady” but there is not much of a plot to speak of.
To simplify things, Rune is a story about the mighty Vikings battling the bad dudes of the Netherworld. The goal is to kick your enemies butt or even cut a few toes off of your foes, hehehe.
The game has been programmed using the fps UNREAL engine and so honestly speaking… ‘monotony’ is a good word for describing the depth of gameplay on offer here (hack, slash, and move on… boring, boring the old man is snoring!!). There are some basic combination moves but nothing to get excited over. Ragnar can jump, crouch, run, swim, and attack. The controls are basic enough that anyone can pick up and play right from the beginning. The player will find objects thru gameplay that will assist Ragnar in meeting his goals. The first level, which is really a training session, will introduce you to these items and give helpful hints before you are left on your own.
As gameplay progresses, Ragnar will discover many weapons that he can pick up and use thru his journeys. One of the first is a sword, next will be an axe and so on. There are different weapon categories; but all follow the ‘Viking’ theme, so if you were hoping for laser guns then forget it. Each group has its own upgrades. Collecting enough goodies will award the player with special combat moves and extras. If you happen to throw a weapon don’t forget to pick it back up or you will lose it – which can be very frustrating at times, especially when the enemy grab it first and use it against you.
To further assist the warrior, the Gods have given Ragnar a gift to help him defeat his enemies. They have placed Runestones along the way that will give the Warrior RUNE POWER when fighting his enemies. There are five types of Runestones and each has different powers like enhancing health and strength. I did like the fact that the warrior prince had the capability to grab a torch to light a smoke or better yet… illuminate a dark passage in a cave.
One of the features of the game I was impressed with was the graphics. It was surprisingly attractive. The characters have a realistic build to them and the water is glistening with shimmering lighting effects. The backgrounds are highly detailed exhibiting energetic colors and textures. I did notice at times that the dark areas of the game are a bit deceiving. It is hard to distinguish at times if there is a tunnel approaching or just a plain old dead end.
The sad trend for PS2 games to have grainy cinematics (you know those mini-movies between levels and at the start) that look far worse than the in-game graphics is sadly evident here. On the flip-side at least the game does not suffer from the level of slowdown present in Unreal Tournament; even though the animation of the characters movements, actions and effects are quite detailed.
The sound effects of Rune were pleasing in my opinion. The voice acting was well done and there are some cool eerie sound effects in the background. They even threw in a few humorous outbursts. It definitely sets the tone of gameplay. You will hear howling, growling, explosions, thunder, and danger approaching. The hacking and slashing sounds were not too shabby either.
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'Rune Viking Warlord' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Loretta Mattie © Absolute PlayStation
Click here to view our 13 Rune Viking Warlord in-game screenshot slideshow
Have You Played Rune Viking Warlord ?
If you have owned 'Rune Viking Warlord' long enough to have formed a solid opinion on it, then click here to write your own mini review of Rune Viking Warlord.
Alternatively, if you would like to read what other gamers who already own Rune Viking Warlord think of it, click here to view all of our reader comments and mini reviews of Rune Viking Warlord.
Want To Know More About Rune Viking Warlord ?
Playstation Chat Forum
