Alundra

 PlayStation
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 101 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 101
  3. Negative: 6 out of 101
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  1. Bulldozer
    Jul 10, 2012
    10
    I think 1997 was the best year ever for quality videogames, Alundra (or, as originally named "The adventures of Alundra") makes no exception to this. This games even now in 2012 still shows how a game should be done. There is only one word to describe the game in its complex and this word is "MASTERPIECE". I've put at that time a lot of faith in its follow-up Alundra 2 which insteadI think 1997 was the best year ever for quality videogames, Alundra (or, as originally named "The adventures of Alundra") makes no exception to this. This games even now in 2012 still shows how a game should be done. There is only one word to describe the game in its complex and this word is "MASTERPIECE". I've put at that time a lot of faith in its follow-up Alundra 2 which instead disappointed me as hell, the first one keeps being unrivaled and aside from the first half hour of game that could seem a little slow the game rocks till the end in a progression of well balanced mix of RPG, exploration and puzzle solving with some rare "finger-knotting" steps, a compelling soundtrack and the ability to keeps alive the wish to play. I live in Europe and if someone shouldn't come out with something that could only stay aside at the same level of the first Alundra I'll be really glad to have the chance of downloading and re-playing it on my PS3 system, unfortunately is not currently available in Europe. It has the same "magic taste" of FF7 for the lucky ones who played it at the right time, if you knows what I mean you definitely can't miss this one. I don't care if it could seem "old", it's "GREAT" first thing first, even now in 2012 we NEED a team that could send 3D-eye-candy garbage to hell and make game like this one cause the main reason for a game to exist is to let users HAVE FUN not to bore them with increasingly "realistic" graphics without soul, yes that's the word this is an old game with a huge SOUL, one of my dreams is to play another adventure like this.
    I'm gonna rating this title as it were newly released cause I've played it at that time and I've to say that for many reasons is still unsurpassed, a new same-style game would be over-welcome, in the meanwhile this is still a 10/10 game.    … Expand
  2. lkobus
    Oct 28, 2013
    10
    There are so many words that can describe Alundra that I think there are not enough space here to write!
    I can only say PLAY Alundra, this is a must play game for everyone who likes a good history, RPG, Puzzle, Adventure and the felt that you are inside the game *-*.
    GO AND PLAY!
  3. MickeyL.
    Mar 9, 2006
    10
    Alundra is a trully inspiring game even after so long from release date. It has often been refered to by other big game enterprises and in doing so, gives it an enormous recomendation! The graphics themselvezs are good for a game of its age, but the colour technique used really shows its age well. For overall preformance, it is a fantastic RPG that every RPG fanatic should have played Alundra is a trully inspiring game even after so long from release date. It has often been refered to by other big game enterprises and in doing so, gives it an enormous recomendation! The graphics themselvezs are good for a game of its age, but the colour technique used really shows its age well. For overall preformance, it is a fantastic RPG that every RPG fanatic should have played before giving themselves such a title!… Expand
  4. Manos
    Apr 1, 2005
    9
    It's hard but it's one of my favourite games ever! It rocks!
  5. RedLOL
    Oct 4, 2016
    10
    Great and epic battles, terrific and captivating atmosphere, gorgeous retro soundtrack and charismatic characters. This is Alundra.
    It's gameplay is perfect: The "let's explore this world", with deadly dungeons and complex puzzles.
    Once finished, you may never forget such well designed game.
  6. Tcho
    Mar 8, 2006
    6
    I recommend this only to those who love solving puzzles. Iffy storyline leaves you not caring when characters die or progressions in the plot and the gameplay can really annoy you at times. A zelda clone but with more puzzles, it's enjoyable enough if you're after a rpg fix but there's better rpgs out there.
  7. BenF.
    Apr 30, 2008
    10
    Over a decade later, this game is still one of the great action RPGs of all time, with a creative story and brilliantly designed world.
  8. MarkG.
    Nov 17, 2007
    10
    A lengthy game with great music and battles, despite the aged graphics it still delivers an epic experience. Even though I didn't quite understand the story, it was still fun. If you enjoyed the old zelda games, make sure you get a hold of this. A true classic.
  9. 6oni
    Oct 26, 2018
    9
    + nozin t envy d zelda
    +damn kul
    - som puzles r try and failure (fkn blu orbs)
    - tipical respawn chambers/enemies
    - weak story/town/xaractrs
  10. Pashadarkgempla
    Jun 28, 2023
    10
    Довольно хорошая игра графика вполне устраевует а геймплей не хуже новинок ИГРА ЛЕГЕНДА
  11. JohnnyB.
    Aug 14, 2005
    10
    This game is absolutely outstanding! If you ask me, the game was really creepy at times, creating an atmosphere that really captures you, while at the same time not resolving to shock, gore or blood. It actually was the first time back in the last 10 years of RPGs that the death of one of the characters around your hero felt like a loss. Of course, the great storyline greatly supports this.
  12. Subject98
    Jul 21, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I only played this for the first time a few years ago but I absolutely LOVE it, and it's easily won a place in my top 5 favorite ps1 games. I would have believed you if you told me this was a modern day love letter to Zelda but it came out more than 20 years ago!?

    I can't think of anything I don't like about it, but the biggest draw for me is that it provides over a dozen proper dungeons which consistently put you up against new challenges and brain teasers to keep things interesting, and keep you thinking on your own with very little hand holding. There is combat of course but this is not at all a game where you button mash to glory. Most of the challenge comes from figuring out how to get through each dungeon. The last one in particular is like a huge jigsaw puzzle that must've taken me like 3 or 4 hours... I'm used to similar games not having a memorable final dungeon, but this one was a force to be reckoned with and was satisfying to finally finish. The whole game maintains quality though, which is saying a lot as this is a 30-40 hour deal.

    I also found the setting to be pretty interesting and unique. Basically there is a curse on the village where people get trapped in their nightmares and die in real life if they die in their dream. You play as someone with the ability to enter peoples' dreams and save them by killing the demon they're haunted by. Many of these dreams are like dungeons in and of themselves, and some people you're able to save, others actually die. This starts to have a psychological effect on Alundra as the game goes on. It's not explicitly stated since he is a silent protagonist, but you can feel it. It's definitely a dark story for a game that's so similar to Zelda, but that's another part of why I like it so much.    … Expand
  13. Jagger
    Sep 28, 2017
    10
    Gameplay - The gameplay design was excellent, like a cross between Landstalker (its even more obscure spiritual predecessor) and Zelda, but much more hardcore than both. The gameplay was very well-designed, in almost every area, from the puzzles, platforming and combat to the open world, levels and dungeons. The gameplay was very difficult (more so than Landstalker, Zelda, or evenGameplay - The gameplay design was excellent, like a cross between Landstalker (its even more obscure spiritual predecessor) and Zelda, but much more hardcore than both. The gameplay was very well-designed, in almost every area, from the puzzles, platforming and combat to the open world, levels and dungeons. The gameplay was very difficult (more so than Landstalker, Zelda, or even Soulsborne), though not in an unfair way, but in a manner that rewards player skill and logical thinking. The game's difficulty, however, limited its accessibility for many players.

    Story - The story design was also excellent. It has some of the best storytelling ever written for a video game. The plot, in some ways, foreshadowed Paprika and Inception, dealing with a similar dream-walking theme, but in a fantasy world and in a much darker manner. Despite the bright art design, the story is very dark and unforgiving (like classic Gundam, and foreshadowing Game of Thrones). The script is also very well-written, thanks to the great localization by Working Designs. The story was also well-integrated into the gameplay, with dream levels designed around character psyche.

    Graphics - The graphics was criticized at the time for being 2D in an industry that was moving towards 3D. But looking back, its beautiful 2D sprite-work and bright art design has aged better than the 3D games of that era. The anime cutscenes were also well-animated, and I prefer its '90s anime style over the modern anime style we see in modern Japanese games.

    Audio - The music soundtrack still sounds great to this day. Almost every piece suits the scenes and levels. And the soundtrack is also great to listen to on its own.

    Conclusion - A criminally underrated PS1 action/adventure/RPG from Matrix Software, Alundra is one of the best games I've ever played. This was a masterpiece of game design, excelling in almost every area, from the gameplay and the story to the graphics and the music.    … Expand
  14. mbestvina
    Jan 14, 2019
    9
    2D Zelda fans, get on this! Alundra is the 32-Bit Zelda Nintendo never made. Swords, bombs, arrows, the fire cane, it's all here! An evolving story, beautiful aesthetics, a massive overworld, and over twenty dungeons make this a beefy and challenging offering that any Zelda fan should be able to sink their teeth into.

    The main way Alundra deviates from the zelda formula is with with    2D Zelda fans, get on this! Alundra is the 32-Bit Zelda Nintendo never made. Swords, bombs, arrows, the fire cane, it's all here! An evolving story, beautiful aesthetics, a massive overworld, and over twenty dungeons make this a beefy and challenging offering that any Zelda fan should be able to sink their teeth into.

    The main way Alundra deviates from the zelda formula is with with platforming. Unlike Zelda, you can jump up to higher planes. This gives the moment-to-moment gameplay a whole different feel that in my opinion, more closely resembles 3D zelda than 2D. Being able to climb around the environment connects you to the world in ways that 2D zelda never has. This is used for puzzles, exploration, and combat. The downside of this is that Alundra is an isometric 2D game so depth perception can require some trial and error. I suspect this will be a sore spot for many people but I loved it and it made the game stand out as more than a Zelda clone.

    The other ways Alundra deviates from Zelda are in its story and dream sequences. The story feels like a midpoint between JRPG's and Zelda. A village is under attack from monkeys and demons and it's up to you to save everyone. The story makes some dark turns throughout but that and its excellent dialogue will stick with you for some time. Throughout the game, many villagers experience awful nightmares that threaten their lives. At these moments, you are able to enter the villager's mind and play a dungeon based on their thoughts. These start small but quickly escalate into full-scale dungeons, on top of the many dungeons you'll play in the overworld as well.

    While I absolutely loved this game and recommend it to any Zelda fan, it is not perfect. First things first, this game is hard and long. Be prepared for many of these puzzles to kick your butt. The combat isn't too hard but you'll need to constantly stock up on healing items in the early game, as you are booted back to a save point when you die. Alundra is also very very long. I clocked in at over 40 hours and honestly, I think it's too long, with the dream dungeons feeling particularly like padding. I'm just not sure these needed to be full-fledged 1-2 hour dungeons... Anyway, given that there are nearly 25 dungeons, Alundra can be exhausting to play in long bursts, as it throws you into one dungeon after the next. The main problem with this is that the overworld isn't big enough and there aren't enough ability upgrades to support this many dungeons. By the time I was halfway through Alundra, I'd seen 90% of its overworld, lessening the sense of Adventure. Also, Zelda has always been smart to give you a new ability in each dungeon, even if it is formulaic. This gives each dungeon its own identity and keeps the gameplay fresh. Alundra simply doesn't have this, giving you a new ability only every 2 or 3 dungeons and most of those abilities having very limited use. While all the dungeons are good and they do have good aesthetic theming, they all blend together from gameplay standpoint. It's not the end of the world but it can make the game a slog at times. There's a 10-15 hour section in the middle where the only new item you get is the bow and arrow and you use it solve exactly one puzzle!

    My other big gripe with Alundra would be that it loves to hold your hand. Much like Twilight Princess, Minish Cap, or Okami, it is very specific about what you do in what order. You'll often need to talk to a person in order to trigger another conversation in order to trigger a dream dungeon in order to go to a real dungeon. It's just a shame it doesn't let you explore its world and conquer its dungeons at your own pace. This greatly diminishes the sense of adventure and can make Alundra feel overbearing. Hell, I got stuck in the prologue because I needed to talk to some guy twice in two different rooms to trigger a cutscene! These frustrating JRPG moments blocked my progress and drove me to a guide far more than the actual puzzles which is a shame. Thankfully, Alundra finally takes the training wheels off in its last third, allowing you to get abilities early and get an optional sword upgrade but all this is too little, too late.

    A few other minor problems would be that the combat difficulty is all over the place, and that money quickly loses its purpose with only a few expensive items to buy, and the poor control scheme means you'll constantly be pausing and switching out equipment but these didn't impact my enjoyment much. I realize I've spent much of this review complaining but Alundra is simply fantastic. If you can get past all these problems then you'll find one of the best Zelda-like games out there. If you love LTTP and Minish Cap, then you need to play Alundra.    … Expand
  15. Viper_Necklampy
    Jun 6, 2018
    9
    Alundra is one of my childhood masterpiece, the atmosphere is outstanding, if you're a pure soul, you'll fall in dream or nightmare thank's to Alundra's story, literally. Not a 10 just because sometimes an empty, and not exceptional gameplay. But never mind, the adventure worth all.
  16. Sunshadow87
    Nov 15, 2021
    10
    El mejor Zelda que no es Zelda.
    Alundra es uno de mis juegos favoritos de todos los tiempos, siendo un juego atemporal por su estilo artístico, a pesar de pasar muy desapercibido en su época (por no ser en 3D). Existen muchos puntos positivos como la música y la jugabilidad, pero lo que más destaca en este juego es la construcción del mundo y especialmente del pueblo donde transcurre la    El mejor Zelda que no es Zelda.
    Alundra es uno de mis juegos favoritos de todos los tiempos, siendo un juego atemporal por su estilo artístico, a pesar de pasar muy desapercibido en su época (por no ser en 3D). Existen muchos puntos positivos como la música y la jugabilidad, pero lo que más destaca en este juego es la construcción del mundo y especialmente del pueblo donde transcurre la historia y la profundidad de todos y cada uno de sus habitantes. Adoptamos el papel de Alundra, un aventurero de una raza que tiene la capacidad de moverse por los sueños de la gente, el cual llega a una pequeña aldea maldita tras un naufragio siguiendo un extraño sueño. En esta aldea iremos desenvolviendo los misterios de sus habitantes mientras intentamos salvarlos. No diré más, pero la historia esta muy bien llevada de principio a fin, recordando un poco a la serie Ys en el sentido que toda la aventura se siente como un capitulo en la vida de nuestro protagonista.
    Otro punto importante y que hace destacar a alundra es su gameplay, tanto su combate como sobretodo sus puzzles. Y es que si por algo es famoso Alundra es por sus puzzles que pueden resultar infernales.
    Además, dada su duración (que no es corta para el tipo de juego que es, pero tampoco excesivamente largo), el juego es muy rejugable (quitando la ruleta del casino...), especialmente para intentar conseguir todos los halcones dorados, coleccionables del juego algunos de los cuales pueden perderse de manera permanente.    … Expand
  17. Wooble6208
    May 18, 2019
    10
    The perfect 2d game in an anti-2d era. Alundra out-Zeldas Zelda. A must play for any action rpg fan or those who love intricate and difficult yet fair games. A true masterpiece that is frequently under-appreciated.
  18. As91
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    A perfect game.
    Tight platforming, great story, interesting characters, collectables, great bosses and puzzles. It's Zelda for the PlayStation but better.
    Unfortunately I've played it too many times and the challenge is lost XD
  19. Sauce304
    Aug 3, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best hidden gems for the PS1. Deep story that is a bit on the dark side that will keep your attention throughout. By far one of my favorite games that I still love to play through to this day. Any fan of rpgs must play this game!… Expand
  20. dorohedorofan90
    Dec 24, 2021
    9
    Alundra es a menudo considerado el "Zelda" de PS1, pero no tiene absolutamente nada que ver. La trama es mucho más compleja y en este juego tendremos plataformas, puzles más retorcidos y sobre todo una dificultad mucho más exigente.

    Situaciones inolvidables, donde exploraremos los sueños de los aldeanos y presenciaremos como uno se transforma en licántropo, y por supuesto el infame    Alundra es a menudo considerado el "Zelda" de PS1, pero no tiene absolutamente nada que ver. La trama es mucho más compleja y en este juego tendremos plataformas, puzles más retorcidos y sobre todo una dificultad mucho más exigente.

    Situaciones inolvidables, donde exploraremos los sueños de los aldeanos y presenciaremos como uno se transforma en licántropo, y por supuesto el infame puzle de la "Mansión de Hielo" que mucha gente odiará sobre todo en la época en la que Youtube aun no existía.

    Una franquicia olvidada... y uno de los mejores Action RPG,s que haya jugado.    … Expand
  21. Durarara1581
    Aug 8, 2021
    9
    Um jogo que merecia mais reconhecimento. Alundra é uma aventura que lhe introduz diversos personagens cativantes, uma história que realmente te prende e apresenta um universo fantástico como poucos jogos conseguem. Facilmente um dos melhores exclusivos do PS1.
  22. Ribaz14
    Sep 24, 2021
    10
    Masterpiece ! the only Zelda clone that is better then Zelda it self. Really hope by a miracle we get a remaster of this
  23. zaozabot30
    Mar 16, 2023
    7
    It could have been an awesome metroidvania if not for those dreadful puzzles everywhere and unforgiving platforming. Jumping platforms is difficult, but not because you need to calculate precise timing or have lighting fast reflexes, but because camera angle makes it very hard to predict where you will land. Top down or isometric view platformers all suffer from this issue. There's noIt could have been an awesome metroidvania if not for those dreadful puzzles everywhere and unforgiving platforming. Jumping platforms is difficult, but not because you need to calculate precise timing or have lighting fast reflexes, but because camera angle makes it very hard to predict where you will land. Top down or isometric view platformers all suffer from this issue. There's no analog stick support, so good luck making precise moves diagonally with a D-pad and missing diagonal movement animation adds to this issue. So the best experience you can get from Alundra, is when level is built like a traditional side scroller. Too bad it rarely happens.

    But if you have enough patience, you can have fun with this game. Pixel art is gorgeous, world if full of secrets and exploration, and you'll keep returning to visited areas to unlock previously closed paths all the time. Story itself is also quite interesting, weaved nicely into gameplay. Zelda-like music fits perfectly.

    In the end, Alundra aged not too great, but I really would love to see it reimagined with better controls.    … Expand
  24. VLG
    Aug 23, 2023
    8
    Way too hard, i really struggled with it until i got stuck and had to abandon it. But really good memories.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best PS1 Game of 1998
9
#9 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1998
6
#6 Most Shared PS1 Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. PSM Magazine
    80
    Alundra's strength lies in its incomparable gameplay and challenge, which stands as a true testament to the game's real appeal. Providing a truly refreshing change of pace to the one-button control of other standard RPGs, Alundra is a solid title that demands as much skill and time as involvement. [Feb 1998]
  2. Gaming Age
    90
    But look no further if you are among the game playing ranks that is looking for a Herculean challenge, a complex and involving story, and tight, responsive gameplay.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    88
    It's an addictive, well-rounded game that is balanced, challenging, and, most of all, fun to play. If you're speedy, on the quick end it'll take around 40 or so hours to complete.
    Read full review
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