The Nightmare of Druaga PREVIEW

A while back I got an email telling me about a new game coming out late in October of 2004. "While not directly related to Bard's Tale," it read in part, "we know that you and the visitors to your site are fans of that genre and would be interested in this release. You should do a review."

How they know this, I'm not entirely sure. Then again, when a movie comes to a theater near me, I always wonder how they know where I am. And I certainly don't know where anyone got the idea that people read any of the reviews I write. However, flattery will get you everywhere, so I am endeavoring to write such a review. Or, since I haven't been able to pick up a copy yet, a preview.

This game is called The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon for the Playstation 2. I don't own a Playstation 2, and wasn't sure where to find one, but my two nephews assure me that we have at least one hooked up to the many televisions around the house here at Catfish Corner. They also assure me that they will be able to play and beat the game and generally help me with my review, since they assume that I will not be able to beat the game on my own. Silly them, they forget that I have been an expert on roleplaying games since before they were born.

Literally.

Bard's Tale was one of the first RPG computer games I was involved in, way back in the ancient 1980's, so naturally I was interested in Nightmare of Druaga. A quick glance doesn't show many similarities, but visually it does remind me of the new Bard's Tale game soon to be released by inXile Entertainment (review for that will be coming eventually).

Since, as I mentioned before, I've not been able to pick up a copy of Nightmare of Druaga just yet, I thought I'd write up a few preview impressions just based on the official website and some general internet buzz.

The story of Nightmare of Druaga is that three years after the last game in the series Gil (our hero) and Ki (his girlfriend) are set to be wed, Gil to be crowned King, and a new Golden Age to be born in the Kingdom of Babylim. But monsters invade the town. A masked enchantress kidnaps Ki and spirits her away to the dreaded Tower of Druaga. Gil must don his trusty armor, sharpen his trusty sword, mount his trusty horse (which was unfortunately eaten by monsters), and head towards the tower.

Thus starts what appears to be your standard dungeon crawl. You have to hack and slash your way through the various levels of dungeons and towers, some of which are described as complicated mazes. Along the way, you gather experience, better weapons, better armor, and other items that will help you with your quest. Eventually, you save the girl, defeat the great evil, and figure out if this game has any replay value. Rumors of side and bonus missions suggest that it will.

On second thought, this does sound a bit like the original Bard's Tale series of the 1980's. Then again, pretty much every RPG game since did feature similar elements. But then again again, this game didn't even originate in the United States, so maybe...

Nightmare of Druaga was reportedly released in Japan some time in the recent past. Just based on the screenshots and buzz, it has been translated into English for us stupid gaijin, so knowledge of the Japanese language will probably not be necessary. An RPG game I tried playing last year at one nephew's request, which I will not name here, was impossible to win because I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

(Yes, that should be an RPG instead of a RPG, as RPG is pronounced "are pee gee" and thus starts with a vowel sound. You go by the sound and not the actual letter. Unless you're one of those strange people who pronounces RPG as "rip-guh" in which case I don't want you reading this article. Go away.)

The video trailer looks nice, and it definitely reminds me of the upcoming inXile Bard's Tale game. Sorry to keep mentioning Bard's Tale, but the new Bard's Tale game is probably the only console-based RPG game that I've ever looked forward to. So believe me, the comparison is meant to be flattering.

The graphics look dark and dank, ideal for a dungeon crawl, while also being cartoony enough to make the game rated E for Everyone. Which is good, because otherwise I couldn't let my nephews play it for me so I could write the review. Er, I mean, I couldn't let my nephews watch me while I play it.

So please check out The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon for the Playstation 2, and tell them I sent you. Check back here for the full review just as soon as I can get ahold of a copy.

• The Nightmare of Druaga Official Website
• Cheek.Org's The Nightmare of Druaga Review Part 1
• Cheek.Org's The Nightmare of Druaga Review Part 2