Folklore

If someone you were talking to mentioned western folklores, what would you think of? The Loch Ness monster? Big-foot? The Yeti? Or would you know the story of Siegfried the rainbow god, Celtic Paganism and the Druids, or the Tuatha Dé Danann? There are a lot of stories of mystical worlds and creatures out there and thanks to Game Republic in Japan we can finally see a collaboration of western folklore in a game titled...well, Folklore

The game begins with one of two characters. The first is Ellen - she receives a letter from her long dead mother telling her to meet her in the town of Doolin on the Irish coast. Desperate to see her mother again, Ellen travels to Doolin but finds many strange mysteries hidden within this village. The other character, Keats, gets phoned by a distraught woman who asks for his help. The primary word that breaks through the static is 'Doolin' - so Keats travels to the coastal town to find out the real story behind the village.

When the game begins you can choose to play as either Keats or Ellen. The two will provide a totally different perspective of the storyline and a different way of fighting. Players travel through portals to seven different realms and fight monsters known as 'Folks'. Keats and Ellen have different fighting styles. Keats is more of an upfront fighter, whereas Ellen is a more thoughtful strategist. Their mission is to collect the souls of these 'Folks' and use them to defeat bigger Folks. The way that you collect their souls seems to be the most embarrassing part of the game - players are subject to using the SIXAXIS controller to literally yank the souls out of the Folks.

The graphics in the game look absolutely stunning. The high-definition cut-scenes are spectacular to watch and make you feel like you are watching a movie. The gameplay graphics however can be easily compared to the graphics in Enchanted Arms. The seven different realms all have their own different personality - realms that are more orientated to nature will have large open fields that condense into tight forests. Realms that are dedicated to the shadows will be daunting to the player as the creatures will emerge from those shadows without warning. The soundtrack that accompanies these realms is also key to the player’s immersion.

The soundtrack for the game is absolutely suitable. It consists of your typical Japanese battle music and Irish folk music. This comes together to create the strangest but most fascinating compilation of two countries' musical profile ever seen in a video game. There are fifty-two songs for the game so you can be guaranteed that you will never get tired of listening to the same song in constant repetition.

Folklore is wrapping up to be a very popular game in Japan since its release last month. The English version of the game is rumored to be an October release so look out for a review around then. For now, keep sleeping with NZGamer.com under your pillow for the latest news on the upcoming game!