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April 2nd 2008 | By Espy
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 Games that have as much impact on the gaming world as Zelda are always bound to have features that other developers “borrow”. Eventually, these features become standard within their genre - Ocarina of Time’s lock-on system is the perfect example of this. But what do you get when a game completely rips off another so much that it can be difficult to tell them apart? Normally a lawsuit, but on the odd occasion, you get a game so great that you feel like you’re just playing the next Zelda in the series. Alundra is one of these.
The Zelda formula has been successfully emulated in recent times by games such as Okami - but Alundra is a game that unfortunately seems to be largely forgotten. It is a ten-year-old game by Matrix Software, who have recently been in charge of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest remakes for the DS, and it is like a 2D Zelda game in almost every way, only darker, harder and prettier.
Alundra and I go way back. I first rented it when I was 11 years old, while looking for something Zelda-esque on the Playstation. I didn't buy the game for a good few years after renting it, but the dark atmosphere of the game left an impression on me - I knew it was something special. After eventually buying it, the disc lay untouched for a few years more, until just over a year ago, when I impulsively decided to play it again. Unexpectedly, the next five days of my life consisted of little other than playing Alundra.
Let's start with the plot and atmosphere, the game's most striking aspects. Silent protagonist Alundra is washed ashore onto a mysterious land, with a sole village, Inoa. In this village, the inhabitants are slowly falling victim to unwakeable nightmares. Alundra holds the ability to "walk" into these dreams, and thus is burdened with the responsibility of saving the villagers. The plot quickly becomes very dark, and very immersive, devoid of any clichéd RPG characters. There are many plot twists that I genuinely did not expect, and some things which most Japanese fantasy game developers would consider taboo - don't think any character is "safe" from being bumped off during the game. Apart from Alundra, obviously.
The atmosphere is incredible, even today - the game quickly convinces you that this land ain't no Hyrule - the first "dungeon" is an abandoned mansion, and the village of Inoa is painted in dreary colours instead of the usual lush greens and browns of your usual fantasy-RPG-style worlds. The village, in particular, is one of the most effective areas of the game - it really feels like a curse is looming over all the inhabitants, in a similar way to Clock Town in Majora's Mask. That's not to say the game is depressing as a result of the dark atmosphere - there is a sunny sense of adventure running through the whole thing - the only game I know that successfully balances the two.
The music really adds to the atmosphere - the soundtrack is one of the very few I can claim to love, despite being synthesised. From the booming world map theme to the unnerving, dramatic nightmare themes, the whole soundtrack gets under your skin, and compliments the game's plot and complex pixel-art visuals. For a ten-year-old game, it is still incredible on the senses.
But how does it play? The first thing you will notice is, as I have mentioned, that it is very similar to Zelda. The game is a complete rip-off, probably the biggest rip-off there is. The island is on a square map (albeit with a scrolling camera), Alundra has many different weapons and gadgets at his disposal which he can use to solve clever puzzles, and when he gets to the end of a dungeon he is rewarded with an artifact and a hea... er, "life vessel". But to turn away from the game because of this would be a big mistake. For a start, where the game copies Zelda, it copies it excellently - to the extent that it feels like the real thing. Everything that makes a good Zelda game is here. I have often labeled this game "the best Zelda clone ever", and that is true in a number of ways.
The game already holds its own against Zelda with its dark atmosphere and plot (yes, I know Twilight Princess - this is a different kind of dark), but gameplay-wise, it adds its own unique twists to the Zelda formula. For a start, the game does not have eight dungeons with generic themes. The dungeon areas feel much more neatly woven into the world, and they can take all forms, from a mineshaft, to a giant tree-fort built by monkeys, to a giant aztec-style statue. There’s no generic “forest-fire-water” themes running through this game. There are no “official dungeons" in the game - this makes the game feel far less like a formulaic game with set “levels” as you move from A to B, and more like a big continuous adventure on a mysterious island. As such, there are also a great deal more dungeons than your average Zelda.
The second major difference is the difficulty. Some puzzles are extremely tricky, and require a lot of thinking (or GameFAQs), but they are always unique and interesting to solve. The final dungeon, a huge multi-roomed, multi-floored beast, is incredibly tricky, and definitely one of the highlights of the game. Anyone who heads into it without a GameFAQs printout at hand is either stupid or cocky. I was a mix of both. Completing the game without any aid is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult gaming achievements known. It can be incredibly cruel in many respects - some dungeons seal themselves off after completion, and any one-of-a-kind items you happen to have missed are gone forever - a very unusual move in this genre. However, the game rarely frustrates, and always feels fun, and the huge number of side-quests is refreshing - stumbling across a bonus dungeon or secret item is a common occurrence. I often found myself spending hours exploring the little nooks and crannies of the island. You are constantly compelled to keep playing the game, as it is always rewarding, though seemingly reluctant to be. I think it's a shame not many people have played Alundra - it is a worthy experience. The game is obviously out of print, being two generations old, but you can find copies on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace for a good price - £10 to £15. If you’re a Zelda fan that hasn't played it, and feel like something a bit older, or a bit different, this is most definitely for you.
Alundra was followed by Alundra 2, which everyone but myself hated. I hope to try and convince you that it's a lot better than most people thought at a later date. Which will be hard. I believe the only fault in Alundra 2 was the decision to call it Alundra 2. But I digress - I’ll save that for next time. For now I hope I have inspired you to try out Alundra!
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