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Your name is Wolfhound. You are the last of your clan. You
were taken screaming from your mother's breast and enslaved,
whilst your parents were killed in front of you. You now have
your freedom and there is only one thought on your mind -
revenge! All you remember about the person who ripped your
family apart is the weapon he used and the mark on his hand.
Your quest: to find him and make him pay...
Requital
is a new action role playing game (RPG), published by Excalibur
and coded by Akella, a Russian coding house based in Moscow,
who have been making games since 1993. Not only have they
been involved in making original games but have also been
active in bringing western games into Russia.
As
previously mentioned you play Wolfhound against a reportedly
authentic rendition of 6th Century Russia, we will have to
take the makers word for this, but its biggest impact is to
restrict types of weapons and use of magic, which is mostly
restricted to talismans. The premise also informs the type
of landscape, people and towns that you are likely to encounter.
The
game is relatively easy to set up with the normal options
for level of play difficulty and the usual uninspired game
play. As Wolfhound you wander around talking to people, fighting
and gaining rewards, which allow you to upgrade your armour,
weapons and personal stats. Unfortunately it all seems a little
too late. The selling point of the game is its authentic settings,
though even if the maps are pin point accurate the rendering
lags behind its contemporaries.
There
are some good points. The interface is easy to learn and there
are over a hundred weapons to collect and master, which can
be utilised in the three combat modes of hand to hand, close
combat and ranged. The game also allows you to master combinations
and special attacks. If you feel like making yourself nauseated
then you can play with the several camera controls, whilst
trying to decapitate your enemies. If you find that the game
is to your liking then over and above the fifteen hours to
complete the main story there is a plethora of side quests
to engage in.
The
game suffers from a number of serious problems. Firstly, for
an RGP there is no option for multi-player games and in truth
the single player game will do little to encourage you to
play beyond the fifteen hours that it will take you to complete
the main quests and finish the game. Secondly, and my personal
bugbear, is the voice acting which is not only minimalist
but also bloody awful. I turned the speakers off after about
half an hour. And finally, given the average power of today's
computers, the visuals are woefully under inspiring.
Even
given its faults, Requital would have been an acceptable
game a few years ago, but not now. Its weaknesses far outweigh
any positive aspects the game may possess.
Charles
Packer
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£19.99
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£17.99
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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