Review: Sudeki
Climax's oft-delayed Xbox RPG is finally here -- and it was worth the wait!
The Xbox is not a console known for its large library of RPGs, so Sudeki?s release was anticipated by many a gamer hungering for a bit of role-play love. While it would have been nice to see the title last year, the delays were put to good use and the final version shines brightly.
Putting the ?Action? in Action-RPG
One of the defining aspects of Sudeki?s style is the heavy emphasis on action. Nearly everything happens in real-time and the controls have been designed to enable instant access to as much as possible. Four quick use inventory slots can be mapped to the d-pad, which comes in handy -- especially for health and magic potions.
Winning in combat depends more on your skills with the controller than with the weapon used, thanks to a simple, but effective combo system. An indicator in the lower left hand side of the screen will light up when you press an attack button. If you wait for the second and third slots to glow and time your attacks accordingly you will launch into a devastating combo. Press the attack buttons too quickly (i.e. button mashing) and the combo will fail to start -- it?s all about the timing.
Each of the four main characters has a decidedly different fighting style, which provides for a nice bit of variety. Both Tal and Buki fight from a third-person perspective, while Alish and Elco fight from a first-person perspective. It?s a bit different than most RPGs out there, but it works well. You have the ability to switch between characters at any time, so it is possible to micromanage a battle if you so choose. If not, you can focus on one character and let the AI do the rest. AI settings are specific to each character, allowing you to designate individual styles such as ?aggressive? or ?defensive?.
Spell attacks are incredibly useful in combat, with the higher-level actions causing a great deal of damage. Some of the spells are area-effect -- just cast and forget -- while others have to be targeted. This is done via a charge animation. After you cast the spell the target area appears on the screen while the spell charges up. While it is charging you can adjust its direction in order to hit the most possible opponents. At the end of the charge cycle the spell will automatically cast. Spell animations are short, but sweet, and make good use of special effects.
When not in combat, each character has a special ability that can be used at any time. For example, Alish?s dispel ability can make hidden objects appear or remove obstacles in the path. Any time you see a glowing bundle of sparkly things floating in the air, it?s a good idea to cast dispel. Just as in combat, you can switch characters on the fly, making it very easy to use any special ability. Manipulating large objects can sometimes be a little clunky due to an occasional odd camera angle, but it is a minor nit.
Give Me A Story or Give Me Death!
Story is an essential component of any RPG and Sudeki is no slouch in that regard. The game weaves a tale of one reality, torn asunder, and split into two. Playing off the conflict of light versus dark is fairly standard stuff -- Sudeki, however, puts a novel spin on things and uses the concept of a shadow world in an intriguing way.
Because Sukdei?s plotline is a core component of the game, you won?t be able to stray too far from the main path. There are side quests to explore and you can always wander around the world fighting beasties, but nothing quite as expansive as the Xbox RPG Morrowind.
The voice acting in Sudeki is surprisingly good, with nearly every line voiced. Characters all have a distinct sound -- and attitude -- which adds a great deal of flavor to the game as well as helps preserve your vision. Sudeki must have been designed with massive HDTVs in mind as it uses one of the smallest fonts ever seen in a video game. If it weren?t for the voice acting you might go blind trying to read all of the minute text packed into this title.
Brightly lit and incredibly colorful, the often over-saturated visuals in the world convey a look that owes its heritage to Japanese anime, but is still distinctly Western. This satisfying combination of two disparate styles gives the game a look that doesn?t feel derivative of anything else.
A solid mix of story, action, and adventure, Sudeki does just about everything one would expect. The main quest could have been longer -- it clocks in a bit shy of 20 hours -- but the length is more than made up for by the complete immersion factor of the world. If you?ve been jonesing for a good Xbox RPG, want no more. Sudeki is here.
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