Ty ArthurDefending the Maligned Part II - Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
July 3rd 2008 01:43
"Defending the Maligned" spotlights games that get lots of negative press that either don't deserve it, or are simply worth playing despite their flaws. Much like "Skewering Sacred Cows", the segment isn't meant to cause conflict or force anyone to start enjoying a game they don't like; it will just explain the reasons why the game is worth giving a chance.
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader was a game that got the hopes up of a lot of RPG fans because it had the name Black Isle attached to it, which gamers had come to learn meant absolute solid gold with each and every title. The role playing game division of Interplay, Black Isle developed classics such as Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale. Unfortunately for all those eager fans, Black Isle only had a nominal role in the creation of Lionheart. The game was primarily being developed by Reflexive Entertainment, a studio mostly known for making arcade style games. It seemed like a strange fit for an RPG that was supposed to be of the same caliber as Baldur's Gate, but hopes still remained high when it was announced that Lionheart would be using the SPECIAL system of character creation from the Fallout game series.
Well, the all these high hopes were pretty well dashed when the game came out. It got near universal bad or mediocre reviews and sales weren't so hot either. The sad part is that most of the criticism of the game is accurate. There are a ton of problems with the gameplay that can be incredibly frustrating. So why am I defending this game? Because this is one of those titles that falls under the category of "worth playing despite it's flaws". Yes, there are issues, and yes, they will have you occasionally screaming at your PC and throwing objects around, but Lionheart has got such an amazing world, back story, and character development system that it would be a shame to not play it through at least once.
First, the bad. The AI in Lionheart is completely terrible. Expect to play the game through solo because anytime you get a companion to join you they will hurl themselves unexplainably into the largest concentration of enemies with no back up and then proceed to get mauled to death before you even have a chance to try to help them out. The various companions who can join the main character are not central to the story and do not have to stay alive, so when they die they are dead for good and any quests they had associated with them are forever failed. This has an extra unintended consequence. Because you will be spending so much time in combat on your own, you are forced into making your character a combat machine and neglect the various social or adventuring skills available to you. This severely limits what at first seems like a massively wide open character creation system. There are also a few issues with the speed at which the NPC's move in relation to how quickly the character moves that make things look a little off from time to time.
These issues aside, Lionheart can be incredibly fun and immersive. The story takes place in an alternate history earth where monsters and magic invaded the world during the Crusades. You are a magic tainted human who hosts a spirit creature in Barcelona, Spain. This is bad for you because the Inquisition wants to wipe the taint of magic from existence, even if it means killing anyone associated with the practice. Meeting historical characters like Leonardo Da Vinci and William Shakespeare, but in a fantasy context gives the game a unique flavor not found anywhere else. The leveling system is also fun and addicting, spurring you on to keep gaining just a bit more experience to see what abilities you can unlock next.
If you like 3/4 isometric action RPGs in the same vein as Diablo but with a bit more dialog and story, then Lionheart is for you, just be ready to overlook a few major flaws. The game also comes with a free trial copy of Reflexive Entertainment's take on the Breakout clone called Ricochet Extreme. Best Breakout clone ever, without question. If you get Lionheart used it will probably be worth the price for Ricochet Extreme alone.
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