Conan - The Cimmerian
Conan the Cimmerian, famous barbarian from the books and comics, the strongest and the most powerful warrior there was, has only one goal in his life, his purpose of existence: to find the riddle of the steel, so once he dies and his god Crom asks him about the riddle, he will know the answer and Crom will invite him to sit beside him. In many adventures and battles he had fought, through many lands and cities he has been, many men and women he had met, but he always kept in mind what he must learn before he finally lays to rest forever.
All of you probably already know who Conan is. If some of the younger ones never heard of him before, now they did. After books and comics, Conan started "to breed" in movies (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and in video games. This is not the first game with Conan (there were games for PC and other computers and consoles and were mostly action platforms) and surely isn't a last one (there are hack’n’slash games, now in 3D). Still, if this game isn't better than any other game with Conan, than there isn't any other Conan game better than this one. This is an adventure game, but not the adventure like the one you’re used to in video games - pick up some objects and use them somewhere. This is a REAL adventure, where you have to lead Conan in his action-packed adventuring while seeking his vengeance. What vengeance, you might ask? Well, this is a story about the first and greatest adventure of Conan - defeating the evil wizard Toth Amon.
The Legend of Conan starts in his village, a peaceful one, until armies of Toth Amon came brining destruction (for those who don't know yet, he was taken to be a slave until he became a warrior, but that is another story, not exactly used in the game). Conan is the only survivor and he roamed the land until he reached the gates of Shadizar. This is where his adventure begins. Conan must become stronger, build his reputation as a warrior and find allies to lead the war against his sworn enemy Toth Amon. Besides dealing with many foes, this also means that Conan will have to accomplish certain tasks. This will lead him to new locations and new dangers. On the other hand, there is a lot to explore (mostly in Shadizar) that may lead him to new treasures and items (and foes). Although you don't really need to bug around with every room and location, still some exploration may come handy. So, either you like to just follow the main quest or to put your nose wherever you can, you will be satisfied.
The game is played in the top-down view when you're on open and in the side view when in a duel or inside. Conan can improve his abilities by accomplishing the tasks, improve his fighting skills by training (that costs money), find, buy or sell various items etc. As for the skills, there are three different types of attack: swing, thrust and chop (Conan knows only the "swing" in the beginning), each can be improved by more expensive training, but you'll use thrust all the time (still, learn other attacks too, you'll need them). As for the buying and selling, Shadizar has many shops that trade various sorts of items (blacksmith, locksmith, usual goods...). You can find items on various locations, including the private houses in Shadizar, although that's called stealing. Well, Conan was a thief when he was young, so nothing stops you from stealing until you become the mighty warrior who finds dangers and adventures to be much more challenging and profitable.
At the stat you'll need to find The Dead Dog Inn to meet with some interesting people, but you have an entire city to explore if you like. You can steal money, jewels and other items which can be sold. Use the money to buy better weapon, equipment and to train. No matter if you buy or sell, you can bargain (very nice and interesting), but don't think that traders of Shadizar give their money so easily. You can buy and find keys to gain access to some locked houses and much more important locations as well. Conan's inventory is not unlimited, so if you want to search the underground of Shadizar for treasuries, do it before going into tasks you've been given away from Shadizar, for which you'll need a lot of equipment. However, the tasks will require you to be cunning, not just to use a simple force. The only thing that Conan is afraid of is magic and that's because he's smart. He used to say: "What good is the sword against magic?" There is magic in this quest, strength is not enough to beat it.
Conan, fearless warrior, will have a lot of duels, but will also have lot of adventuring in this game. Vengeance, battles, spells, cities, castles, warriors of good, warriors of evil, thieves, monks, workers, common people, strange creatures, horrible creatures, many interesting places and unpredicted situations - everything is here. Well, there is no new love for Conan, except for the one that makes him want his revenge (unlike the movie and this game, he once said: "There are a thousands of women in this world and neither one is worth dying for"). Conan will have to be both strong and smart, brave and cunning, fearless and wise, unbreakable and flexible, devastating and merciful, quick and patient... And, eventually, he will get his revenge.
"CROM, GIVE ME THE POWER!!!"
There is only one save slot, so you should be quite careful.
Reviewed by: marko river
