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Based on the hit series of roleplaying gamebooks, Lone Wolf is an excellent
side-scrolling beat 'em up that puts you in the shoes of Lone Wolf - last of the Kai
Masters, a fantasy hero who looks like a cousin of either Conan the Cimmerian or
Hercules. Your job: exorcise the evil spirit of a nasty old sorceror by defeating 7
shadowy demons who inhabit the shards of the Mirror Of Death. In traditional beat
'em up style, you parade inside the sorcerer's fortress, fighting his guardians and
confronting the "boss" demon on each level. In a nice twist from typical platformers,
apart from your trusty sword you possess 4 Kai (i.e. magic) skills chosen from a
selection of 8. These are quite creative, including Mindshield, Animal Kinship
(terrify your enemies with an image of a wolf), Invisibility, Sixth Sense (avoid
getting lost), Divinity (detect evil), Weapon Skills, and Healing. Using the right
skill at the right time is key to finishing the game, and this adds an interesting
element of adventure gaming to the mix. The game is very nice to look at, with
detailed background graphics and excellent character animations. The backgrounds are
also not just static backdrops, but full of little animations that enliven the
atmosphere, such as the flickering torches, turning gears that power sinister traps,
and much more. The adventure element is a little unforgiving, because most of the
time you will find out which Kai skills you really need to pass the level only after
you die. Regardless, it usually doesn't take more than a couple of retries to find
out, and the levels are not so long that you will get bored getting to the same spot
again. The game's designers also deserve kudos for coding monsters with some semblance
of intelligence, especially the end-level demons. Keep doing the same moves, for
example, and the demon will learn to block you. He will even backstab you or turn
invisible if you are getting the upper hand. Overall, if you enjoy fantasy action
games, this is a great, highly underrated game that is well worth your time. |
