Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

1. BobF.

   Oct 24, 2003

   10

   This game is awesome!!! Even though I don't know that much about RPG's I do know a thing or two about fantasy. When you can take a This game is awesome!!! Even though I don't know that much about RPG's I do know a thing or two about fantasy. When you can take a game and make people feel like they're part of it. It is something very interesting indeed. Oh and one more thing. All you a...holes who are dissing on this game because of freaking graphics really need to get a life. If you are such a hard player you would know that image isn't everything. Besides this games for N64 of course the graphics aren't going to be as good as a PS2 or X-box game.… Expand

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2. TreborR.

   Mar 7, 2007

   10

   This was the first RPG video game I played and fell in love with it. Great storyline--(who wrote the script?) great imagination and This was the first RPG video game I played and fell in love with it. Great storyline--(who wrote the script?) great imagination and execution. If I had to change anything would be I'd like to have had voice talent preferably from a British Cast. The graphics were simple but effective as were the music and sound effects. This is a nugget of a game that will grow on you like a classic. Enjoy!… Expand

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4. guswayne

   May 6, 2022

   10

   A very underrated game. It is an RPG with a good atmosphere, good control, good story and very entertaining.

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5. KafkaF.

   Jan 31, 2002

   9

   I am a hardcore gamer, having played nearly every game known to human kind, I would have to say those top mags are full of "stuff". Though I am a hardcore gamer, having played nearly every game known to human kind, I would have to say those top mags are full of "stuff". Though Aidyn Chronicles may be slow paced to some, anyone who has played, ACTUALLY played a D&D game would understand that RPG's by definitine are slow, and boring to all you sugar-poppies. The soundtrack was strange enough to promote the same ambiance as ancient games like Ultima or D&D silverblade and pool of radiance. I would have given this game a 10, but the game lost fraction points for HIGH RES problems, but the game is still very good in low res. The best part of the game is the lengthy, but intellegent battle systems. The worst part is I haven't figured out how to revive character (without a gameshark of course)… Expand

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6. [Anonymous]

   Nov 27, 2001

   8

   I like this game. I think they could have improved it by making more music, enhancing the graphics, not making it so challanging, and I like this game. I think they could have improved it by making more music, enhancing the graphics, not making it so challanging, and improving the battle scenes. I really like this game except for the poor graphics and the game challenge level.… Expand

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7. artificeprime

   Jul 1, 2017

   6

   Flawed but better than critics would have you believe. While there are some obvious problems with the game, this is a big ambitious RPG thatFlawed but better than critics would have you believe. While there are some obvious problems with the game, this is a big ambitious RPG that actually achieved a lot for its time. There is a ton of content, the main quest took me over 50 hous and the story gets quite complex. It is a bit convoluted but there are quite a few really good ideas and its more original than most rpgs. The world is huge with a ton of secrets to uncover. There are a lot of characters and you need to earn them onto your team overtime. The combat also had quite a few spell options and weapons. I think in a lot of ways this game was ahead of its time. It failed in many of its ambitions but to me it was still better than a lot of the games of its time because it had a lot of depth. I would prefer a game that tries to achieve a lot and falls short than a game that just does the bare minimum with a good presentation.
   
   The gameplay itself was actually pretty good, it was one of the most open RPGs of its time. Unlike most rpgs back then there are no random encounters, you can see and avoid enemies in the field which was super rare back then. This made it way better for traveling around the map. Combat was also a mix of turn based and free movement during your turn. This added a fair amount of strategy to combat because you had to move your characters around the battlefield as you fought. Sometimes you needed to get in range to use your powerful physical attacks while other times you would want to keep your distance and rely on long range spells. Spells also had area effects. As your stats improved you could also increase your area of movement. This system added much more diversity and strategy compared to most rpgs where your characters stand in a line. A characters class has a lot of impact on how they move and what types of situations they are good for. The menu systems were simple but offered a decent number of options. Its not the most polished RPG gameplay but it is unique and offered more meaningful options than most.
   
   The story starts off quite simplistic but as the game progresses it gets gradually more complex. One thing I really like is that each area you visit has different problems, there really is a sense that the world is big and that each race you meet has a unique culture. The Dryad forest for instance was totally different from the city of Gnomes which is built into a mountain. There are also multiple villains with differing motives, it isn't just as simple as their being one basic dark lord. The villains you face also escalate in a natural way making you feel like you are growing in power based on the problems you solve. On the island of chaos you can fight an enemy who is way above your level and it is possible to defeat him there, if you don't though you get to fight him near the end. The idea of the main character having his soul outside of his body is pretty interesting. It could have been handled better but overall I found the story more inventive most other games. It's not on the level of most Final Fantasy games or Bioware games but its still a pretty good story that is definitely unique and ambitious.
   
   The world is huge and unlike most RPGs there is no hub world, each area is fully modeled and the distances between them you travel like normal. A lot of the areas are bland and you could certainly argue that the spaces were too empty but one thing I liked about the big spaces was that it actually made travel feel significant. It actually felt like a real journey traveling from one settlement to the next. While there are a lot of dead ends and empty spaces there are also a lot of secrets and some really satisfying moments come from going back to areas that were inaccessible early in the game to discover things that you missed.
   
   There are a lot of characters in your party and one thing that I really liked is that you have to convince them to join you. This doesn't happen in a linear way, you need to use trial and error to convince your party members to join you. Another thing I like is that you can build the relationship with your party members through conversation and choices in cut scenes that trigger as you journey. One thing that is a bit frustrating is that you can miss some of those interactions. Also the game doesn't hold your hand, you need to determine what conversation choices work by testing them out. It isn't as good as something like Jade Empire or Dragon Age: Origins, but this game came out several years earlier.
   
   Presentation is clearly not this games strong point. The visuals are far from great, even for its time. Character models have little to no appeal and environments are often bland. I do give the game credit for some of its monster designs though. Compared to JRPGs of that era which had spinning wheels and bouncing blobs, this game at least has monsters that seem fairly menacing.
   
   There is a good game beneath its muddled exterior.
   
   I give it 65%… Expand

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8. Jessie

   Jun 20, 2003

   1

   This is the worst RPG ever. The only reason I played through it was because it was so stupid it was funny. It wasn't even worth the five This is the worst RPG ever. The only reason I played through it was because it was so stupid it was funny. It wasn't even worth the five bucks I spent on it aside from laughing at it. … Expand

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