Weapons and Items

Move like a butterfly, sting like a bee

Rynn is a strong woman but compared to the bulky Wartoks and the immense size of the other baddies you're going up against, she's a definite lightweight. It would be like Oscar De La Hoya going up against Mike Tyson. You wouldn't see the Golden Boy just charging in headlong on Iron Mike would you? No, Oscar would be using his speed to try to wear down the big ex-con/cannibal heavyweight. Similarly, Rynn has no chance in a toe to toe battle with her enemies. You have to use your speed to avoid getting hit, while getting in cheap shots at the same time. Flips, rolls, and ducking are the order of the day because Rynn can take very few hits even from a lowly Wartok. Annoyingly difficult? Maybe for some, but I felt that this aspect made the game a lot more interesting because it forced me to concentrate on each combat situation and take every enemy seriously. Even a Wartok is not a true cupcake until you get some higher level weapons. The added challenge in addition to the controls, which shy away from simple aim and click, prevent boredom during even regular fights.

Circling for a good shot

Arokh's too big to fit

Weapons

There are dozens of weapons for Rynn to find and use, and since all weapons wear down and break, it's a must to keep a ready supply handy. Each weapon varies in its damage value, reach, and swinging speed. An Iron hammer might give you great reach but you sacrifice speed for that. A short sword can be swiped fast, but the short reach might make you think twice before getting in close. There are also a number of magical weapons that have certain properties and spells attached to them. These include fire weapons that light up opponents when you hit them. Hitting secondary attack will cast the spell associated with that weapon, but there are a limited number of charges. Additionally Rynn can use bows and arrows to fight from afar. Yes there are different arrow types, and a sniper mode that you can use to zoom in with.

That thing looks big

Looking down on the ugly stuff

Items, traps, jumps, and gripes

This is an adventure game, so expect a wide variety of armor, potions, and special items. You'll also deal with other surprises; aside from the fighting, Rynn has to explore a variety of dangerous areas, some of which include traps, and platform jumping. Some of the traps make you feel like you're caught in an Indiana Jones film, with falling platforms, giant pendulum blades, and scythes popping out of walls. These were generally fun and not too difficult to the point of annoying, but I can see how a hardcore PC gamer might turn his/her nose up at these console-ish level devices. A real gripe would be how the use function was implemented. As it is, when Rynn wants to pull a lever or pick up an item, she stops and goes through a scripted sequence to grab or do the action. The problem is that it happens very slowly, so if you're in the midst of running from a bunch of enemies while trying to activate an elevator, you may get nailed as Rynn takes her sweet time hitting the switch!