Folklore
Review
Strange enough to maintain a bizarre originality
by Eroteme
reviewed on PS3
Walk With the Dead, Talk With the Dead (cntd)
Although Keats and Ellen will run into a few exclusive Folks in each of the seven levels, they will usually encounter the same ones and utilize their similar functions. Some Folks have a certain attack style, and some Folks are impervious to specific attacks. For example, flying enemies generally float above the reach of the basic melee Folks, so a Folk that fires a vertical attack or floats above the ground would make defeating the enemy a lot easier. Figuring out the weaknesses and strengths of each Folk is done by collecting picture book pages scattered in each level. Boss characters are very difficult to defeat without knowing their weaknesses. And without finding certain Folks, they can actually be impossible to defeat.
The only bothersome problems involve inconsistent camera controls and frustrating, repetitive hordes of enemies. There are times where the armies of Folks seem to never end, challenging the player with a wicked test of endurance. This is even more frustrating in some of the thinner and smaller areas, when the camera zooms in, microscope style, on Keats or Ellen. Sometimes this occurs when the characters are stunned, making recovery and counter-attacking even harder tasks than they should be. One noticeable annoyance is the brief pause before returning to gameplay after pulling up the inventory menu. It lasts for about two or three seconds, and is long enough to be obvious the very first time it happens. With my bad history with gaming hardware I am very paranoid about console crashes and game freezes, so this was somewhat unpleasant.
Nothing is as it Seems
Folklore is a game with overpowering flavors of creativity and originality. The art design was the first thing that really blew me away; the village of Doolin is just dreary enough to be an effective “Village of the Dead”, but it isn’t flooded with fog, filled with gore, or home to ravaged, torn-down buildings. The enemy design is brilliant. Some of the Folks look absolutely terrifying while others are nothing short of fun to look at. The special effects and atmospheric details add to the visual emotion; never does Folklore cease to amaze thanks to its darker-than-usual fairy tale style.
It is the style that is the most alarming, but not in a negative way. I didn’t expect the different moods to clash so well—Doolin, as bleak and colorless as it is, is contrasted well with the battlegrounds of Warcadia and the other realms. Animation is smooth, particularly when using the Folks. I was impressed that each Folk had a different animation for Keats and Ellen. Keats’ Folks generally act as an attachment to his own body while Ellen’s Folks usually appear to be summoned in their entirety. The only problem with the smoothness of Folklore is its frame rate, which isn’t completely steady, particularly when there are a dozen or more Folks on-screen.
A Story to Remember
Folklore is definitely one of the PlayStation 3’s better games. When you put together all of its elements, it is also one of the most harmonized PS3 titles. Although the game doesn’t last quite as long as other RPGs, it provides enough leveling and item collecting (and hidden costumes) to keep fans of the genre busy for a while. If that isn’t enough, there is multiplayer where players can take their troupes of Folks and battle against others. If you thought BioShock’s offbeat style was interesting, you might be very intrigued by that of Folklore. It is strange enough to maintain a bizarre originality, but familiar enough to sustain an appeal.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
