Lands Of Lore III Review (no fat)

Game Description

If Copper LeGre thought having to put up with his stepbrothers was a tough task, he got a taste of the real thing when his father (the King) and stepbrothers are viciously murdered by ravenous hell hounds. Poor Copper has more on his mind than acne and girlfriends as he has to avenge his father’s death and restore order to his kingdom in addition to finding his stolen soul. With all the chaos ensuing in the 5 realms you are about to explore, welcome to Lands of Lore III.

Lands of Lore III- Gameplay

This RPG takes a different stroke than its peers in the genre. It mimics features of modern day MMO’s, even though it was released mid-1999. With several professions, many guilds, and the ability to pull non-player character companions, one is reminded of the modern-day Guild Wars (minus the multiplayer capability).

Entering into Lands of Lore III, you immediately are in “spiritual pain.” When Copper’s (your) family was murdered, his soul was stolen. He blindly seeks out assistance from the magician’s guild and gets referrals to speak with other magicians. From here, the adventure begins.

Lands of Lore III offers six unique worlds to explore. However, the diversity (as far as surroundings are concerned) stops short there. Each world has a very limited number of foes you run up against. But, the worlds are massive and if you’re looking to explore and adventure, Lands of Lore III will definitely satisfy that craving.

Lands of Lore III Guilds and Professions

The guilds are supposed to be a fun and interesting plus. With four options to choose from, and each offers its own useful and creative assistance (and items). Also, there are the four professions one can choose to play. These include Warrior, Wizard, Cleric, and Thief. Basically, a warrior is going to excel in defense while a wizard will excel in damage (hexes and spells). A cleric will focus on trading and a thief… well, a thief steals.

The main thing however, is that the guilds do not make for too much diversity in the game. If you have played LoL III as a mage once you will never be obliged to try it again from a different perspective because the gameplay remains the same whatever choice you make.

Lands of Lore III Trade

Lands of Lore III has a merchant system that assists you in collecting money for your goods. Though each merchant is slightly limited in the items he’s interested in purchasing, the fact that there are merchants and they will buy some items from you adds depth to the game. However, there will be times when you’ll feel the frustration when you simply have to throw items because no one will be willing to purchase from you.

The best weapons are still acquired through your guild, the merchants have a large selection of neat magical items on offer but their role is extremely limited.

Lands of Lore III Controls

The controls of this game are somewhat odd. It is not the keymapping itself, but rather what you DO with the character. In an RPG, one expects to focus on logic problems and skill acquirement. LoL III has all of the adventure and logic problems of an RPG, but with the added movement puzzles of Super Mario or Mario 64. There is constantly a platform that must be jumped on at just the right moment or a leap of faith that must be made…

Lands of Lore III – Graphics and Sound

Though the graphics are not superb according to modern-day standards, they were excellent for the time. Lands of Lore III uses the same rendering engine as “Guardians,” and though it might lack quality in some instances, it shows off its powerful mechanics with depth perception and altitude. The voice acting in this game is incredibly well-done. The music and sound effects are done well but it is surely the voice acting that will knock you off of your feet.

Lands of Lore III – Summing Up

If you enjoy RPG’s (especially Zelda or old-style King’s Quest), Lands of the Lore III is worth a shot. There are a few slightly frustrating aspects that can be overlooked for the questing aspect. First off, your character can only hold thirty-seven items. This is VERY frustrating, especially with all the acquired loot/quest items.

Secondly, there seems to be quite a few technical glitches. The game saves your position at an awkward time making further playability impossible (for example, a save game when your corpse pretty much sends you up the river without a paddle). Lastly, the AI does not seem so bright all of the time. The foes might forget your around or just walk away from combat. But hey, they might just be bored by your feeble attempts. Perhaps this was the developers’ attempts to make the enemies “scoff.”

For rainy Saturdays, this game can be terrific… that is, until it saves your game while your dead. The repeatability depends on how much slack you cut for chats with the NPCs. If you think a deference in your chats means you can endure a game again then the different professions and guilds heighten this game's chances.

Fans of the famed Lands of Lore series will likely stick by their favorite, and get a kick out of the game while doing so… others might just want to give it a kick anyway.

Lands of Lore III Cost

The game retails for $14.99US, at the time of this review