Folklore for Playstation 3: Video Game Review

When I first got a glimpse of Folklore I drifted into thoughts of what this game had to offer. The box art reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, mixed with Lord of the Rings, mixed with The Ring, with a dash of Wizard Of Oz. A fairytale for children but darker and more mature. Something gamers like I would enjoy, I could tell; and I hadn't even plopped the disc into my Playstation 3 yet.

So what exactly did Folklore deliver... well I will boldly say, all of the above.

The tale starts with a girl names Ellen, she had been sent a letter from a woman from a small town called Doolin, the woman signs off using Ellen's (long gone) mothers name. Not only has Ellen been called to Doolin, but so has a magazine editor by the name of Keats. Keats has been called upon to solve a 17 year old murder mystery. Seeing how he's an editor, the 17 year old mystery would make for an awesome editorial.

Doolin though holds more secrets than a 17 year old mystery though. You see Doolin is a place where the living can meet with the dead. Small taverns, family dwellings, and graveyards truly give Doolin a realistic feel. Charming, creepy, and mysterious all at the same time. A small town that you may want to take some time to look around and get a feel for the map which will reside at the upper left corner of the screen.

Before you can begin exploring this quaint and quiet little town you must first choose your player. Will you venture into Doolin using Ellen and help her figure out the mystery of her long lost mother, or will you help the editor Keats figure out the 17 year murder mystery?

Each character will have a chapter to complete. After finishing the chapter you are taken to the main menu where you can choose to play the other character. I recommend switching between characters after each chapter, because both stories mesh together. For the best understanding of the story you have to switch from Ellen to Keats, or Keats to Ellen, depending on who you choose to play with first. I choose Ellen.

After exploring Doolin a tad, I was directed to go to the town Pub. Here I got to meet some deceased characters who were not only mythical, but also quite entertaining, and visually stunning. From a creepy Victorian broad, to a large cow faced creature that sat at a bar stool. The characters that you meet here will totally give off that Alice in Wonderland vibe, yet a bit spookier. Anyhow, after speaking with a large fat floating fairy looking creature I was told to go outside to meet my guide.

I stepped outside of the bar and this was where I met up with my guide, a skinny cryptic looking Scarecrow. This immediately reminded me of Wizard Of Oz, only more of a Scarecrow meets Rumpelstiltskin.

After meeting with my guide I am then given a cloak. This cloak is the key to Ellen being able to begin her adventure in Netherworld.

Netherworld is visually stunning. The PS3 truly is a graphic monster, and Folklore truly delivers a work of art like no other. With fresh colors that pop, grass that sways, and strange glowing orbs that float around the environment. Before even beginning my quest, I had to stop for a moment and just take in the breathtaking graphics, and soft wispy music that played lightly in the background.

Here in Netherworld begins the adventure. Each chapter is relatively short depending on how good you are at kicking enemy tail feather.

Fighting:
 
Like with every game, there usually are enemies, and Folklore is no exception. However there is an awesome twist to Folklore that I have yet to see in any other RPG type game I have played.

In order to beat an enemy you must use Folks that you have already defeated. You begin with 2 Folks that are strong, but do not posses much when up against Boss characters.

For example:
 
You are battling a giant lion type creature with horns and tentacles. In order to capture this creature to use in battle later on you must first beat the pulp out of him, and then as soon as you see his (what I like to call, soul)Id turns red, you then target in by pressing the R1 button and flipping the PS3's remote up to suck it in.

If successful you can now add this creature to your inventory of battle creatures. You can use 4 creatures at a time. You have to press the L2 button to choose which characters you want to use.

Switching back and forth between character's is easy, and happens with the touch of a button.

Remember though, that each captured creature (soul) has its own abilities. Figuring out its abilities is the fun part. Watching them fling from your characters body is even sweeter.

Besides Folks, and Ids, the fighting style is somewhat like an RPG, only there is no huge annoying interruption and battle arena. You see an enemy, you kill it. None of that pop up you hit, I hit hooey like older RPG games include. (Although I do miss RPG style games like that!).
 
I find that the creature collecting aspect of the game will satisfy Pokemon players who have a passion for collecting things.

What is great about fighting in Folklore though is that no matter how many of the same type of enemy is thrown your way it never really gets boring. Slicing and dicing your way through enemy fields is simply awesome.

Annoyances:
 
A lot of people find that the switching of characters (Ellen to Keats, Keats to Ellen) is annoying, especially seeing how when Ellen finishes chapter 1 and now you (should) use Keats to finish his chapter 1 next, for a better understanding on the games plot.

Most find this annoying because the game play is nearly the same. Bosses may be different, and some different creatures may make its presence, but when it all comes down to it, it is almost like playing the same exact chapter twice, only with different dialog.

I however am not bothered by this, because I play Folklore using Ellen, and whenever I finish a chapter I then hand the controller over to my boyfriend and let him play with Keats. If I didn't have a second player with me though, I could totally see why this would be an annoyance to single player gamers.

-Dialog has also proven to be slightly annoying while playing. Dialog takes up a lot of the gaming. In every chapter you will read through 5 or 6 minutes of dialog before you even get to play. While the dialog is set up in 2 modes it is still annoying. First mode being a comic book type dialog cut scene, second being dialog between characters in Doolin and Netherworld.

The comic book dialog is a bit more interesting but at some points I find the story to be a bit confusing, and the dialog will add to the confusion at times.

-Load times are also annoying. I'm not talking about the time it takes to load, I'm talking about the number of load scenes. Entering one part of a forest, or entering a home calls for load time, which consists of a black screen with a small black and white graphic of a boy heading to a light house in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

The more you get into the game though the less bothersome the loading screens become. Load screens though are splatter all throughout the game, which is annoying, and calls for a dishonorable mention.

Graphics:
 
As if I hadn't already mentioned the graphics in Folklore. I will again though, only more in depth.
Seriously folks, Folklore is like playing a computer animated 3D movie. The graphics in Folklore are really that good. I was expecting the game to die down graphic wise after cut scenes were played through. Most games do this; deliver beautiful cut scenes, and when you get to actual game play it is sub-par. Folklore however is visually beautiful from cut scene to game play. Environments are rich with color, vibrancy, and each step your character takes is like stepping into another piece of a beautiful artistic painting. Literately the graphics are flawless.

Music:
 
Music plays lightly in the background, but is pleasing on the ear buds. During more chaotic battle scenes the music will gradually get higher and more heart pounding creating a nice rush of adrenaline for your finger pounding fight.

Overall:
 
Folklore for the Playstation 3 is a visual work of art, mixed with a gnarly odd adventure, mystery, and fairy tale story. I am impressed with the game overall, and highly recommend it to those looking for a good game to play on their PS3 console.