Lost Kingdoms

RPG heroes usually have swords, spears, maces, and all other manner of menacing weapons. In Lost Kingdoms, you get a deck of cards.

The land of Argwyll is in big trouble?a sinister dark fog is engulfing forests, towns, and entire countries. The king of Alanjeh has rode off into the mists to combat the black evil, and he hasn't been heard from for days. Now it's up to Princess Katia to venture outside her castle and single-handedly save the world. Her weapon of choice: a deck of cards?

Cardcaptor Katia
Although Lost Kingdoms is the first RPG to grace the GameCube's library, don't expect a Final Fantasy-like fiesta of cut-scenes and random puzzles. The world is divided into over 25 locations, which are gradually opened up as you complete previous levels and advance the story along. Each world is as long as your typical RPG quest, right down to the evil boss (and his foreboding music) at the end.

The battle system takes a wide detour from other RPGs. When Katia runs into wandering enemies, she automatically draws four cards out of a deck of 30, one for each GameCube button. Her actions depend on the cards she decides to break out. Some cards act essentially like physical attacks, while others summon helper monsters to engage enemies for you. These cards can be bought and sold at the local apothecary [note: the game's term for "Shop"], as well as powered up with your hard-earned experience points. It takes some time to learn the subtleties of this system, but once you do, you'll find it a deeper and engrossing alternative to the usual cycle of weapon upgrades players go through in typical RPGs.

Playing with the Lives of Monsters
Lost Kingdoms is one of those games that seems simple at first glance, but requires some thought to advance far into. Every card and monster has a certain elemental alignment (earth, fire, and so on), each with its own strengths and weaknesses against the other elements. Once you've built up a good card collection, you'll need to build your battle deck intelligently to counter the changing alignments of each level's enemies.

The game's nicest extra is the two-player battle mode, a fight to the finish between two opponents and their cards. These battles almost resemble the wizards' duels in Lord of the Rings?you'll be throwing magical attacks at each other willy-nilly, summoning monsters frantically in an attempt to stay alive longer than your enemy. It's a great way to spend an evening, and handicap and rule-change options ensure fair fights no matter what your decks look like.

Royal Flush
Lost Kingdoms is a very pleasant surprise, even if it's not the pure RPG some GameCube fans are hoping for. The story isn't exactly deep and interaction with other characters is rare, but the fun battles and the strategies behind deck-building more than make up the difference. Don't try it just because it's the GameCube's first RPG?try it because it's a very good one.

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