Previews

Armour up for Dungeon-based Slash and Grab

EverQuest creators go singleplayer in Untold Legends

Armour up for Dungeon-based Slash and Grab

There’s something deeply satisfying about putting on a suit of armour (virtually of course), wielding a broadsword and chopping through squads of hideous goblins or menacing skeletons. Let’s face it - the dungeons and dragon-style has been a staple of computer gaming ever since... well people realised it was easier to play on a computer than to try and get four mates and a 20-sided dice round for the weekend. The deeper question of whether there’s been much progression in the genre since then is harder to answer though. And certainly Untold Legends doesn’t seem to be breaking the mould in that respect.

But its general pedigree is good. From the people who brought you the massively multiplayer online phenomenon EverQuest, Untold Legends seems to tick all the right boxes for a role playing lite hack-and-slash. Dropped into a fantasy olde-worlde town under attack from some mysterious terror, you start the game choosing one of four archetypal classes; the melee-based Knight, the attack-minded Berserker, the spellbound Druid and the ranged weapon/magical Alchemist. From what we’ve seen, there’s not much difference between each however; particularly as you get to select which abilities you upgrade throughout the game, making the initial distinction irrelevant. Most of the action, which happens from a topdown view, occurs in dungeons, which are randomly generated but with specific mission-based goals at their end. Another game element is treasure collection and inventory management; aspects that come together at the village shop where you sell and buy items. There will also be some role playing as characters level up and you have to decide whether you want to be an average warrior, good at everything or risky specialist.

Which all seems to be so far, so good. The one area where Untold Legends may be radical is multiplayer. Despite Sony Online’s online experience, the focus of the game will be single-player, but using the PSP’s ad-hoc Wi-Fi mode you’ll be able play co-operatively with three other players in the style of old Midway arcade classic Gauntlet, although only the host will be able to save their progress.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.