Video Review: Realms of Ancient War (PS3)

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1 min read

Realms of Ancient War is heavy on the action. Swarms of enemies will attack your hero at every turn in this downloadable Diablo-style hack-and-slash.

But the big question is: can a game that doesn’t even have a ‘block’ button still be engaging in this day and age? The answer is: somewhat. This game is not an especially stand-out example of the genre, but it is good fun nonetheless.

Enjoy the video below!

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  • I've never really gotten into these type of games, though I was hoping to start with Pandora's Tower on the Wii (hack-and-slash-ish, right?). I watched a good bit of the first God of War get played, and attempted it a few times…I like the idea of hack-and-slash a lot, just haven't jumped into the genre really.

    On this game though, kind of interesting about the "no block" button/option, but hey, if you have a dozen enemies attacking you, I don't think it's even necessary…probably helps keep players "on their toes" more, and keeps the action moving nicely.

    The lack of a camera control seems pretty standard for this genre right? Not a major issue, because of how they rotate it according to where you move and what is happening?

  • Hm, there's two different kinds – God of War, and Diablo. God of War-style hack-and-slash are more about the visceral combat, combos, blood & gore and so on. Pandora's Tower is more like that kind of game.

    The Diablo style is more about RPG-style levelling up and loot. Lots and lots of loot. RAW is more like that kind of hack-and-slash. And you're right, I could have handled a "no block" button, but there's also no "dodge" button – and that is unforgivable for the genre. It means the Rogue simply doesn't feel agile enough to be a rogue, though it's not much of a problem for a Warrior.

    The lack of camera control is more a problem in this game because there are a lot of objects that you can get stuck behind. And some games (Sacred 2, for instance) do give people control over the camera.

    This is better than, say, Heroes of Ruin on the 3DS, but if you've got a halfway decent PC, Bastion or Torchlight 2 are far better choices.

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