Alundra’s level design is unique in that the overworld is a kind of hub and the player alternates between real dungeons that hold secrets and treasures, and the dungeons in the minds of the tortured souls he meets in Inoa. That design lends a very special rhythm to the gameplay that I haven’t experienced with any other game.
Fans have called Alundra the PlayStation’s Zelda, and I really can’t fault that tag. The game has all the Zelda-isms down – challenging gameplay, great level design and amazing puzzles. Plus, it has the charm and backstory of a Landstalker (the spiritual successor, right?) and cool animations to boot. But the place where Alundra arguably trumps Zelda is with the breadth and depth of its dark and detailed storyline that starts off sounding like carbon copy of one of the Link games, but soon blasts off into the stratosphere, leaving that children’s story in the dust.
The more time you spend with the characters you meet in the village of Inoa, the more you believe they are alive. You laugh with them, you hurt for them, you cry with them. It’s a very emotional story woven in a delicate and precise way. The sense of dread grows as the story moves on, until the feeling of urgency becomes almost overwhelming – you WILL solve this puzzle, because you HAVE to save that poor villager whose life is at stake. When you lose a character, you begin to take it personally. They feel like your friends. And when the game comes to a close and the special animation at the end plays, there’s a sense of supreme satisfaction and a little sadness that it’s over.
Alundra
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