Back from the dead
At the start of this game you are dead. Not, admittedly the most congenial of circumstances but one you're beginning to live with. At least until the sorcerer, Sardok, decides to summon you back into the world of the living as a Revenant (apparently some minor sub-species of undead). All is not well in the kingdom of Akhulion, and Lord Tendrick of the House of Averam needs your help. Not only does the poor man have to cope with more ridiculous fantasy names than a Transylvanian Tolkein convention but - hot damn! - his daughter has been kidnapped.
Now where have I heard that one before?
Anyhow the rather cliched back-story only goes to disguise what is, in fact, a solid and unpretentious action-adventure. Think Diablo crossed with Darkstone (or, if these names mean nothing to you, don't). You guide the Revenant around a suitably detailed isometric landscape, beat up the bad guys and get the girl. That's it in a nutshell. Can I go home now?
You want more? Well the graphics are nice, without being eye-popping. They consist of static, pre-rendered backgrounds with polygon characters dropped in on top. This combination of techniques works rather well with the characters being large and well-detailed. There are a number of catchy lighting effects on top of this, particularly when you let rip with your magical spellbook. Sound is also well-implemented. Although some of the voice acting is a bit ropey, your character's grungy tones convey a real feeling of extreme-pissed-off-ness. After all, if you had just been raised from you dead, you would hardly smell the roses.
However, readers expecting a Baldurs Gate-style RPG be warned; sure, there's some character interaction and a nominal 'plot', but the role-playing aspect is strictly limited. The storyline is horrendously linear and, in some places, gratingly obvious. Early on in the game, for example, you have to search out the Druagh Camp to put an end to their misdeeds. Hey presto! As soon as you step outside the doors there are big signs everywhere saying 'Drugh Camp, 10km'. About as obvious as the villains' lair in a Batman film.
But in essence the game is not about plot (you may have gathered this from the first paragraph): it's about wandering around and beating up monsters, and it does a remarkably good job of this. Combat is played out in real-time and manages to be fast and addictive without being bogged down by the control system. You have a choice of three moves of varying impact and one blocking move. As you go along you collect more-and-more ninja weapons as you beat up the bad guys and fight a series of Boss monsters. The opponents are well-animated, ranging from oversized spiders to giants and the magical Drugh, blue-skinned little goblins which jump around like Monty Python on speed. Magic works by combining a series of runes which, while not the most intuitive system ever devised, is perfectly workable. When you start to motor during the later stages of the game, the spellbook becomes an invaluable companion as you blast your way through the evil hordes.
In the end Revenant is a fun, if unadventurous game. It looks good and sounds good, but the gameplay always feels as if it could have that bit more. A little more plot, a little more interaction, a little more background. In concentrates on the basic combat engine and does little else. But what it does it does well and what it doesn't... well, there's always the sequel.
jt
18th Nov 1999