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Xbox | Adventure | Azurik: Rise of Perathia

Boxart for Azurik: Rise of Perathia
Azurik: Rise of Perathia 24 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.0
  • SOUND: 3.5
  • CONTROL: 3.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 3.1
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 2.7

First Look: Azurik: Rise of Perathia

First Look by ATOMICDAWG | 03/16/2001 | 15:00:55 PM PST

Xbox games have a long way to go, but even at this stage Azurik is a great-looking action/adventure game that fires the imagination.

In a time when power shortages and the politics of non-renewable energy sources are headline news, Azurik: Rise of Perathia will go back to the basics--earth, wind, fire, and air--to energize the Xbox launch. Azurik, being crafted for Microsoft?s first party label stable by Adrenium Games, is a 3D-action/adventure epic that even in preview form looks awesome.

Set in Perathia-an ancient fantasy world divided into four realms representing earth, wind, fire, and air--the familiar tale will pit Azurik, a young apprentice sworn to protect the sacred elements, against Balthazar, an evil warrior who is bent on bringing an apocalyptic prophecy to pass.

It already looks like the scenery in this DVD-based game will be stunning. The early version revealed vast otherworldly vistas that show off the Xbox?s Nvidia graphics muscle by appearing to stretch for miles with crystal clarity. The preview levels also featured amazing locales like an area where the water realm bordered the fire realm, with massive, awe-inspiring waterfalls cascading on one side and searing, eye-fusing lava falls exploding on the other.

Early gameplay seemed solid, too. Azurik swings a mean-looking, twin-headed halberd called an Axion; a sort of staff weapon with wicked axe-blades mounted on either end. You will learn to power it up with the four elemental forces; and as you gain experience, you build up the individual elements to produce a variety of attacks. Wicked wind gales, flame-thrower firepower, freeze blasts, and other offensive moves will be tied to four action buttons on the controller, so you can instantly switch among them during combat.

The Xbox controller, by the way, feels like a winner so far. All the button surfaces are smoothed out or contoured, even the two analog sticks, the directional pad, and the dual triggers. The unit?s also slightly buffed out to make it a comfortable fit for an adult hand.

Azurik?s artificial intelligence should be on a rampage. According to Adrenium Games, in the preview version even the individual insects in a swarm of fireflies had their own A.I. and particle physics. Weird, fantastic beasts and monsters will hunt you in packs, attack you in gangs, and otherwise attempt to ruin your travels in Perathia. If you aren?t smart, they?ll even draw energy from your Axion. Cast flames on a fire being, for example, and its going to grow bigger, hotter, and meaner.

Some adversaries even run away to get their big brothers if you bully them. In the preview version, for instance, one set of vicious, evil beings pulled a Master-Blaster two-on-one. Little, blue imp-like creatures mounted an annoying assault; but once you started wailing on them, one of them would jump into a giant golem-like creature and pound some heavy-duty payback onto you.

Wow! This preview makes Azurik sound like a lock, but it looks mighty fine already and at the Gamestock demos, Microsoft claimed the Xbox development units were only running at half power! Azurik: Rise of Perathia could get more than a rise out of action/adventure freaks everywhere.


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