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When my editor asked me if I wanted to review Rune, I had no idea what I should expect. He started off by telling me that none of the other reviewers wanted to write it up, which I took to be a bad sign. Since I had heard nothing about Rune, I didn’t even know what kind of game it was (I don’t get out much, ok?). So while I waited for the game disk to arrive I did a little digging to find out everything I could about Rune, developed by Human Head. From what I could see it looked like a cross between Jedi Knight, Drakan, and Unreal. Since I really liked Jedi Knight, and I am a regular on-line Unreal Tournament player, I became eager to try this game out. Now that I have tried Rune, I am thoroughly convinced that the other reviewers simply had too many other games to play, because I can’t imagine how anyone could turn down such a cool game. Stated simply…Rune rocks…and let me tell you why…Gameplay So what is Rune about? Well, basically…Vikings. Big hairy gargantuan behemoths wielding big mother axes, swords, hammers, and anything else they can swing. Don’t be expecting to pull out a sniper rifle and pick off enemies from a distance. Rune is about fighting…up close, personal, and completely in your face hand-to-hand combat…and plenty of it. Many players will instantly be reminded of the light saber duels in Jedi Knight, as was I. Unlike Jedi Knight though, there is no ranged combat in Rune (except for the odd throwing axe), so be prepared to get down and dirty with some serious swordplay (or axe…or hammer…you get the idea…).In Rune, you take control of Ragnar, a young Viking who, as the game starts, has just completed the ceremony signifying his right to be called a warrior and to fight alongside his fellow Vikings. As the ceremony ends and Ragnar claims his title, word comes that a neighboring village is under attack from a rogue Viking, and the warriors set off to provide aid, with you in tow. To make a long story short (and to not ruin it for everyone), Ragnar and his fellow Vikings discover that their enemy is far more powerful than they anticipated, and death ensues. Ragnar survives, at which point you take control, leading him on a quest of vengence. There is a lot more to the story, including a great deal of Viking mythology, but some things you will have to see for yourself. As a side note, Rune contains a lot of elements of Viking mythology and legends, which have been (as far as I can tell from my limited knowledge of Viking history) accurately researched and implemented into the game by Human Head. I find this lends itself to one becoming truly immersed into the story of Rune, making it that much more enjoyable.Rune plays from a third person point of view such as Tomb Raider, Drakan, or the afore mentioned light saber duels of Jedi Knight. You do have the option of zooming in to a first person point of view, but I highly recommend that you become accustomed to the third person view. Simply put, because you engage all enemies at point blank range, and often several of them at once, the ability to see everything around yourself is very important. The controls can be set up however you desire, but the controls used for most first person shooters work fine, with WASD controlling movement and strafing, and the mouse controlling turning and looking around. I found that with a little practice it was fairly simple to carry out some impressive maneuvers. |
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