Rune (A Diary of Video Games)

Rune

Preamble: This isn't a review. It doesn't contain critical analysis, just the subjective opinions of one person. The intent is to remember the games I've come across in my life and share the nostalgia, nothing more. And some of those games I didn't play in great depth.

Rune is something that looks very interesting in retrospect, but which I found a difficult to get into when I first played it.

Game: Rune
Developer: Human Head Studios
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2000



Basic Plot

The game revolved around Norse mythology and follows a hero named Ragnar as he gets caught up in the feud between Odin and Loki, and must travel to the underworld to prevent Ragnarok.

The game features two alternate endings; either Ragnar joins Loki's army in the "evil" ending, or he defeats Conrack and is taken up by Odin into the Halls of Valhalla.

Gameplay

Rune used the Unreal (1) game engine and played out as a third person hack'n'slash action game, like a third person shooter but primarily with melee weaponry.

The player progresses through the game world, obtaining larger and more powerful weapons as he goes - but most weapons maintain their usefulness right to the end of the game.

There are five types of sword, five axes, and five maces/blunt weapons to find in the game. Every weapon comes with a unique Rune Power which has a short duration and can only be cast with the player has gathered sufficient runes. Tier 1-3 weapons can be used in conjunction with a shield.

Multiplayer was interesting as the strategy involves players using their spatial awareness to get themselves into a position where they can hit their opponent with the swing of their weapon. This was pretty unique; it reminds me a little bit of the lightsabre battles from Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. The multiplayer aspect of Rune was huge, although it is a very outdated game the multiplayer community is still active today.



Positives

I loved the concept of this game when I first saw it. I'd never seen a melee combat game which was real time like this before.

Great multiplayer community.

Negatives

I found the game confusing to get into. I tried to start the game a couple of times but generally got confused on where to go next or what my purpose was. Nonetheless, it stands out to me as one of the more unique games from my childhood (if you count 16 being a child).



Memorable Moments

None from me, I didn't play it enough.. What memorable moments do you have from Rune?