Rygar:The Battle of Argus (Wii) Review
Posted by Todd Vote on 03.28.2009
Rygar is back in this PS2 Wii-make. What have they changed? Does the older game still stack up against some of today’s graphical powerhouses? All this and more featured inside where I review Rygar for the Wii.
Rygar: The Battle of Argus hack n slash game, no doubt about it. Players take control of the title character Rygar as he attempts to find the kidnapped Princess Harmonia from the clutches of Echidna and Icarus. You battle through mythical creatures, and enormous titans along the way using your trusty diskarmor.
The diskarmor is a shield used for both defense as well as your offensive attacks. There are three main diskarmor selections in the game each with the ability to be upgraded by finding certain jewels scattered throughout the game. It's up to you to decide which diskarmor best suits your playing style and to swap them out accordingly.
Graphics
One would assume that the reason for giving a game a remake would be to update the graphics of the original. However in this case, one would be inherently wrong about this. Rygar's graphics are very dated, and grainy. Rygar himself looks like an outcast from a Final Fantasy game more so than a hybrid Roman/Greek hero. From what I understand this is one of the only cosmetic changes from the original PS2 title, and it shows. As putting the slightly updated Rygar against a dated backdrop only further serves to draw attention to the lack of a graphical upgrade. While the graphics weren't anything terribly bad, there was nothing that really stood out as awe-inspiring like we have come to expect from this style of game due to the efforts of God of War, and Ninja Gaiden.
Game play
Game play is very basic. You have two attack buttons, a block button, and pushing down on the D-pad will make you slide. Fairly standard fare for a hack n slash title. The developers tried to add some Wii motion controls, but for the life of me I could never get them to work properly. That could have just been me, but it was a rare occasion I could get my diskarmor to attack using the motion controls. In addition, when I was using the regular controls, it was not really a fluid movement. In God of War, you can attack in any direction at any time, and break out of one of your combos whenever you needed to. Rygar seems like it tries to accomplish this, but fails in that attempt. I found that if you started a combo facing one direction, it was very difficult to get Rygar to attack in a different direction till the animation was finished.
Another place where game play falters is the lack of enemies to fight against. From my time with the game, I would spend a good 3 minutes trying to find the next area I was to enter, I would fight maybe 4 enemies at the most, break some boxes gather xp, and repeat the process again. The number of enemies you fight at one time is not really a problem, but how rare it is to come across the enemies made the game really boring at times.
Now, let's talk about the camera. First let me state that I have no problem with a fixed camera in this style of game. In most cases it can be a great asset, because the developers will try to put it in a position to give you the best view of the world you are in and the enemies you are battling. Thus allowing you to focus more attention on said ass kicking. In Rygar the camera angles they use are bad, and always seem to work against you instead of for you. Picture a horror movie that uses jump cuts to cause a scare. Same principal here, minus desired effect.
Sound
Musically is where the game has the best luck. Takayasu Sodeoka, Riichiro Kuwabara, and Hiroaki Takahashi composed the music from the game, and they really did a commendable job here, as the music was one of the few aspects of the game that I dug. The voice work was well done with a deliberate B-movie tone to it. The acting reminded me of Clash of the Titans, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Lasting Appeal
With out of date graphics, hard to use Wii-motion controls, and a severe lack of enemies to do battle against, there is not much on offer here. I think most players would be hard pressed to find the desire to play the game a second time, much less finish the title.
Fun Factor
An unnecessary remake in my opinion, the game had promise, and I was excited to be able to use the Wii's motion controls to fling around the diskarmor. What I got instead was a frustrating title from start to finish. Sub-par graphics, hard to use Wii Motion controls, and horrendous camera angles made the game more frustrating than fun for me.
The 411
If you are looking for a hack n slash game for the Wii, Rygar could satisfy your urges for a few minutes, but there are far better titles out there to get your fight on with. Plus with this being a remake of a game now seven years old, they really should have tried harder to bring something new to the table. A new skin for Rygar is not enough for me to recommend this game.
Graphics
6.5
Severely outdated. Why bother to remake the game if you are not going to give it a cosmetic makeover?
Gameplay
6.5
It really felt like it tried to take the best things from other games in the genre, but failed in implementing them into this title. The attempt at adding Wii Motion controls seems like an afterthough. Like the game was finished, then someone remembered i
Sound
8.0
This is where the game shines. The sound effects give you all the pings and clangs when you need them, and the gameplay is accompanied by a decent score.
Lasting Appeal
6.5
Rygar just brings too much of a been there done that flavor for me to really lose myself in the game the way I tend to do in these supposed epic tales
Fun Factor
6.5
Hack n slash titles are my bread and butter of the gaming world. I live for a good beat 'em up title. That being said this game was lacking in just about every area. There were not many enemies, and the ones you did come across were few and far between.
