Galleon: Islands of Mystery

 Xbox
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 40
  3. Negative: 6 out of 40
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  1. TeamXbox
    74
    The story of Galleon is fantastic and does a great job of keeping a player's interest till the very end, and the gameplay, depending on your preferences, is a unique twist on an all too common platform. However, the graphics and audio feel as though the game was being designed for a lesser system than the Xbox, of which it is an exclusive.
  2. Edge Magazine
    70
    This is a sorely flawed game, but also a truly majestic one... a beautiful and ambitious manifesto for what games can give you that nothing else can. [June 2004, p.98]
  3. Gamestyle
    70
    Confounding Factor certainly bit off more than it could chew, and set itself too high a challenge, but what we have here is a wonderful failure.
  5. Thunderbolt
    70
    Its large cast of likable characters and engaging, swashbuckling story go a long way in redeeming the game as a whole despite its several niggling problems.
  6. GameSpot
    70
    An action adventure game that absolutely permeates with potential, but Galleon just didn't come together as a fully cohesive or entertaining experience.
  7. GameSpy
    70
    Galleon is some weird sort of Tomb Raider+. It recaptures the elusive feeling of exploration and adventure felt in Tomb Raider, while greatly expanding on its running, jumping and climbing gameplay.
  8. Stuff
    70
    All told, Galleon provides the standard 30 to 40 hours of game play, a little less if you keep exploration to a minimum.
  9. Ferrago
    70
    The dry humour evident in the cut-scenes is of a high standard not often found in games, and like me, you may find yourself actually looking forward to them.
  10. GamerFeed
    70
    Galleon may not have the sharpest visuals around (it harkens back to a first generation visual fest), but the rest of the production values appear on par and the gameplay is excellent, especially as your quest gets deeper in scope and adventure.
  11. Official Xbox Magazine
    68
    Just try getting Rhama to climb up a wall, and watch the camera flail around behind you. Puzzles are clever, but that doesn't mean they're fun. Boss battles are repetitive, and at times, insanely drawn out. [Sept 2004, p.74]
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  12. Xbox World Australia
    66
    The greatest challenge in the game is really overcoming the controls and camera though, so if you are the kind of person who is easily put off by unconventional control schemes, perhaps you should look elsewhere for buried treasures.
  13. 1UP
    65
    The only real challenges served on this 12 hour adventure are tasks that are more annoying than hard, such as having to negotiate ocean currents in an attempt to reach a beach.
  14. GMR Magazine
    60
    It arrives on Xbox as both a has-been and simultaneously a never-ran. [Oct 2004, p.120]
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  15. Eurogamer
    60
    The melee combat feels laboured, the boss fights repetitive and contrived, while the timed sequences largely frustrate to the point of desperate exasperation.
  16. Boomtown
    60
    It will grab you, but you'll have to make an effort to reach out and hold its hand for a while through the rough spots. The problems are the times when it lets go, leaving you lost without a hint of what to do. Or when it just turns on you and beats you down after hitting the same boss twenty times straight.
    All this publication's reviews
  17. TotalGames.net
    60
    By all means once it appears in bargain bins (and believe us, that'll be sooner rather than later) Galleon needs to be purchased, if only so you can see how such a potential epic has strayed so far off course. Tragic, simply tragic. [XBM]
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  18. Game Over Online
    60
    Galleon has great backgrounds and voice acting, but lousy controls, character models, combat, and platforming.
  19. Cheat Code Central
    60
    Despite all these flaws, the game has character. More character and charm than most games with nearly perfect gameplay. If you're into a good story with interesting characters and plenty of puzzles and action, then Galleon should serve you well.
    All this publication's reviews
  20. Gamer.tv
    60
    Occasionally one of the most frustrating games in recent memory. It's either completely on rails, or completely random...Often confusing, irrational, and doesn't feel like it's been play-tested enough.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 4 out of 13
  1. Broyax
    Apr 4, 2017
    0
    Un étron épouvantable ! courage, fuyez !... Tous les compartiments du jeu prennent l'eau dans ce pathétique naveton piratin à la godille quiUn étron épouvantable ! courage, fuyez !... Tous les compartiments du jeu prennent l'eau dans ce pathétique naveton piratin à la godille qui coule à pic jusqu'aux tréfonds de la nullité nulle à chier. Bref, juste "incroyable"...… Full Review »
  2. Rick
    Feb 10, 2006
    10
    Although this is a late post (2006) I have had the game for a couple of years. At the time easily one of the best played and highly Although this is a late post (2006) I have had the game for a couple of years. At the time easily one of the best played and highly recommended for anyones collection, for those willing to put the time into the control mastery. I gave it to a mate who was a mad Tomb Raider fan to play and he just couldnt get into the controls. This is as close to Tomb Raider that ive played on the Xbox and so I was pleading with him to give it a real go as after an hour or so the control feels natural and the game runs very smoothly but until then its a nightmare. Thats why when I read the above reviews I know they didn't put the time in, its that simple. It plays like Tomb Raider with area puzzles that require real thought (I know I need to bend this crank shaft but to do that I need to melt it, but to melt it, I need to get up to that fire room..but how do I get up there??) and increase with difficulty as the game goes. The puzzle/level design is awesome and spurs you onto the next puzzle, the next level with a rewarding storyline in tow. It was just a game I couldnt put down and thought of for weeks afterward. It was just so rewarding action wise, story wise, and brainwise. You enter a room and everything you need is there but you just havent managed to work out what to do so you run around trying this and that and still cant solve the puzzle. So you turn the game off and lie in bed thinking but what if...and boom you get a brainwave and jump up turn ya Xbox back on, fire up ya save game and retry a new approach and hello....it works, your back into the game moving onto the next area and before you know it...its 4am in the morning. Absolute gem, I have played all the top games and got through them and most havent been as satisfying or rewarding as this one left me. I have only made this post/comment for those people who do proper research on games not to listen to the above reviews as you would be missing out on an all-time classic. I have been an avid gamer for 20 odd years so I know my stuff. Hey I gave up on Ninja Gaiden thinking this is dogs crud impossible and Id wasted my coinage, but kept seeing rave reviews. I gave it a re-go 6 months later and was so glad I did. Galleon falls into that category. Give it a real go...you will be glad you did.… Full Review »
  3. AB
    Nov 8, 2004
    3
    I can't believe I waited seven years for this awful nonsense.
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