Alundra PS1 Review

When we look at the massive catalog of iconic games that were released on the PlayStation back during the mid 90s and early 2000s there was a plethora of games that reached great success. 

But there are also a multitude of other games that were equally as good and are deserving of more highlights and more recognition but just for whatever reason tend to fall into the realm of obscurity but in saying that these games do have a lot to offer and in many cases are even better than the more popular outings seen on the system and one such game that ticks all those boxes is the adventures of Alundra that was released in late 1997 early for the PlayStation with the game being developed by matrix software and published by psygnosis.

The game is quite different to your typical style of RPG games that were released on the system as we all know the PlayStation is home to an absolute multi attitude of iconic and lesser known games and especially more so RPG games and there's even more in the Japanese region that we've yet to discover.

But Alundra takes many elements from iconic RPG games especially when you look at like severely or Final Fantasy games but it also utilizes very similar gameplay styles to that of the early Zelda games also seen on the original NES and Super Nintendo consoles.

So it mixes up a lot of those gameplay Styles and combines them into quite simply and what is considered to be among some of the best games ever seen on the PlayStation although in saying that while the game is really good it doesn't get the recognition that it deserves because it was competing with a lot of other mainstream and higher Tier games of the time.

Alundra in its own right still goes down as quite possibly one of the best games ever to grace the PlayStation in all honesty.

Ao you play as a young protagonist by the name of Alundra and while he travels on a ship to the Village of inoa the ship is caught in a massive storm and eventually becomes involved in a shipwreck that causes the deaths of many inhabitants of the ship.

Alundra is one of the few people that actually survived the ordeal but Alondra has a very unique ability where he is known as a dreamwalker.

He has the ability to be able to dive into people's Dreams and Nightmares to help them overcome many fears or hurdles that they may have to deal with so that they can get back to living a normal life and this is where the game primarily takes place where it goes into those elements.

So the game itself transitions between the real world and the dream world a different variations depending on how you progress through the story and the game plays very much from an open world kind of style perspective that when you're out in the real world you have the ability to pretty much go wherever you like within reason but in order to gain access to hidden secret areas and other areas that you can't possibly get to, you further have to upgrade your abilities weapons and various attributes and order to gain access to other areas in the game at a later stage.

So the gameplay is played from a top-down style perspective, very similar to classic RPG or action adventure style games when you consider it with the likes of the Zelda games seen on the likes of the Nintendo consoles.

It has a very similar gameplay style to another iconic game with Golden Axe Warrior seen on the Sega Master System as that also took a lot of influences from earlier games as early games.

Golden Axe Warrior is another iconic title I remember having on the Sega Master System years ago and it was one of my favorite games on  the console.

It was an absolute hidden gem so alundra takes a lot of those unique elements for many of those games but one of the most notable aspects of alundra is its great storytelling and gameplay mechanics in terms of the RPG elements.

Honestly it's one of the most visually striking and beautiful games that you could ever see in on the PlayStation with its stunning 2D visuals and the truth is that this game is so visually impressive that it still holds really well even when you look at it today.

It just has something unique about its visual presence and status that looks almost timeless in terms of how it looks, plays and even feels as it's just as easy to get into.

The game's idea presents many iconic elements reflective of the PlayStations history and it definitely deserves a lot more attention.

I know that have played this game and I do love it and many people consider this to be one of their favorite games of all time.

When you sit down to play it, you realize how good of a game it is and it's often a missed opportunity for many as it has so many addicting qualities that once you start playing and are entertained with the many cool features, you will want to experience more.

At the same time it's it's easy to get into but it's hard to master.

This game is really tough, it will test you especially later on when you have to get involved with trying to fight off various bosses enemies and tackling loads of different platforming segments. 

You have to time different movements in order to get from one place to another within a certain time and you also have to contend with various puzzles which are very tough to figure out as well.

So it really has a good unique balance between puzzle solving, gameplay and overall difficulty in which it will increase as you play.

It just is a really good game, I can't stress it enough. if you like games such as Final Fantasy 7 and Legend Zelda Ocarina of Time on the N64, both of which are considered as two of the best games of all time then alundra will be a great alternative.

The sequel alundra 2 a new Legend begins  is a very different game to the original and it  plays from a 3D perspective and moves away from the 2D visuals.

It isn't considered to be as good of a game compared to that of the original because ithas a very different story and it doesn't follow on with the premise of what was seen in the original.

But it's still a worthwhile gem in its own right but if you compare the two, the first game in the series is the better game hands down and even for myself personally even going back to playing the game, I find myself getting addicted to it again.

It's so addictive and you get further into it, you want to keep playing and you want to keep progressing to see what you can gain access to, what weapons you can unlock, what areas can you explore and to see how far you can generally get.

And especially if you love exploration which I do love in games, this game has it in abundance.

This is one of the PlayStation's finest moments for me personally it's just such a great game.

It's definitely up there with the best that the PlayStation has to offer.

There's just so many cool features and so many hidden elements with great gameplay mechanics and puzzles that provide an incredible experience that will have you coming back time and again.

And it's even very reflective in its overall reviews in magazines over the years.

The game was highly praised for its unique mix of gameplay styles and visuals.

It really has everything in abundance and even when you compare it to other types of more mainstream RPG games, it shares a similar blueprint to other popular games while mixing action to get more involved with it's fantastic gameplay.

Definitely one of the best games overall I think on the PlayStation without a doubt and I'm sure that many of you agree as it has so many iconic features, nuances and atmospheric elements that sets the tone of the game.

Some of the topics that the game dives into with dark tones and themes that would be more noticeable in horror games are brought to light with its unique story as it dived into the psyche and the mind of various characters and NPCs that you would interact with which was a topic that was never really seen in games at that time.

And this is one of the very first games to ever really explore that element so that's what added to the whole dynamic and even the unique depth it had to offer.

The game looked like something for kids to play but the story was aimed at a more mature audience of gamers.

So I'd love to know your thoughts and Alundra for the PlayStation if you have played it yourself and if so what do you think of the game overall. 

Do you enjoy these type of quirky and obscure racing games or maybe not so much? I'd love to hear whatever stories you do have of this unusual game so be sure to share it in the comments below and be sure to keep watching to see more content on other racing games similar to Alundra, then you can check out the blog where we will be diving into more of the iconic elements of these classic video games and as always keep those gaming memories alive...