Introduction
Today we are going to look at a retro game, has it aged well? How are the graphics? But what game are we looking at? We will be reviewing Hercules the Legendary Journeys. Have you ever watched the series? You should! This game uses the same models and voices of Kevin Sorbo and Micheal Hurst. Man, I miss old wacky series where not everything was CGI shit. While it did exist, it was not on the forefront as it is today. Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked, on with the review.
What did I think before playing Hercules the Legendary Journeys?
While I am a huge fun of Hercules and Iolaus, I completely forgot about the game I used to play a very long time ago on the Nintendo 64. Thus, it was time to replay this game. To be fair, I had no idea anymore what kind of game this was, but looking at some screenshots, it did not look the same as it did to me when I was young. Did nostalgia hide the bad graphics? I decided to visit the Wikipedia page for more information.
The Wikipedia Page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules:_The_Legendary_Journeys_(video_game)
This game has a promising tale to tell of mixing gameplay elements. The graphics resemble Legend of Zelda, but if that is a good thing, we will find out soon enough. There are three playable characters, but you are not free to choose, instead you will encounter them and can switch to save other people that Hercules cannot reach.
Rating
I rated Hercules Legendary Journeys with a 7.1 before playing.
I was a bit skeptically about the graphics, were they really that bad?
Story
The story, despite looking old as hell, is interesting. Once again the Gods are up to no good. Ares and Hera have done something to Zeus, and it brings unrest to the mortals. There are only two people who can set this right, Hercules and Iolaus! They will also be joined later by Serena.
Rating
I rate the story of Hercules the Legendary Journeys with an 8.6
The story is superb and fun, it makes sense, it fits in with the series, also the characters are voiced by the same actors to immerse you in this game.
Gameplay
Now, the gameplay, this is where things get really old school. Do you remember the days when you had a key in your inventory, but to use it, your character had to hold it in his hands? If you don’t, then you are too young to have played the N64 upon release or close after. Yes young people, that was a really annoying time. This game brings that back, have the item you need, but not in your hand? Your character will make a stupid witty remark. You will also find countless items in this game to solve puzzles.
Now, for the movement, it is quite clunky and everything is square, even people’s heads. The fighting is slow and calculated with blocks, punches, and dodges. Iolaus has a stick, and he can smash people, Serena has a bow. The enemies will spawn from tents or just stand on the road. If enemies come from tents, you will need to destroy it or the enemies will keep spawning. Well, not forever.
As Hercules, you can visit Salmoneus who is your friend but still wants all your dinars if you want a potion. Sadly, you need a ton of dinar for quest related items. There is also the thing with restoring your health, it can only be done by grabbing food items from barrels. These are scarce on the open road, but in cities they are plenty. You will be spending a lot of time in cities solving puzzles, or as we love to call them, fetch quests. From getting grain, to finding a little girl’s cat, no heroic feat is too big for Iolaus or Hercules.
Boss fights take place in arenas, these hit hard, fast and you are slow. Make sure to have full health before doing a boss battle, or farm up a potion if you have trouble. Most of the bosses have noticeable patterns and leave an opening to strike. While you can block, you will still lose health and unlike newer games, there is no rally mechanics. This means blocking needs to be used carefully. It is still better than getting hit full on. Oh yeah, one other thing, unless you have the quest to get something, you cannot open chests. Have fun with that.
Rating
I rated the gameplay of Hercules the Legendary Journeys with a 7.0
While yes, the gameplay is quite solid for an old game. It has multiple elements weaved in, puzzle solving, saving people, traveling over roads and beating up bandits. It does suffer from being old, the mechanics are ancient and not all of them are used properly.
Sound and Graphics
Graphics
Now we are getting to a part where the game goes downhill. Yes, the graphics for that time were epic! Nowadays, not so much. Iolaus’s head is as square as a, well, a square. Despite that, the graphics have not aged well, I still get a good laugh from looking at the game. There are also many graphical glitches. One more thing, it does remind me a lot of Legend of Zelda. Yes, the world is a bit empty, but in their defense, the cartridge was probably jam packed.
Sound
Despite the graphics looking nothing like I remembered, the soundtracks are fun and the voices are done by the Kevin Sorbo and Micheal Hurst. For me, the series ended at season 5, anyone who mentions season 6, wait, did you say something? Oh yeah, this game has amazing soundtracks!
Rating
I rated the sound and graphics of Hercules the Legendary Journeys with a 6.9
While I would love to give this game a higher rating here, it does look extremely old. For their time, this was not ugly, this was breathtaking.
What did I think after playing Hercules the Legendary Journeys?
While it was not the same as it used to be so long ago, I did enjoy the game. Even though the user interface seems like a Legend of Zelda wannabe. If you enjoyed the series once upon a day, then you will also love this game. It has charm, it has wits, it has good gameplay mechanics for back in the day. All in all, it might fall in the mediocre category, despite that, it can still be enjoyable.
Rating
I rated Hercules the Legendary Journeys with a 7.0 after playing.
I do love throwing some punches!
What are my personal thoughts about Hercules the Legendary Journeys?
It does feel fun to walk around in Ancient Greece, even if it is just a game. Some mechanics are dated but enjoyable if you know about them. Otherwise it might get infuriating. It brought me back to my childhood, we got used to convenience way too fast.
Rating
My personal Rating of Hercules the Legendary Journeys is a 7.5
While not one of the best games ever, perhaps even mediocre, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Last Words
Pros
- There are three heroes to play as, all of them have unique abilities
- There are fun and complex puzzles to clear
- The story is fun and ties in with the series
- Despite not the best graphics, this game has many places to explore
- Intense fights where you need your head
- Has fun (read annoying) old school mechanics to remember the good old days
- There are fun soundtracks
- The voices are done by the same people as in the series
Cons
- So many square items!
- Unable to pick up quest items before you can use them
- Hard to farm money early on
If you want a fun old school experience, then this game is just perfect for you! If you are not someone who can enjoy games that look old and don’t run on whatever FPS people want these days, then go play something new. Fans of the Hercules series will certainly enjoy this game!
The Final Rating
7.3
Please let me know what you think of Hercules the Legendary Journeys in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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Good review! Older games had better stories.
That is true.
Good game, i would try it to be honest
I never came across this game. Didn’t even know it existed. I loved the tv show.