Difference in Opinion

Most people think of the governor of CAH-LEE-FORN-YAH when they hear the name Conan. Let me assure you, although this is the same mythical Conan character, this game not quite like the movie with the same name. The biggest difference is this game is good [I know, that was a bit harsh, but so was that movie]. Gamer beware though, this is not a kids game. Jackson-Pollack-like blood-slings paint the ground as you run around saving topless tribal women which makes it more than earn its Mature rating. After all, he is a barbarian.

You play through the story as it is told by an elder woman. She tells the tale of a great warrior named Conan and how he releases something very evil. Next thing you know you are trapped on an island with no armor or sword. You find a sword and navigate your way through the level, hacking and slashing away any veins or bodies in your way. The pace and feel of the game is very similar to God of War. Combining a number of varied attacks, you can string together combos using grappling moves, hand-to-hand combat, and single or double-wielded attacks. You also are required to solve some puzzles to navigate your way through the level.

One of the awesome traits of this game is the depth in attacks and weapon combinations. There are three essential categories for weapon wielding: one-handed weapon (can be held with a shield), two-handed weapon (large blades and axes), and dual weapons (both hands filled with combinations of swords and axes). You can run around and juggle between weapons you find lying on the ground or ones still grasped in the hands of the enemies you laid waste to. Using those weapon-wielding variations, you can master a number of attacks performed using button combination that may be as easy as pressing the X button three times or as complicated as pressing a variety of buttons 5 or 6 times.

You spend most of the story hunting down pieces of your armor that were infected with evil then scattered around when you released the evil-being earlier in the story. When you get your armor back, each has a special power that will help you along in your journey. You will need the help since the story will pit you up against anything from a giant, to a dragon, to a sea monster.

I think anyone with a taste for hack and slash games like this will definitely enjoy this game. As Arnold said in Predator, “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” You do just that to almost everything in this game. This is a solid game worth a purchase.

Final Score
Gameplay: 8 out of 10
Graphics: 6 out of 10