FIrst of all, I was a bit annoyed at the fact that it doesn't work with my A4000T/060 and I'd just spent quite some time downloading 2 megs of it. So I had to put it on my A4000/040. It still didn't work, so I had to boot in PAL mode, and then change the screen mode to PAL on the Workbench for some strange reason. That fixed the problem, and then it loaded with no hassle. The first thing I noticed is the really neat fading effects used on the OLYMPIA logo (the full version promises some really awesome intro anims), it shows that a lot of effort was put into this game to make it look professional. Oh yes, it DOES look professional, the best looking layout I've seen in a long time.
You start off on a ship sailing the high seas, you and your friend are having a conversation to set the atmosphere. Eventually you land on a remote island (Called Noya as I remember) and a friendly severed head tells the tale of the adventurers. (I should note here that not only did a lot of work go into the making the actual game, but a lot of work went into the plot as well.) You can interact with anyone in the game by clicking the evil looking head on the icon bar (the icon bar will take a little bit of clicking around to figure out what everything does). You can talk to them, try to sell them goods, try to buy some goods, etc. Talking to them doesn't always result in much either, because if you say the wrong thing they'll ignore you. But of course, talking to them can also lead to valuable information, and they may even want to join your party because of your noble cause (or because you bribed them, or lied to them. Just like real life eh?). Find your way around the island, you can travel to different villages by clicking on the map icon.
Okay eventually you'll figure out that to get some people to join your party you'll have to give them something, usually something that somebody else on the island has. After you've got your party selected you might realize that nothing really much is happening. It took me a long time to figure out what exactly I was supposed to do, and if you're like me and very impatient click here to find out how to get to the dungeons. If you want to find out yourself don't click there.
Now for the fun part.
The part where you go into the dungeons and go get some un-dead butt's around. The interface takes a while to get used to, but after you do you'll realize that it was incredibly well planned out and very easy to use. Right click on any of the items in people's hands to activate them, and right click on the person's face to get a view of what they're wearing and their iventory. If you were a big fan of Dungeon Master or a similar game, you're gonna love this. Not only do you get to hack and slash some nasty monsters, but the authors have set up a truely amazing atmosphere. You have to solve some problems, most of which have clues written on notes from fallen adventurers who's fate wasn't so lucky. You can also find new and better weapons, like the "Voodoo wand" which comes in handy when fighting evil zombies (don't laugh, that's really in the game). You'll have to figure out what each item's special power is, and sometimes they don't have any.
I haven't even mentioned what the graphics look like. Look at the screenshots and take a guess. They're simply wonderful. Just the demo is full of lush landscapes and detailed views of taverns. The authors combined some handdrawn artwork with computer generated pictures for some amazing results. It also has some of the best sounds I've found in a game for a long time. Each time you enter a new place, background music sets the mood. And in the dungeons you can hear the bad guys trying to sneak up on you in 3D stereo sound. Try not to place this game alone on a dark night.
I've given you just a brief outline of what this game is like. The whole setting and plot of the game is so well detailed it makes the game fun and realistic to play. Then you throw in the beautiful graphics and the sound, and you've got an #1 Award winner. Play this game today, then order it from OLYMPIA TEAM. I'm still trying to figure out the free demo, so the full game has got to be some really amazing stuff. There are some problems however, the game does have a nasty habit of crashing here and there, so make sure you save your game alot. And of course, if you don't like this style of game it just might not do anything for you. It's my new favorite though.
: Sound
: Graphics
: Gameplay