Rygar The Legendary Adventure

Published by Wanadoo
Developed by Tecmo
Platform: PlayStation 2
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

Back in 1986 Tecmo created the side scrolling action game Rygar, a game set in the world of ancient Greek and Roman mythology that became a very popular arcade game at the time. Rygar The Legendary Adventure sees the return of the Rygar and once again we are back in the world of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. The game is set over numerous worlds and all have their own distinct feel and look.

The game begins with Rygar being awarded a crown by Princess Harmonia, daughter of the King of Argus. Titans rudely interrupt the ceremony by massacring all the guards, kidnapping the Princess and casting Rygar into a chasm. All is not lost though. As Rygar lies at the bottom of the chasm a female voice calls out to him to fight the evil and he is given the Diskarmor, a powerful fighting shield that was forged by the gods.

Rygar is an engrossing action adventure with brilliant, challenging boss fights and a wonderful ancient backdrop that serves to give the game a unique feel. The game's real uniqueness comes with it's combat though. Rygar battles with his Diskarmor. It kind of looks like a giant yoyo with the chain that is connected to it. It is a very effective weapon and as you progress through the game you'll have access to two more Diskarmors. You begin with The Hades Diskarmor that has long range capabilities and can send enemies spinning through the air. Later you'll gain access to The Celestial Diskarmor that can attack a wide radius that is perfect for taking out multiple enemies. Finally there is The Sea Diskarmor that can link attacks together quickly in hand-to-hand combat. These Diskarmors also have different magic abilities too, which are useful at various points in the game.

Rygar looks great and the attention to detail in creating these mythical worlds really gives the game an impressive look. The lighting is also of a quality that is not often seen on the PlayStation 2. The game has many partly destructible environments that Rygar must use his Diskarmor on to destroy. The manner in which the environment breaks up when it's attack reminds you of the game's arcade roots, as it doesn't particularly look realistic, that's not to say it looks bad though. The camera occasionally becomes a problem but no more so than in other games in the genre but you can't manipulate the camera like in so many recent games.

Pleasingly for deaf gamers, Rygar The Legendary Adventure is subtitled. What this means is that you'll be able to follow the story and everything that is going on which is great news. The text is clear and easy to read, even on a small TV. In fact there is no problems at all with Rygar so if you're after an original action game it comes highly recommended.

Overall Game Rating: 8.1/10
A very good action game. Tecmo show that an action game doesn't have to be an uninspired clone of other titles and can actually be very enjoyable.

Deaf Gamers comment:
The game is fully subtitled which is unusual in an action game.