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Alundra

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This article is about the video game. For the wrestler known as Alundra Blayze, see Debra Miceli.
Alundra
The Adventures of Alundra - European box art
Developer(s)Matrix Software
Composer(s)Kōhei Tanaka
SeriesAlundra
Platform(s)PlayStation, PlayStation Network
ReleasePlayStation
PlayStation Network
Genre(s)Action role-playing, Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Alundra (アランドラ, Arandora), released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action role-playing game developed by Matrix Software for the Sony PlayStation and was released in 1997. It was published by Sony in Japan, Working Designs in North America, and Psygnosis in Europe. It won great critical acclaim for its bizarre story and smooth game mechanics. The game's protagonist is a boy named Alundra, who learns that he has the power to enter people's dreams. He is shipwrecked near the village of Inoa and proceeds to try to help the locals, who have been suffering from a terrible curse. The narrative becomes gradually darker and more twisted as the game progresses. There is an emphasis on puzzle solving.

Gameplay

Alundra is considered a spiritual sequel to Climax Entertainment's Landstalker on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive.[2] In addition to a similar looking main character, the game's development team consisted of former employees of Climax Entertainment. The gameplay includes a combination of top-down action role-playing and platform elements, quite similar to Zelda series. It is known for containing many extremely difficult puzzles, some of which cannot be accessed if the player progresses further in the game, making some items unattainable.[citation needed] It is also known for its music and dark storyline. A range of terrain and surfaces also add variety, from sand, which causes the player to move more slowly, to lava, which damages the player. Upgrades throughout the game can help the player to overcome many of these obstacles, encouraging exploration.

Plot

Characters

  • Alundra, the protagonist and player character, is an elf from the clan of Elna, the Dreamwalkers. He comes to Inoa because of a recurring dream in which a mysterious figure who calls Alundra "Releaser" tells him that he must save the villagers from the evil of Melzas. His ship is caught in a storm and he is later found washed ashore unconscious. After arriving, he starts being blamed by the townsfolk for all of the terrible happenings that occur. Alundra is a silent protagonist.
  • Meia is also part of the clan of Elna. She is also seeking to destroy Melzas. She has a troubled past that is eventually revealed during the course of the game.

Villagers

  • Jess is the blacksmith in Inoa. After Alundra's ship is swept ashore and destroyed in a storm, Jess finds the unconscious Alundra and takes care of him for as long as he remains in Inoa. He is good-natured and always trusts Alundra, even when others do not.
  • Septimus is a scholar and a close friend of Alundra. He travelled to Inoa to help lift the curse that has afflicted it, but has met with little success. He helps Alundra discover many ancient and forgotten secrets of the world and his power of dreamwalking.
  • Cephas is the gravekeeper of Inoa Village, and right from meeting him, it is obvious that he knows a lot more than he is letting on about the goings on in both the village and Torla as a whole.
  • Sybill has the ability to dream only when she's awake. Her dreams seem to eerily portend future events with uncanny accuracy.
  • Yustel, as one of the oldest residents of Inoa, has watched the village's descent into darkness with a sense of helplessness. For a small fee, she uses her crystal ball to give advice to anyone wise enough to inquire of her. For a further pittance, she tells those who asks her where their destiny lies.
  • Elene, whose mother left and father turned alcoholic. She spends much of her time in a multiple personality infested dream world.
  • Gustav is Elene's father. He has a drinking problem and when spoken to, commonly hiccups a lot. He later tells Alundra that his daughter, Elene, is trapped in a nightmare and asks him to rescue her.
  • Giles became extremely religious when he lost both of his parents in a freak gardening accident. He now works very closely with Chancellor Ronan in the Sanctuary, and lives with his long-suffering sister, Kisha. He is critical of Alundra some time after the Dreamwalker's arrival into the village.
  • Kline, despite his stern appearance, is a kind and likeable man. Not only is he known as the best fisherman in the village, but he is also known for his pinpoint accuracy as an archer. He is regarded by many of the villagers as their best defender against the Murgg.
  • Bonaire is a laid-back, feel-good kind of lad. Because of his seeming lack of interest in the fairer sex, his aging father, Phineas, is losing hope of seeing his son married.
  • Nadia, who has an interest in Bonaire. Despite Myra's pleas for her to get involved with any other person, she does not give up on her one true love. Nadia is also cursed by making objects explode whenever she falls asleep, causing her to become an insomniac by choice.
  • Beaumont is the village mayor, and has been busy trying to keep both the villagers and his family happy. His wife Thyea, is humble and intelligent. His son, Talis, on the other hand, is an arrogant little brat.
  • Meade and his wife Rumi move to Inoa from the capital city. They live in the quiet little village with Meade's father, Wendell, and their twin sons Bergus and Nestus, who are almost exact opposites. Bergus tends to be a loud and brash kid, while Nestus tends to be quiet and well-behaved.
  • Lutas and his wife Fein are friendly and easy-going. Fein is proud of her husband's sense of justice. Lutas has even been known to draw arms and fight when he perceives that an injustice has been done to another.
  • Naomi owns a small store in Inoa where villagers can buy healing herbs and other special items. Her husband Yuri spends most of his time roaming the land in search of herbs.
  • Yuri is Naomi's husband. He spends most of his time roaming the lands in search of herbs for his wife, Naomi, to sell in her store.

Antagonists

  • Melzas is an ancient and powerful demon. Though he was imprisoned long ago by the Guardians of the Seal, he has returned and is terrorizing the villagers of Inoa. He is the primary villain of the storyline.
  • Ronan is the priest of the village's church, the Sanctuary. From Alundra's first arrival in Inoa, Ronan constantly acts to turn the villagers against him due to his hidden agenda.
  • Zazan is the leader of a clan of white monkey-like creatures known as the Murgg. He is being commanded by Melzas to destroy Inoa and steal the seven crests.
  • Zorgia is a powerful demon and a servant of Melzas. He is vicious, cruel, sadistic, and utterly loyal to his master.

Story

The game starts with Alundra being on a ship. After walking around and talking to the crew, Alundra decides to take a nap. He has a mysterious dream where a strange being named Lars tells him that he is a wizard and one of the guardians of the seal. Suddenly, Alundra sees a vision from the village of Inoa. After the vision, Lars calls Alundra a 'Releaser' and tells him that north of the village there is a dark lake and below it there has lied a demon for over 1000 years, and it has awakened recently. After telling this, a creature named Melzas appears and points out that nobody has the power to stop him, especially not a human like Alundra. After talking with Lars about humans and the 'Releaser', Melzas disappears. Lars tells Alundra to travel to village Inoa and stop the demon.

Suddenly Alundra wakes up to the ship shaking, and after getting out of his cabin, he finds out that there is a huge storm above the ship. The captain tells the crew not to worry but they sail into the reef, causing the ship to sink. After this Alundra loses consciousness.

Alundra has drifted to a beach, where a man named Jess finds and rescues him. Jess carries Alundra to his house at village Inoa and lets him sleep in his guest room. In the village, Alundra discovers he is a Dreamwalker and helps the villagers get rid of the nightmares that have been possessing them. Since Alundra's arrival, bad things have started to happen in the village, and some of the people blame Alundra for them. Later in the game, however, it is revealed that the demon, Melzas, has disguised himself as a god, and he is the source of all the nigthmares of the village. His goal is to make the villagers pray for their god, and thus gaining power from their prayers. Ronan, the priest of the village, was also on the side of Melzas and helped him to deceive the villagers.

Another dreamwalker, Meia, from the clan Elna arrives to the city and helps Alundra fight off the nightmares of the villagers, while he gathers the information and items needed to access Melzas' palace and eventually kill the demon.

Development

It was published in America by the now-defunct Working Designs.

More recently, Alundra has been made available as a downloadable game on the PSOne Classics service for the PlayStation 3.[3]

Reception

Alundra was well received upon release. The game had sold 143,114 copies in Japan by the end of 1997.[16] It currently has average scores of 9.0 out of 10 on GameStats based on 5 reviews,[6][7] 84.90% at GameRankings based on 10 reviews,[4] and 86 out of 100 at Metacritic based on 9 reviews,[5] making it one of the highest-rated PlayStation titles of 1997.

In January 1998, IGN stated, "Never have I been so tested and challenged since the old Genesis adventure title, LandStalker. And Climax has made Alundra twice as hard, twice as challenging, and twice as good as its LandStalker counterpart." The review further states that it has "a really cool story," "some great music and graphics that totally suit the game," and concludes that "this game is awesome."[10]

A sequel entitled Alundra 2: A New Legend Begins was released in 1999. However, IGN compared it unfavourably with the original Alundra, which the reviewer David Zdyrko considered to be "one of the best games in the action/RPG category of all-time."[17]

In 2009, Destructoid's Conrad Zimmerman described Alundra as a "fresh and innovative" game and "one of the finest examples of action/RPG gaming." He particularly praised it for featuring "a plot the likes of which I had never seen before in the genre," the strong "writing and characterizations," and the "clever and challenging puzzles."[18] In regards to the PSN release, Platform Nation's Julian Montoya said the game "is very enjoyable and definitely worth playing" as well as stating it is a "long, fun, hard, mildly mature and full of personality adventure".[19]

References

  1. ^ Template:Gamefaqs
  2. ^ Webber (03/02/1998). "Alundra". RPGFan. Retrieved 31 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "アランドラ". PlayStation.com(Japan). Sony. 2007-10-10. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Alundra". Game Rankings. Archived from the original on 25 December 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c "Alundra". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  6. ^ a b "Alundra (PS)". GameStats. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Alundra (PSN)". GameStats. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  8. ^ John Ricciardi, Crispin Boyer, Kelly Richards, and Sushi-X (February 1998). "Alundra review". Electronic Gaming Monthly (103). San Francisco, California: Ziff Davis Media. Retrieved 2012-02-10.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Chris Johnston (January 08, 1998). "The Adventures of Alundra Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 28, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Alundra - PlayStation review". IGN. January 09, 1998. Retrieved June 28, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Alex (1998). "Alundra". PS Extreme. Retrieved 10 February 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Tidwell, Mikel. "Alundra - Staff Review". RPGamer. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  13. ^ Terence Gage (September 28, 2007). "The Adventures of Alundra - PSone review". Thunderbolt. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  14. ^ "Alundra". Ultra Game Players. 1998. Retrieved 10 February 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Gann, Patrick (11/11/10). "Alundra". RPGFan. Retrieved 30 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Video game software sales in 1997". Geimin.net. 1997/12/28. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Zdyrko, David (April 12, 2000). "Alundra 2". IGN. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  18. ^ Zimmerman, Conrad (03/20/2009). "An RPG Draws Near! Alundra". Destructoid. Retrieved 30 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Platform Nation's Alundra Review

External links

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