Mr. Finnegan's Rune Review
posted at 8:00 PM on Monday, December 29th, 2000
Introduction
| Publisher |
| Humanhead Studios |
| |
| System Requirements: |
300 MHz processor
88MB HD Space
64 MB Ram
8 MB video card. |
| |
| Reviewed Using: |
Althon 600mhz
192 MB RAM
GeForce 32MB |
Picture this.
It’s Christmas Eve, and I’m all warm and snug next to the fire trying to avoid the relatives that I dislike the most. The various cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. of my horribly extended family have invaded my home. We’re all dressed up nice and pretty for the Christmas service that my mother masterfully convinced us (i.e. forced us) to attend together. So now I have young little hellhounds running around trying to touch my computer, unsuccessfully attempting to play one of the myriads of games I’ve collected during my time here at The Corp. Luckily I foresaw this happening and pass-worded the entire machine into oblivion. Just as I retreated back into my small hiding place upstairs with the latest editions of various gaming magazines I hear my father call up the stairs, “Hey! This package came in for you!” I come down as quickly as possible, dodge one of my Aunt’s attempts to kiss me on the cheek, grab the parcel from my father’s hands, and rush back up the stairs. After opening it, I discover to my elation it’s a copy of RUNE that was sent for me to review.
I hurl myself into my room, lock it thee door, and remove the password from my computer. I installed RUNE and was just about to play when I realized a patch was released. Another 10 minutes flies by and finally I’m ready to play. As soon as I click the “New Game” button, I hear a voice from downstairs, “Common honey! We’re going to church now!”
You can leave what I said after hearing that to the imagination. Upon my return I eagerly started a new game, awaiting the exploits that lay before me.
RUNE is the latest game from Humanhead Studios, a company with Gathering of Developers as their publisher. RUNE takes you deep into the land of the Vikings during their golden age playing the role of a young warrior by the name of Ragnar.
Story
Ragnar has just been inducted into the Order of the Odinsblade, a small elite group of warriors whose mission is to protect the Runestones. The Runestones are large mystical stones that anchor the friendly and most powerful god Odin’s power to Midgard (the realm that humans dwell in). The Runestones also keeps Odin’s insane son, the god Loki, imprisoned deep within the bowels of the earth.
Loki has developed an evil plan however. A human, who the Vikings call the Betrayer, has allied himself with Loki and leads an army of humans and evil creatures against his former human allies. With each passing day the army grows closer to Ragnar’s village of Wotankeld.
Ragnar and his fellow warriors decide to venture forth to assist whatever is left of the defending human army. When they set sail they encounter the Betrayer on an incoming vessel. A battle ensues and Ragnar is sent hurtling beneath the waves, watching his comrades die around him. That is where his adventure begins.
Gameplay
Learning to play RUNE is like riding a different type of bike. Sure it’s a bit strange to handle at first, but the basic principles apply. Ragnar does about 3 things: kill, run, and jump. Oh, and he hits switches (I’ll get to that later). The only buttons you’ll have to worry about through the entire game are E, Space, directional keys, and the right and left mouse button. You memorize those and you’re set. Just sit down, give it a second or two, and you can play for through the rest of the game with assurance that you’ve mastered the technique of how to maneuver a Viking warrior.
Now that I’ve rammed the simplicity of controls home I’ll delve a bit deeper into the mechanics of the game. I’m going to assume that most of you out there reading this have played at least one of the Quake series of games. This lets me apply a very apt analogy to describe RUNE in a nutshell: its third person Quake III without guns and is set in a Viking saga. There are loads upon loads of gore in this game, with enough blood and guts to satiate the bloodthirsty beast within all of us. You can even take the limbs of the fallen and beat other foes to death with them. The potential for bloodletting was well satisfied. It’s a good stress reliever and most of the time committing random acts of violence was extremely fun.
RUNE has an unfortunate problem with switches. When killing everything around you doesn’t make the door to the next level open, there’s always a hidden or obviously placed switch nearby to make everything better. Switches open doors. Switches activate elevators. Switches lower bridges. Switches activate areas to reach more switches. Switches Switches Switches. Humanhead Studios has to come to terms with the idea that there are more creative ways to advance to the next stage of a game other than simply pressing or pulling a switch, especially with the full applications of the Unreal engine. Anyone who disagrees with me is welcome to crack open a copy of Deus Ex.
In fairness, there was talented use of scripting, especially with the activation of enemy units and triggering cinematic events. The only complaint I have in this area is that at some points I was able to sneak up to enemies and lop off their heads without triggering their awareness. Other than that I was sincerely impressed.
On a side note, it has been brought to my attention that a common lament among gamers who have played RUNE is that its single player is extremely long. Let me address this issue by stating that although it is indeed long, most of it passed without me putting much thought on the matter. I did not note the passage of time since I was usually well enough engrossed in the game to not care how long it took me to beat it. On the other hand there were a few puzzles that really had me stumped once or twice. In terms of replay value, I don’t believe I’ll be playing the single player option again anytime soon.
The multiplayer version is rather addictive. Network games of RUNE can be played successfully over the net if you have a decent enough connection. I’ve even toyed with the idea of joining a small clan of RUNE players. The Internet games I played were hard but fast paced and fun. Opposed to single player, the multiplayer predictably offers a lot more replay value.
Aesthetics
RUNE uses the “latest Unreal Tournament Engine technology.” I believe every word of it. Shadows, lighting, and textures are all done very well with the UT Engine. In certain areas I wouldn’t have doubted the possibility that they used a new engine altogether. Blood wounds are inflicted upon specific parts of Ragnar’s body when he is hit. Gaping wounds bleed out onto the floor. Torches light up the darker areas of maps with a convincing
glow. The darkness of the Viking lands of myth was well portrayed with evil creatures of Nordic legends successfully brought back into full 3D. The aesthetics of the game were masterfully done. I can’t wait to see what Humanhead comes up with next.
Special credit should go out to whoever designed the cinematics of the game. The voice acting was superb, as was the scripting. The cinematic sequences are a huge part of what made the game an enjoyable gaming experience.
Sound
They didn’t skip a beat in the sound department either. With EAX and A3D surround sound supported, you could hear the creatures sneak up on you from various directions.
The creature sounds were especially amusing, if not frightening at times. Crablike creatures emit a spectacular gurgling sound when they die. Goblins and dwarves each babble in their own foul language. Boiling lava pits and babbling brooks echo within the many environments Ragnar will encounter. My only issue with sound was that occasionally I’d suffer sporadic bursts of environmental sounds when next to rooms before the door opened. I was very impressed.
A small mention about the musical score. Although not grand in use or nature it was used at apt points in the game to heighten suspense or raise tension in dangerous locales. It added to an already well-established mood.
Value
The issue of value is where I wavered the most while playing and later composing this review. The single player has its drawbacks, but the brutal violence was extremely fun. The graphics and sounds are so well done that they create a fantastic mood that encompasses the entire RUNE gaming experience. The replay value definitely lies within the multiplayer. While I wouldn’t sell the farm for it or nominate it for any particular award, it’s definitely worth a look.
Conclusion
Humanhead Studios has done a fine job with RUNE overall. I think this is due to the fact that it is comprised of veteran game developers from both Raven Software and FASA Interactive. I have some legitimate gameplay concerns, but nothing that should hold you back if you are really into Vikings or blood-and-gore fighting games. If you have the spare cash, I’d suggest buying it. It may not blow your mind, but you won't leave it unsatisfied. In this case you do get what you pay for.
Gameplay 2.5/5
It certainly isn’t terrific, but it isn’t horrible. Multiplayer is solid.
Aesthetics 4.5/5
Almost perfect. Beautiful.
Sounds 4/5
Turn off the lights and turn up the speakers.
Value 3/5
Beats buying a real axe.
The Verdict 3.5/5
It’s reasonably fun. Give it a go if you have the time and money.
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