Posted By: flotsam
Ring - 05/30/01 01:07 AM
I have never played a game that made so little sense but which was so enjoyable.
It is a Cryo/Arxel Tribe game, and made me a fan of their stuff forever. It was one of my earliest game experiences, and the first thing that struck me was the vivid colours. The next thing was the music. Ring is based on the Wagner opera of the same-ish name, and though I am not an opera fan, the music was stunning.
There are four chapters to the game, and four central characters. You can play the chapters in any order, and can jump between them. Apparently the story makes more sense if you play in a suggested order, but its intricacies were still beyond me.
The look is a mix of futuristic and Tolkein (more Rings - a theme here perhaps). It plays in the first person, but not infrequently after you have chosen an action, you will see yourself carry out that action in the third person. It was a nice mix.
The settings are varied to say the least. There is an asteroid, a tree house, an underground mine and a wasteland, amongst others. I thought they all looked excellent. You also get to surf the Rhine, ride a mine cart (with a very different method of propulsion), deep water dive, and catch fish.
Its point and click, with 360 degree panning and a curser to indicate what you can do, similar to many other Cryo games. You have an inventory, and some intriguing puzzles - building a golem was a highlight. Some are quite hard. There is a music puzzle, and a slider.
Some of the dialogue is bizarre to say the least, topped only by some of the voice acting. One character in the mine scene wins the prize in that regard. When you get to his pompous and lengthy oration, I suggest you turn the subtitles on and click your way through it.
It seems to have been the subject of bad press, so maybe has been unplayed by some boomers. I suggest you overlook the non-sensical nature of the plot (if you know the opera you might be able to piece it all together), and some of its other flaws. Fathoming it out is not necessary in order to have fun playing (and listening) to this game.
flotsam
It is a Cryo/Arxel Tribe game, and made me a fan of their stuff forever. It was one of my earliest game experiences, and the first thing that struck me was the vivid colours. The next thing was the music. Ring is based on the Wagner opera of the same-ish name, and though I am not an opera fan, the music was stunning.
There are four chapters to the game, and four central characters. You can play the chapters in any order, and can jump between them. Apparently the story makes more sense if you play in a suggested order, but its intricacies were still beyond me.
The look is a mix of futuristic and Tolkein (more Rings - a theme here perhaps). It plays in the first person, but not infrequently after you have chosen an action, you will see yourself carry out that action in the third person. It was a nice mix.
The settings are varied to say the least. There is an asteroid, a tree house, an underground mine and a wasteland, amongst others. I thought they all looked excellent. You also get to surf the Rhine, ride a mine cart (with a very different method of propulsion), deep water dive, and catch fish.
Its point and click, with 360 degree panning and a curser to indicate what you can do, similar to many other Cryo games. You have an inventory, and some intriguing puzzles - building a golem was a highlight. Some are quite hard. There is a music puzzle, and a slider.
Some of the dialogue is bizarre to say the least, topped only by some of the voice acting. One character in the mine scene wins the prize in that regard. When you get to his pompous and lengthy oration, I suggest you turn the subtitles on and click your way through it.
It seems to have been the subject of bad press, so maybe has been unplayed by some boomers. I suggest you overlook the non-sensical nature of the plot (if you know the opera you might be able to piece it all together), and some of its other flaws. Fathoming it out is not necessary in order to have fun playing (and listening) to this game.
flotsam