Rune Review

Older gamers certainly remember Marvel Comics and the adventures of the mighty Thor. Because I'm a long-time fan of the Nordic legends, I just had a blast playing the role of Ragnar. At first, it felt a little awkward, since I kinda missed the NPCs (Outcast, anybody), but the game is designed in such a way that it seldom leaves you feeling bored. It's built around a masterfully carried out classic TR concept, therefore leaving no room for heavy dialogues and NPCs, but still offering plenty of cinematic elements. The puzzles consist of the usual: levers, jumping, secret passages, and quick real-time decisions, with only a few outbursts of inventiveness. They are tough enough to challenge you, but solvable enough not to affect the flow of the game. Rune gameplay presents an excellent mix of fast paced-action, exploration, and puzzle elements mixed and spread across a huge landscape of differing environments, which will at times make you stop for a second and admire the view.

Sigard Axe

Loki's daughter speaks!

I have long believed that to make a good adventure game, game designers must spur our imagination, and make us travel places that constantly amaze us, and make us feel "small" and stranded. In doing so, programmers need pay close attention not to create a claustrophobic and linear world where every rock seems the same, and there's just no getting out in the light after mutilating thousands of daemons in the dark mazes of the underworld. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to say exactly. I guess it's the same kind of feeling I had while playing Half Life. Imagine going through countless dark corridors in a game... Why do you play on? You're expecting to see a change, a spacious new shiny environment just waiting behind the last soggy, and smelly hallway. Battling through Hell in Rune is a lot similar to battling through Black Mesa. You just want to get to that surface, and you expect the designers to deliver necessary changes in the game world that will cast away feelings of entrapment and claustrophobia. Luckily, the Rune designers delivered, much like the folks at Valve.

One thing that is very different from Valve's game though, is the fact that Rune unfortunately seemed kinda 'rushed through the door' to make the deadline. What a shame! Its graphics are good enough to withstand at least a few more months of testing without any danger of becoming outdated. The only reason why an excellent TR-genre-inspired game design doesn't live up to its full potential is the lack of play testing. Rune world is immersive, it's beautiful, and I guarantee you'll spend hours battling in it. But it lacks play testing. Ugh, there I go dissecting the title like a nitpicking pro, but I have to mention this. That's Rune's only real flaw. And I'm not talking about the AI glitches, and scripting errors; all that is fixed with a few megs of code. I'm referring to the all-important game dynamics -- parts that needed to be omitted, and puzzles that needed to be perfected.

Overall, I would be crazy not to recommend this game to the fans of the genre. Bottom line -- Rune immerses players into an intricate game world! What more could a fan ask for? I got sucked in and wouldn't let go for two straight days of playing; and we're talking 'my girlfriend wants to dump me 'cause I prefer my PC to sex' playing time. Ahh, you know what I'm talking about. At least I hope you do, or otherwise (cough), I might consider myself a pathetic sociopath, or something...

PS. I've heard some people complaining about the combat system in Rune. Hmm... Apart from the notion of the GLYPH system, which is making its debut in the upcoming Obi Wan by Lucas, none of the published combat systems in PC games seem overly intuitive without appearing somewhat simplistic at the same time. So, if I can't think of a better way to design combat on the PC why would I criticize the Human Head team for not delivering a revolutionary concept? Rune combat is functional, and it doesn't really add or take away from the gameplay. The weapons are mostly melee except for the Dwarf Sword. Weapons' weight affects the swing frequence (like when you're wielding the mighty two-handed Sigard Axe), which adds to the overall feel of combat.