Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade

Untold Legends’ lengthy single-player campaign and multiplayer options compensate somewhat for its underwhelming sound, forgettable story and mindless hack-and-slash gameplay.

I’m not a huge fan of this genre, but Untold Legends captivated me for quite a few hours until the repetition and lack of interest in the genre set in.

If you’re looking for some quick hack and slash dungeon crawling on the go, it certainly will satisfy your need. RPG fans will more than likely find it disappointing, though, as the RPG side of the game is minimalist and lacking in depth.

It's a solid first-wave title, while the awesome 3D engine and multiplayer game makes it a truly new experience in the portable arena. Let's just hope the next legend that SOE tells has more surprises.

Does a fair job of showing off the PSP's technical prowess. As a fairly straightforward hack-and-slash RPG, Untold Legends fits the bill. Just don't expect it to match the bliss that is "Diablo II."

If you like a good dungeon crawl without all of the extra crap like deep story or engrossing characters that you care about, here's the game for you. If, on the other hand, you need a bit more meat to your hack and slash, wait for "UL2."

As with any game similar to Diablo, it's definitely geared toward group play. It's just more fun to slice and dice your way through so many monsters you're neck deep in blood with a friend.

An enjoyable, if heavily formulaic, RPG to get the PSP life cycle kicked off.

It's fun in short bursts, which ideally is exactly what I’m looking for in a handheld game.

One of those games that will definitely get better as sequels are created.

As a portable title, Untold Legends knows that its payoff has to be immediate and frequent and it graciously complies, with even the briefest morning commute diversion yielding at least one quest completed, at least one level gained and frequently another full wardrobe change rounding off a constant feeling of accomplishment. [June 2005, p.86]

There's not much enthusiasm in Untold Legends. This leaves a game that, while hitting most of the necessary bullet points, is just going through the motions.

I've played some bad RPGS, some worse and some better than this one, but the thing that made this one fall in my opinion was how disappointing it was compared to what I thought it would be like.

I cannot recommend a purchase as this game gets really repetitive and boring playing by your lonesome.

Graphics that don't particularly push the power of the PSP and fun-crippling loading times that are often in excess of 30 seconds. [May 2005, p.69]

I found it addicting when I first played it, and even praised it. Looking back now, it's just a mediocre game with a few redeeming qualities, and too much repetition.

Had more thought been put into making the multiplayer options more feasible, the interface more intuitive, and the graphics clearer, then it could’ve been a really nice first RPG for the PSP. Unfortunately, the entire game gives the impression of having been hastily constructed along the most basic lines of the hack n’ slash formula in order to be ready to go for the system launch.

Doesn't do anything new or exciting, and this really translates into a rather lackluster performance.

A great pick up and play and slash sort of game. Long periods of playing this game will probably bore you, but if you need a quick RPG fix while commuting, it’s not bad.

Both utterly forgettable and strangely addictive, the ultra-simple hack-n-slash model works surprisingly well in a portable format. [May 2005, p.111]

Untold Legends feels too much like it’s been made for home consoles and then squeezed onto a PSP, losing many small, but important features in the transition. Visually the game is really impressive, but the action is repetitive, the loading times are atrociously long and the slowly evolving story is just not interesting enough. Still, the game’s fun in small doses and especially as a multiplayer experience. [Sept 2005, p 62]

The problem with Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade is the simple fact that there's nothing at all out of the ordinary. Even reading back over what I've written, it's glaringly obvious that there is an overall lack of innovation, a lack of a fresh sense of style and a new feel of play.

Gets the job done in an absolutely no-frills way, with generic story, visuals, and gameplay leading to a business-as-usual experience -- but one that fits in your hands, this time.

While really quite enjoyable in small measures (annoyances excepted), Untold Legends is a massively optimistic game and this is its ultimate downfall. [June 2005, p.100]