Pros: sprawling in-depth game world with challenging puzzles
Cons: The 'adventure' style may put some people off who are looking for more action-oriented fare
The Bottom Line: Does Adventure, Puzzles and an Epic Quest throughout a virtual 4,000 acre game sound like your thing? Then buy it immediately. Still not sure? Then rent it and see.
naggeneen's Full Review: Azurik: Rise of Perathia for Xbox
Okay...
If you've seen a number of the reviews, then you're probably thinking to yourself, "Man, I've heard that Azurik is a boring game". Well, the only thing I have to say is that you may be missing out on one of the most intriguing games in the Xbox launch lineup!
The Story
In the game, you play Azurik - a young guardian in the world of Perathia who is charged with the safekeeping of the elemental discs that keep balance in the world: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life and Death. Of course, the Death disc has been missing for hundreds of years resulting in a dark prophecy that one day Perathia's peace may be shattered.
That day comes after another guardian, Balthazar, finds the Death disc inside of a crumbling wall within the guardian's tower. Possessed by the Death Guardian (the embodiment of Death contained within the disc), Balthazar returns to the guardian's tower in order to steal the other discs and obtain ultimate power over the lands of Perathia.
Azurik and Elwin, the elder guardian master, catch Balthazar in the act of his theft and the resulting battle leaves Elwin gone and perhaps dead, Balthazar escapes and the elemental discs of Perathia shattered and flung to the far reaches of the land.
It is up to Azurik to explore the realms of Perathia and recover the pieces of the elemental discs as well as the powers they represent. With those powers, he can charge his Axion (a guardian's special weapon - a long rod with a fanciful curved blade at each end) with each of them or a combination of them for special attacks and effects.
The Graphics
Personally, I think this is a visually stunning game. Perathia is divided into realms representative of the elemental powers. So, as you could imagine, there's a water realm, a fire realm, an earth realm, an air realm, etc. Even further - each realm contains specific sum-elemental areas. For example, in the water realm there is a beach area, an iceburg area and a stormy area as well as one other.
One other note - until you realize that camera placement is an integral part to playing and enjoying this game, you may start off thinking that the game has one of the least intelligent camera systems you've ever seen. On the other hand, I found that I very quickly got used to controlling the camera as well as my character's movements. This manner of playing really does give you a remarkable amount of control over playing from the angles with which you are most comfortable at any given time.
The GamePlay
Here is where you'll find the largest division of players. Some reviewers will tell you that they quickly became bored with the game and disenchanted with trying to move forward into new objectives. On the other hand, you'll find many other players who will vehemently support the gameplay and tell you that this game is one of the most extensive and immersive titles you've ever seen. Which is true? Actually - both of them. It just depends on what type of gamer you are.
If you are the hardcore action gamer with titles like "Halo", "Dead or Alive 3" and "Project Gotham Racing" then you may not be taken with the slower pace that an adventure title offers. If you're an "old-school" gamer or someone who enjoys a game that's going to take you anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to work your way through all of the games objectives (depending on how much you play), then this is absolutely a must-have title.
There is also a bit of repetition in this style of game. Don't think that you're going to blast through the Water Realm and then never have to go back there again. The game is filled with puzzles that you'll have to go somewhere else and get something additional before you can gain access to specific areas. You'll certainly spend a good deal of time in each of Perathia's Realms - but once you're caught into the magic of this game you'll see that this is a good thing. :)
Respawning monsters - this was originally one of the more frustrating things I had with the game, although I understand it a bit more now. When you come back to an area where you had previously killed everything you'll find that just about every monster has now re-spawned and is waiting for you to kill them (ahem - or vice versa) all over again.
The reason for this is that if they DIDN'T respawn, then you'd spend a lot of time wandering around getting these new powers with nothing to use them on! The developers of this title originally set the respawning rate of the monsters to something like 35% so that you'd always have something to kill or get around throught the game. Microsoft, feeling as though they wanted more "action" in the game, mandated that the developers increase the respawing rate to something closer to 95%.
Frustrating? Sometimes. Just remember that you don't always have to kill everything each time you wander through. This is an adventure title after all and not a "kill everything around me until they're dead" title! You can often run through or around the monsters - especially once you know where you're going and want to get there in a hurry.
Gems and Obsidians - Throughout Perathia there are a ton of different gems and obsidians. Each type of gem will allow you to hold larger and larger amounts of an associated element (collect more rubies to have more elemental fire power). And don't think that these are always in easily accessible places. Mostly they are - but there are some dozies! Obsidians are special - and often in very hard to reach places. There are 100 obsidians throughout the game and for every 10 that you collect you can return to the guardian's tower for a special "reward". Sometimes they are increases in your overall amount of health and such. Sometimes it may be a very special key...
Keys - Did I mention these? In some realms you'll need to collect special keys in order to access specific areas. It's a pretty straightforward system. Find the key(s) for a specific lock or set of locks, use them and open up the area. Cool, huh?
Other Notes
The only other thing I've got on my mind at the moment is a quick comment about time. You see - time actually passes in this game! You'll notice a distinct day/night cycle that rotates about every five minutes or so while you play. Not only does this provide some nice graphic variety in the game - but you'll find that some of the challenges are actually dependent on this cycle as well!
Overall, Azurik: The rise of Perathia is a well-rounded title. There are a ton of dedicated fans over in the Azurik forum at www.teamxbox.com that are happy to help you out. Oh - by the way - did I mention that the game developers also participate in that forum and are always ready to help if you get stuck or need a hint? It's a great little bonus to have with a sprawling epic adventure like this one. If you're STILL not sure whether or not this is a game for you, then simply drop on down to your local Blockbuster or other video rental store and rent a copy of it for a week. You won't be disappointed!
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