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Sony and Game Republic deliver a solid PS3 exclusive. Folklore hasn’t been hyped very much but has ended up being an intriguing game. The gameplay is very enjoyable and well put-together, but it’s the captivating story that ends up being the real winner here.
Folklore’s story is one of the more interesting stories of the year. It doesn’t take off right away but once it does, you can’t help but feel sucked in. The game takes place in two different places. One is Doolin, a village in modern-day Ireland. Here you’ll meet Ellen, who received a letter from a woman claiming to be her mother, and the other is Keats, a reporter who receives a message detailing the crazy events that are happening in the village. The game also includes a component in the netherworld, with a political struggle going on between the dead. The story is told through rare but splendid cutscenes, but more often still images with no voice acting, which work okay but not nearly as well as the cutscenes.
Folklore initially plays a lot like PC adventure games, since you’re often exploring villages, meeting up with other characters and looking for clues. The game’s first five chapters can be played as either character. You can choose to play the chapters as one character then switch to the other, but it is recommended that you switch between characters in between chapters to keep the story in sync. Afterwards, you’ll go to the afterworld where you can summon ids to fight off the world’s various monsters and obtain their souls. You don’t use any weapons directly but instead use these ids that you collect along the way, eventually getting more and more of them with more varied skills. The ids that you had captured can be upgraded by increasing health or attack power, among other things. There are minor differences in the characters, such as which ids are collected by which characters and Keats’ temporary invincibility.
Folklore has fairly intuitive use of the Sixaxis. When you defeat an enemy, you can collect their id to add to your repertoire. You can collect the id of the weakest enemies by simply pressing a button. For slightly stronger enemies, you’ll need to press a button and pull the id towards you by pulling on the Sixaxis. Even stronger enemies will require you to pull the controller with more force, often shaking it and moving it from one side to another. It makes great use of the controller without feeling tacked on.
Folkore’s visuals don’t push the boundaries of the PS3. Sony won’t be using this game to show off the Cell processor or the Blu-Ray’s limitless capability any time soon. However, what the game lacks in pure polygons, bump maps, and dynamic lighting, it makes up for in art style. The art direction in the game is splendid and brings the story to life. The Irish village looks pretty good, but once you get to the Netherworld, the art direction comes to its own and looks great. The game’s soundtrack is fitting for the game and sounds great. The sound effects are all pretty good, although nothing there will be considered superb.
Folkore isn’t perfect, since you are often replaying the same areas with different characters. It also takes a while for the story to take off, but as I mentioned above, once it does you’re in for a treat. Folklore won’t appeal to everyone, but those who take it up on its offer will not be disappointed. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 15, 2007
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