Alundra: The Legend of Zelda Successor of Your Dreams
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Visit my GOG Partner page for curated list of over 100 games ► indigogaming.link/
While we all know about classic action adventure games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, we overlook similar games knock-offs, without the clever design that made those games great. Enter the Playstation 1 title, Alundra.
Alundra is the best Legend of Zelda successor of the 90s: with mind-bending puzzles and challenging combat that set a new standard in the genre. Well let’s take a look at this underexposed classic by Matrix Software and Working Designs and see what I am talking about in this episode of Not Forgotten.
You can still buy Alundra for the PS3, PSP and PS Vita digitally on the Playstation store:
store.playstation.com/en-us/p...
Thumbnail artwork is based on a drawing by CottonyHotchkiss. Check out her amazing artwork here: krystlekmy.deviantart.com/art...
0:00 - Intro
2:12 - Precursors/Early Games
5:32 - What Makes Alundra Great
9:56 - Nightmarish Challenge
16:51 - A Sequel Best Left Forgotten
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MUSIC CREDITS
Alundra soundtrack by Kohei Tanaka
vgmdb.net/artist/322
‘Arcadia Wonders’ by Kevin MacLeod
‘Earthy Crust Sting’ by Jingle Punks
Other music licensed through AudioBlocks:
www.audioblocks.com/stock-aud...
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FOOTAGE CREDITS
Landstalker gameplay by Samsa | • [TAS] GEN Landstalker:...
Alundra 2 gameplay by Dylan | • Alundra 2 Speedrun [An...
Alundra 2 story sequences by Shadowserg | • Video
Final Fantasy VII (PSX) gameplay by Laguna's Experiments
/ @lagunasexperiments5205
Metal Gear Solid gameplay by MetalGearHUB | / metalgearhub
Dragon Quest V gameplay by Commissar Bear | • Dragon Quest V / ドラゴンク...
Final Fantasy V mobile/PC gameplay by • Let's Play Final Fanta...
The Legend of Zelda (NES) gameplay by RetroGame.Stream
| • The Legend of Zelda 19...
Zelda: Ocarina of Time gameplay by Mako Tenshi | • Video
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past gameplay by Mr Switch
| / @thechronozshow
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds gameplay by reznoire
| • Citra Canary 293 | The...
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#Zelda #Alundra #LinkToThePast - Hry
In case you weren't aware, Alundra can still be bought digitally for the PS3, PSP and PS Vita for $6. Worth it in my book!
store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-NPUJ00553_00-0000000000000001
And visit my GOG Partner page for curated list of over 100 games ► indigogaming.link/
You should do an episode on terranigma
This is one of the reasons why I love my Vita. It has get native games to be sure, but the addition of dozens, if not hundreds, of PS1 classics in a portable form is just awesome.
I'm going to check it out. Thanks for showing me this.
Never even heard of this awesome looking game! Thank you for sharing. I will be snagging this game for my catalog now!
Excellent review, I got lucky to play both FFVII and Alundra after having only an NES for years. This was an amazing game which does make the fake sequel so much sadder.
Alundra: One of the best games no one has played. Glad to see it getting some love
I did , and I still play it sometimes even now.
game had some hard puzzles
i did
I've played it before when I was about 10 or 11 never finished it tho but now I can since I have it on my mini PlayStation classic watching this video just made me want to play it matter of fact so I think I might just do that😁
I had it on my old PS when I was a kid, it actually was a gift from some friends of my parents, the game was pirated into a CD, and in japanese, I've never understood at that time the meaning of what was going on, just by proof and error on the puzzles. At that time I've never passed far beyond the level of the Mansion. Then after many years I installed it in an emulator on the PC in english and tried to go further, it was funny but very long and very challenging. Great game though, today it still gives me chills when I get into a dark scenario, into the wild or surrounded by monsters, is one of those games that creates "that ambience".
In many ways Alundra felt like an alternate reality version on Ocarina of Time, where Nintendo chose against 3D and cartridges and focused on bolstering what they had laid out with AttP.
I love the game when I was a kid, though it belonged to my brother who traded it with a schoolmate for Donkey Kong Country before I could beat it. Annoys me to this day.
Your brother's schoolmate made a wise trade lol
Alundra, Landstalker and Dark Saviour.
Three underrated cult classics that all deserve to be remembered. Climax had some great talent in their ranks in the 90s.
Oh right dark saviour I've never played that - is it a puzzle action rpg like this?
@@usaskjock tbh I dont think there is any game like it. Its very its own in a good way.
I have this weird feeling when I think about Alundra. It's like it's such a great game everyone should have talked about and played it, but little people acknowledge its greatness.
It makes me sad that most games I play nowadays can't really touch my feelings the way Alundra could. The joy of adventure, the fear of the wicked nightmares, the sorrow of losing characters, the frustration of being stuck in a puzzle, the fascination of getting through the story of the game and, best of all, the "Let's finish all this suffering" when entering Melzas' Castle, while The Castle in the Lake song plays.
First game I've completed 100% of it, and it was totally worth it. Would totally love a remake, and I recommend Alundra to anyone who like dark adventures.
I loved Alundra 1 as well, such a shame the second one was just awful
I finished 1 100% twice as well.
@@CaprianoPlays The second one was a good game, but they shouldn't have marketed it as a sequel to Alundra in the first place. Gets a lot of shit for being nothing like Alundra, while on its own it's a nice little action rpg.
@Mister Mister I don't know where you live but here in Germany girls played games as much as boys. I got even introduced to Lufia 2 and Secret of Mana through a girl in my class. Also I played with boys and girls since kindergarten (actually everyone I know). Maybe USA or wherever you're from is different in this regard.
The Lake Shrine is one of the best, most challenging final dungeons in any game EVER
The production values on this video are brilliant. You did a great job. Everything HD and well edited.
Thanks, appreciate that!
Hands down one of the best games I ever played . I played this in 1998 and loved it so much .
I found a copy of alundra for PS1 at fanime last year and i was ENTHRALLED. This game is truly a Timeless classic and perhaps one of the best Zelda games that isn't Zelda ever made
This is a simply amazingly crafted game, but can get DAMN hard further into it. The puzzles are some of the toughest I have ever experienced in any game, and I am a vastly experienced gamer since the NES era. The combat can be nearly as challenging at times.
It's definitely not for beginners, but is very rewarding for advanced players. It is one of my favorite games of all time and deservedly so. It's a true masterpiece as many forgotten gems tend to be.
I liked the way the difficulty level built up... There were puzzles where I just forgot what I was meant to be doing, and where I was meant to be going! And I'd end up stumbling through the game and just happening upon where I was meant to go! 🤔 🤦🏻♂️
@@nickthelick Lol I'll admit that this was one of the few games that I got stuck on trying to get thru it without a guide, namely how to get into that monkey village or whatever it was called. Aka the one full of monkeys. It completely stumped me trying to figure out how to get into that place!
I am however proud of the fact that I was able to complete all of the puzzles in the game on my own & believe you me, some of them took a LONG time to figure out!
It's been a long time now since I've played the game. I definitely want to revisit it again at some point. I would LOVE it if they were to port this game to modern consoles such as the Switch. I bet it would sell quite well!
Agree. This game will have you going half way insane (at least for me). I seriously solved some of the puzzles without understanding how.
The best example how to use the same zelda formula , and expand to greatness. Great level design.
That's how I felt too, a natural progression from the excellent premise and mechanics Zelda starts out with.
The game is frustrating as hell.
Played this when I was a teen and never managed to finish it due to how difficult it got near the end. I still got the boxed copy somewhere with it's detailed paper map. I need to revisit it and finally beat the game.
Thanks for making this video, this really is a forgotten gem that deserved so much more.
Do it! I started the game beetwen 2002-2004 with my crusty PSX, and finished it like three months ago, because of the same reason, i always got stuck in the last dungeon
Same for my brother. He did revisit it, and beat the game. It was amazing! Im still yet to beat the game!
*its detailed paper map
You can do it! It took me almost 4 years to finish it (playing on-and-off because i kept getting stuck). The feeling of beating it yesterday and becoming the hero of Inoa village - priceless!
I played Alundra back in the day. And though my brain probably let me forget its puzzle tricks, I still remember the enjoyable graphics. And I listen to the music sometimes, clearly one of the great features of this game. Thanks for putting this gem up on the shelve again.
The pixel art in this game it's gorgeous, after seeing this video i really want to play it
It took me years to comprehend the numerous subjects, themes, and topics Alundra discreetly presented and touched upon: from the everlasting conflict between modernity and tradition to the allegorical allusion of Japan's sociopolitical evolution. Alundra didn't just made me a better gamer but a better person as well.
What a splendid way to start my week! Thank you, Indigo Gaming.
lol
This was the first video that I watched on CZcams this week. It was a splendid way to start my week. 😁
Love this game. Still play it to death to this day. That painful music when villagers die... It kills me that it never got a sequel. And no, THAT game doesn't count lol
I like Alundra 2
I couldn't get into it personally. It felt like they gave it the name just to help it sell. I might give it another chance one day maybe.
Flint is basically Ash Ketchum but as a silent protagonist and the pirates are team rocket.
All the summons having passive abilities was dope, added to puzzle solving.
Lots of good things in the game that are unique to it.
I could see a lot of the fun things Alundra 2 tried to do, but it had the fact that it's very, very different from its predecessor, and its so technically crude that the gameplay is undermined by poor 3D implementation. Had it been a standalone on the PS2 it probably would have been considerably better received. A lot of fans of the original felt betrayed by its sheer indifference to Alundra 1.
I agree that it should have been a standalone title
One word describes the puzzles in this game, Notorious.
I want to thank you for making this tribute video to one of the best games on the OG playstation, Ive played this game to completion Multiple times, Yet to this day i still have not been able to get the scepter that lets you use the arches that are spread thru-out the world. I still have the letter i sent to W.D to get the puzzle answer to the Color spirits in Larz's Crypt. If anyone watching this has not played this Gem yet do yourself a favor and buy it. It is worth the Cash for the visuals alone. And just when you think you have it figured out fully is throws a curve ball at ya. And the love story aspect that is between two of the characters is amazing.
It's about time someone shines more light on this game. The music is spectacular and the gameplay possibly the hardest I played as a kid. I still remember when I finished it. 1 am with school the next day. By the end of the game you are part of this little town and those memorable characters.
The game has a way of imprinting itself on your mind. By the time I started working on this video I hadn't touched the thing in close to two decades, but I vividly remembered its challenge and atmosphere even after all that time.
Indigo Gaming it's a journey, isn't it? It tackles mature topics in a dark and metaphorical way. Even things like religion. The world is so rich. They didn't need to do that. They could have gone with just a basic story. The gameplay is good enough as it is... but they didn't. The result is something I would call a masterpiece.
I finished landstalker last year and It honestly is a really worthy play through, even though Alundra is so much bigger and fleshed out, Landstalker still holds its own even today. I’m about 3:4 the way through Alundra, and it might be about the best action adventure game I’ve ever played.
I dream about this game a few times a year. The music is burned into my brain. And the short swing victory celebration move is still something from which get goosebumps.
It's an audiovisual treat that holds up spectacularly over 20 years later!
same.. the music is so special..
Blown away I didn't know this existed. The freedom of movement they acheived on this is insane
Alundra will definitely never be forgotten :D
OMG finally someone who knows about Alundra , I wish they would bring it back
I originally played Alundra about 10 years ago or so, and was completely blown away by it. This video is a fantastic tribute to a fantastic game. I recall a puzzle involving logs and an flowing river in one of the dungeons which required perfect timing. Anyone else remember that puzzle? I remember spending ages trying to solve it, and few other times feeling so gratified from completing a challenge in a game when I solved it.
This is why your channel rules, you actually cover hidden somewhat obscure games and actually give amazing information on the games you cover. Never stop doing this! Also a couple of hidden gems would be the Dark sun games and the Ravenloft dungeon crawler games, those are classics.
What a well made video. Mix levels and choice of music accompanying the different parts. Excellent work.
When you had to die, and use Quick Start 20 or more times, just to get the most powerful weapon of the game from the statue of King Snow.
-Received the Legendary Sword!!
Basically an overpowered debug sword. I remember seeing how to unlock it in a tips and tricks mag a couple of years after the game came out. I always loaded from my save if bad things happened so I'd never have discovered it on my own.
Got chills at the end. That damned Alundra music... This video is a great homage, you described exactly what makes the game so good.
What a beautiful tribute for a masterpiece as Alundra. Amazing!
Thanks for mentioning Landstalker, that's one of my all-time favorites! I also love Alundra, and gosh, how poignant was this experience. It really has a very solid and well-crafted sober tone to it, if not downright gloomy.
Thank you for using nearest neighbor scaling, thereby preserving the sharp pixel edges, as they were meant to be seen!
SILENCE VERIFIED
You just told me the solution to a puzzle that stumped me like 5 years ago! Now I can go back and play this game again!!!
One of the best videos i've ever watched, thanks for remembering Alundra. I love this game a lot. Definitely a master piece in gaming.
I had no idea this existed. I will now have to try it seeing as how I am a LoZ junkie.
Graphic style Is more along to secret if mana if you ask me.. not that that's a bad thing
Did you like it? 😁
Thank you so much for making this video! I had never heard of it. Downloaded to my Vita last night and I'm over an hour in. Very excited for this adventure!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy the game.
This game was one of the best games I had in PS1.
I played it first in 1998, the CD was broken in 2003, and I was in Giles' Dream.
I had to wait until 2007 when I bought my first computer and played it with an Emulator.
And long story short, life happens, I finished it for the first time in 2013.
This game really means a lot to me.
Thank you for the review.
Totally looks playable in this current day unlike every 3d game released on the PS1
Yeah 3D games on the PSX and Saturn have aged horribly for the most part. Though a few static-camera games with pre-rendered backgrounds aren't so bad.
i can happily go back to pixel art sprites any time of the day, hell sometimes i do, recently picked up the megaman x legacy collection, and damn those sprites are gorgeous.
pretty much the 2d games have aged well. 3d not so much
Wrong. With the right filters, lots of 3D PS1 games look great.
lmao the dudes aint kno about ps1 emulation
just found your channel. Awesome that somebody finally discusses Alundra!
Alundra was a melding of The Legend of Zelda with A Nightmare on Elm Street. They even used the term "dream warriors" late in the game, a reference to the third Elm Street movie.
That's funny, didn't catch that reference till you pointed it out.
That’s how I always described it too
I played this on RetroArch yesterday, using Beetle HW and applied PGSX. Wow! Sharp and crisp details, looks like some sort of retro indie game that came out this year. Looking forward to playing this.
Your channel is poised to blow up in the coming year, keep up the great work.
No other game on the system brings out more nostalgia for me. Friggin' amazing game! Definitely in my top 5.
Great vid.
This game means so much to me. I was 7 years old in 97. The only two games I had for the PSX were FF7, which my dad and I loved, and Alundra, which my mom bought because "it looked like the same thing". It was easily the best mistake my mom ever made, because as a 7 year old in the pre-internet age, this game kicked my ass, but I had to keep playing because there was nothing else to do. Eventually I managed to beat the game, and I rebuy this game any time it gets re-released. Your video has done this game justice.
I remember playing this briefly at my cousin when we were younger, probably early 2000s, forgot it, but then it started to pop up and I remember how cool it looked and how much I wanted to play it again. Hope Alundra gets the recognition it deserves.
We've got more puzzles than Jigsaw up in this game.
I have to say I've missed out on a lot of Genesis classics having grown up in a mostly Nintendo household in the 90's, but that game does look interesting. Kinda like if Aladdin and Secret of Mana had a baby.
I ended up playing some Beyond Oasis the other day. Some gorgeous pixel art and color direction in that game. Looks neat, not sure if I'll do a video on it just yet, but I won't rule it out in the future.
:O
It's the other way around with me. Sega was much more famous in my country. Because for some strange reason Sega games and consoles managed to be cheaper here than Nintendo ones.
@@Indigo_Gaming Over A thousand videogame concepts came from one guy.
Storylines, music, maps, items, characters, objectives, gameplay Ect. came from him.
Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Bonk and many others were created by him.
He is retired now, with his new game stockpile growing smaller and smaller.
I wasnt a Fan of the typical Zelda Adventure Gameplay when i got my PS1.
But still there was no way around Alundra for me.
Its realy a Classic!
Alundra is still my favourite game. The sense of exploration was amazing and there was an immense satisfaction in defeating each dungeon. The music slowly gets into your head until you're humming it when you're not playing. The 2D sprites are fantastic but some puzzles are incredibly challenging...those sliding ice columns drove me crazy!
Would you honestly recommend i ah if for the 1st time now. If looks incredibly interesting, but generally as much as I live old games my nostalgia carries me through them
@@apeheadfoot1 I definitely recommend this game! Once you reach the first dungeon you'll be hooked. It's still available on PS3/Vita afaik.
This video just popped up in my feed and instantly clicked! In 8th grade a kid sat down next to me in History class and was reading the EGM review of Alundra. I leaned over and told him the game was awesome and we've been best friends ever since! Thanks so much for putting together this great video!
Oh, my name is relevant. This game was just amazing to play. So many fond memories and the music.... creepy, it's a shame the "sequel" wasn't enough to carry the legacy forward.
Oh hai Alundra, how's your gamelife?
But yes, it is a shame, I could see the fun, high-adventure concept Alundra 2 was going for, but sadly it wasn't anything close to the brilliance the original was, in my opinion.
@@Indigo_Gaming Indigo Gaming precisely the reason why Dual Hearts ditched the Alundra name. Dual Hearts (PS2) is Alundra 3 in everything but name. Pretty good game, and just like Alundra couldn't escape from having it being compared to A Link to the Past, Dual Hearts cant escape from being compared to Ocarina of Time mechanic wise. It's still a great game. Avalon Code (DS), also by the same crew who brought us Landstalker, Alundra 1&2 and Dual Hearts is a pretty good game that carries a lot of the things we enjoy from the series. No one ever mentions Dual Hearts or Avalon Code though.
Yeah it's a shame they just had to make it a 3d game. I understand it was the new and exciting technology everyone wanted but so many 3d games back then were so bad. For me most of the best games of that era were 2D.
@@Indigo_Gaming Alundra was one of those games that shouldn't have made the jump to 3D. That's what helped killed the Bubsy franchise for a while.
Used to play this with my dad when it came out on the ps1. The game was one of the most melancholic storytelling and could get you stuck for hours on some of the harder puzzles. I miss those combinations.
Tears of nostalgia, man. Trully touched. Keep up the great work with your videos!
Thank you for making such a great video. Alundra is just pure nostalgia to me, been kids trying to defeat all those puzzles, beggining the game, over and over....and never achieve it to defeat it.
But anyway, this is one of my favorites games ever, always remember with one great friend of mine, this game was just pure gold.
Probably i should try it just for take out the spine of not ending it never.
Alundra is such an amazing game. Definitely one of my all time favorites. Up there with the likes of Suikoden, Vandal Hearts and Vagrant Story.
My childhood friend got a Playstation while we were in high school, long before I ever did. The first games he got for it included some obvious picks in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics, but what really got my attention was Alundra. I loved its satisfying gameplay and its world that just begged to be explored, but I think what gripped me the most was its main overworld theme. It's so inspiring and wonderful. Every time I hear it, it evokes strong pangs of nostalgia, bringing me back to those days when it was still a mysterious unknown entity.
I also love some of the sound design aspects the game takes advantage of, like the haunting hum when you see a spectral Lars or Melzas, or how the music echoes then fades away when you go to a new area.
An absolutely stellar job! I am completely blown away and loved every moment of this! Totally my kind of in depth talk and the gameplay segments are stunning! Interestingly enough, I remember the name Alundra from years ago though I never knew anything about the game. Pretty sure I just skimmed it on the shelf in passing or something like that. I would love if this somehow made its way to the Nintendo Switch. Either way, I’m definitely going to track this down for the PlayStation. I can already tell that it’s a MUST for me:D Thank you for this epic video!
I remember playin Alundra back in the days when i was still a Kid (11ish years old).
And now i find myself atleast once a year makin a run and streaming it to tribute one of my top 5 titles of all times.
My very first playthrough tooked me nearly a year but it was so worth it!
I can also remember the dissapointment of the sequel we dont speak about :X
Great Video Tribute to one of the best Games i ever played!
Thanks alot
19:30 In Tommy Wiseau voice: "O HAI, BRANIAC!"
"WELCOME TO THE STAR KEY, TOMMY! So how's your sexlife?"
Definitely looks like something I'm going to have to look up. The action adventure genre is one I find myself constantly going back to.
Every now and then I remember this game and how the story influenced me. I played it several times and I would love to have the experience back to play it for the first time. I simply love this game and I would love to see more games like it.
Thank you for you wonderful tribute to this masterpiece
Between this and the Julian Jensen interview, you got yourself a sub. I'd never heard of Alundra 'til now.
Thanks for making sure this gem had a clear and concise explanation on this hidden gem. I've never heard of it, but I very much wish to experience it for myself now to learn what it has to offer to gaming
Your content is so good that even If I never heard of the game im intrigued to hear your representation of it. You are the man
One of my favorite games of all time! I remember I used to be scared of the music playing in the nightmares as a kid.
I got this game for free from an Australian magazine (yes, it's that old - back when we still had paper magazines).
Sometimes when things are free you don't value them as much but that definitely wasn't the case here;
Alundra is a fantastic game and had some truly emotional story moments - especially the blacksmith.
Thanks for covering it and bringing back memories of an old fart.
I replayed this in my downtime whilst I was in Afghanistan, it's release on the PSN saved my sanity, the disc I had back in the day was borrowed from a friend and it developed a load bug 3/4 through.
Isn't that the worst? I had a load bug during a cinematic in Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption because of a disc, but was able to fix it with one of those disc grinding devices.
This game is and always will be absolutely fantastic! The second one made me depressed in a really weird way, a sort of epiphany that I'm living in the wrong timeline and that this isn't how things were meant to be. Whether that's the truth matters not for it was simply a colossal bummer.
To anyone looking for more like it but something a little different I highly recommend checking out CrossCode, It's probably the closest I've ever seen a game come to Alundra on a mechanical level. The story and world are quite different but there's a mind boggling amount of combat, puzzles and platforming just like Alundra. One thing to keep in mind with CrossCode though is it's also an RPG so there's levels to grind out and tons of side quests that might make the journey feel a bit sluggish if you're completing them all before moving on and if you don't the odds might be stacked against you. It's a plus for some and a minus for others, I still recommend looking into it just to feel that puzzle guzzling goodness again.
My eyes are soaked with tears as I watch this video, oh boy ...It was my very firts ps1 game back in the day, and I remember beeing in some ice pilars puzzle for 3 complete days whitout a clue of what i had to do to advance that area. This game makes you think outside of the box sometimes... I miss games like that... thank you for the video and this amazing tribute to such a great game
Haha! I just requested the Main Alundra theme on Sam Griffin's Patreon page and he was like "I've never even heard of this...this song is incredibly weird. I like it though."
I'm surprised I've never heard of Alundra, it looks like it still holds up! Thank you for another great video.
This game is one of my all time favorites. Beat the game without a guidebook as a kid, and it felt great! Got stuck on one of the puzzles for a couple of weeks though :(
Alundra is one of my favourite games of all time! It excelled in every way, from the gameplay and story to the visuals and music.
It's a cult classic, but I still feel it's severely underrated. It doesn't get the magic Nintendo bump that Zelda gets with every release, it seems.
OHHH THIS IS WHAT ITS CALLED, I PLAYED LIKE 2 HOURS OF IT YEARS AGO AND COULDNT REMEMBER THE NAME,
Thank god for you enlightening me, I can now complete this jem
Man... Alundra was my childhood... Even though alundra 2 was disappointing, I LOVE alundra. I even like alundra more than all the "the legend of Zelda" games tbh
Oh man, this brings me the memories. I remember playing LandStalker on the Kgen emulator when I was a kid. Great video as always!
I hadn't heard of it until I researched and found its connection to Alundra. Looks like a tight, fun little game!
Indigo Gaming It's the first time I hear someone referring to it as 45° degree angle camera instead of isometric.
Zelda, Alundra and Landstalker are all isometric, but Landstalker is at a 45° degree angle instead of straight-on like the other two. That was the distinction I was making.
Really? I thought Zelda and Alundra were top down, since you can only see one side of objects like walls or pillars, while in Landstalker you can see two sides, corresponding to the 45° isometric camera rotation angle you mentioned.
It's complicated. Technically, anything that has foreshortened angles so that objects nearer and further aren't deformed in any way is isometric, but yes, the style in Landstalker as far as video game graphics go, is usually referred to as isometric, whereas Zelda and Alundra are commonly referred to as 3/4 perspective.
Top-down is something else entirely, see games like Grand Theft Auto 1 & 2 or Hotline Miami for examples of that.
Here's a rough crash course on the game terminology of perspectives (with a little subjective critique in there, but nevermind that):
opengameart.org/content/chapter-3-perspectives
But if you've ever worked with 3D you'll know that you can do isometric renderings of any angle really, it's just a completely foreshortened camera effect.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_projection
The puzzle solving you described sounds extremely fascinating to me. It seems from my memory to be the only game puzzle's answer that I'd come up with 'for a laugh' such as jumping on an old machine to get it started up. In other words, intentionally taking literally what is (except in this case) obviously just flavor text. I might pick this up!
This was great! What a well-spoken ride back in time. Thanks for your work.
I just bought alundra today, for my ps tv, then this shows at as recommended. What I did play was awesome, I felt like it was a updated link to the past. Just jumping alone makes it way better
Loved Alundra when I was a kid, still love it to this day... Was one of the games I streamed late last year over on Twitch, and it's a game that I'll always go back and play because of how good a game it is. (Also I almost always grab King Snow's Legendary Sword, but have to farm those deaths manually lol)
Honestly this is the best video on Alundra video I have ever watched.
Funny how Link in BotW looks even more like Alundra but I guess that is what happens when Alundra looked like Link in the first place.
I loved Landstalker so I should really give this a try at some point. The issue is finding the time!
Heh. My wife and I still go back and replay Alundra almost annually. It was totally one of our date night games and holds so many fond memories for us. I've lost track of how many games we've sidelined just because one of us heard part of the soundtrack playing, or saw something that reminded us of the game. It's amazing how strong the replay value is for what is essentially a story-intensive, fairly linear game. Such a blast, though.
Love this game SO much! I had a tradition of playing it once every year for the longest of time, think Ive replayed it about 12 times like that. Now its been a while since I did but your video awoke the urge again!
Truly is a great game that got caught in the ruts of more popular games like Final Fantasy and such to get as much attention as it deserved.
Who knows? With more people discovering and appreciating Alundra, we may someday see the game return!
This game looks SICK! I’m definitely going to do a let’s play of this at some point.
holy crap dude, nice video! its nice to see someone else have fond memories of this game. I have brought it up before saying its the better zelda, most people say whats alundra.
That's kind of a meme for people who love Alundra.
Relevant: combustibear.deviantart.com/art/Obscure-Hero-is-Obscure-208554535
This really does the game justice and expresses perfectly many of my own feelings about the game. Thank you.
I remember being enthralled by Alundra as a kid the first time I saw a demo. Me and my childhood friend were fascinated by it and always wanted to try it out. Playing it the first time we were amazed by its complexity of the design where it shows to be more than just an action platformer. We were excited for its sequel but it turned out to be a more streamlined experience with more dated 3D visuals and the story complexity of a saturday morning cartoon. It's a solid game on its own, but it has very little to do with the first game other than sharing some gameplay mechanics. Alundra is a type of game that never needed a sequel. It's perfect as it is and it's one of those gems that will always stand the test of time. You can re-release it today and people will buy it. A remaster similar to Suikoden and LiveALive will definitely suffice.
OH MY GOD! You really did a video on Alundra! My childhood to adulthood nightmare. Pun intended.
I have to add that Alundra really sticks with you story wise and gameplay wise. You cant rush it. You cant even speedrun it. If you read into the story, youl notice that it is not... friendly, as in. It is mature, and it has almost GoT levels of no mercy for a Zelda inspired game. Give. It. a. Go!
Climax for the win. RIP, you'll be missed. Their universe made of the trilogy: Shining in the darkness, Shining force and Landstalker were such great games!
It always amazes me when I see how great the game holds up even by todays standarts.
The visuals and the soundtrack are stunning and the puzzles are still challenging to me.
I played it as a kid and in the last quarter of the game my memory card decided to delete itself.
I played it like seven years ago and had to look up some puzzles, even though I didn´t wanted to.
I like the story and the characters and how the story unfolds itself. There is hope, but there is so
much sadness and sacrifices on your way to banish Melza.
There are many stories today that which are darker with more death and stuff, but most of them
feel so forced to me an oftentimes I don´t care for most characters.
I was so disappointed with Alundra 2, but I won´t give up hope for a real successor.
2D games in the late 16-bit and 32-bit eras age like fine wine!
This is one of my favourite games of all time. The music and story alone are worth a playthrough. Working Designs did such a grade job translating the game too. Thanks for the video.
Loved this game. Been so long since I even thought about it! Amazing to see the graphics today, they still hold up!
Indeed, I feel the Neo Geo/PSX/Sega Saturn era of high-end 2D games hold up remarkably well. See: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for one of the best examples of this.
Possibly the most upsetting sequel ever! I was so excited when I saw Alundra 2 on the shelf at my local game shop and when I got it home my day was ruined and my disappointment was immeasurable.
God it was so bad
Like actraiser 2
And Suikoden iii
I remember stumbling upon this video while traveling Nepal in 2018 and I knew I HAD to play this game someday. Fastforward to now and I'm starting it tonight at long last! So stoked! Thanks for bringing this game into my awareness!
One of my fave games of all time. Story and puzzles were amazing. I still listen to the amazing OST on my phone.
One of if not my top Fave also. Likewise listen to the OST even now in 2021, 15/20 years on LOL
The Shrine of the lake is true art :)@@macthecook4484
This game looks amazing! Thanks for bringing it to my attention and presenting it so thoroughly.
I'm so glad this game is getting the attention and love it deserves
Im brazilian, and I played Alndra in the late 90s. I didn't have internet at the time, none of my friends played or known the game, and as it wasn't very popular, no gaming magazine had a walkthrough on it. Worse still, I was just in the middle of learning english at the time.
So I had to finish the game, solve every puzzle all by myself. To this day I consider one of the best games I ever played, and certainly the one I am more proud of finishing it 100%.
I was young when I first played Landstalker. Amazing game. But when Alundra came out, it was like all the best from Landstalker, plus more awesome added. I think I have played Alundra maybe 7 or 8 times through. Most recent was last year, and it never gets old. I just hate that I know it back to front. It would be a dream if they remade it, or made a direct sequel to the first game in the same view style
I think it would be really popular today as well. The problem with the late 90s/2000s is that 3D games were all the rage (despite it being primitive and honestly kinda bad at the time). Nowadays a retro platformer that plays amazing but looks like an NES games can literally sell millions.