Amazon Maximum Age: 20 years Amazon Minimum Age: 60 months Binding: Video Game EAN: 0730865850051 ESRB Age Rating: Everyone Label: Atlus Manufacturer: Atlus Platform: Game Boy Advance Publisher: Atlus Sales Rank: 12585 Studio: Atlus
Rating: - In Japan this excellent game was released as a side-story to the main series.
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore is a truly wonderful game. It's almost identical to Lufia II for the SNES in terms of gameplay (much more so than Lufia: The Legend Returns) however it centers around a completely different story than the rest of the Lufia series and I think this is what frustrates a lot of players. However, what they don't understand is that in Japan this game was released as a "gaiden" or side story to the main series (it's Japanese title was Lufia Gaiden: Chinmoku no Iseki, which loosely means "Ruins of Silence, a side story to Lufia").
The game is completely faithful to the spirit of the other games and in fact you could look it at the same way as some of the recent Legend of Zelda games. Games like Oracle of Ages or Minish Cap aren't part of the central Zelda story. Compared to other titles they focus very little on Princess Zelda, Ganon or the Triforce, who fill essential roles in many other games. However they're still considered Zelda games and their gameplay is pretty similar to the rest of the series. The same can be said for Ruins of Lore compared to the rest of the Lufia series. You won't find any mention of the Sinistrals or DualBlade but you will find a completely addictive RPG experience.
The game has incredibly crisp, detailed graphics for a GBA title, and the music is top-notch containing several familar tracks from the first two games. The battle system is nearly identical to that of Lufia II's, steering away from the awkward column system introduced in "The Legend Returns". In addition many other key features from the Super NES games return including IP (Which fills a role similar to Limit Breaks in the Final Fantasy games), Capsule Monsters, and a modified version of the Ancient Cave.
I have been a fan of the Lufia games ever since the first game was released on the Super NES in 1993, and I honestly think this is one of the best of the series. It faithfuly retains the spirit of the earlier games while introducing lovable new characters (and a few returning ones)and just the right amount of innovation. If you liked Lufia II then I strongly suggest you buy this game (some of the same characters even return in supporting roles). Ruins of Lore truly is in the top-tier of RPG's for the Game Boy Advance right up there with Tales of Phantasia, The Golden Sun games, and possibly even some of the ports of SNES classics like Breath of Fire. I hope you enjoy this game as much as I did.
Rating: - Sub-par Lufia effort.
Like another reviewer, i am a HUGE fan of the first two Lufia games which were released for the Super Nintendo. But this last game for the Gameboy Advance really puts a bad name on the Lufia series.
While it is a decent rpg game it is too standard. There are no unique surprises, the battles are tame, and the story stinks. The game is way too run of the mill with no outstanding areas or unique things. Pretty much everything in the game has been seen before and has been done better by many games like Final Fantasy and Golden Sun.
So while it is still a pretty fun adventure, the slow battles and boring story bring the game down a notch. So unless you are a diehard Lufia fan you would be better off picking up the Golden Sun games or just about any other rpg game out for the GBA.
Rating: - Good Game!!
Since everyone before me has pretty well covered the main aspects of this game I will not.I am a long-time gamer with a love for pure RPG's. I have never played a Lufia game before. This was the first and it was VERY enjoyable and addictive.Most RPG's made today require you to use a guide.This was no exception but there were many parts you could play without one. I got more then one quarter of the way through without a guide and enjoyed that. So much so I am looking for the other Lufia's.Sometimes you just cannot beat the older games!! I keep going back looking for the older ones since most of the newer just do not have that magic.I had a hard time putting this game away. It is a fun one and will keep you wondering if you like to use your brain when playing a game :) Try playing Bomberman Tournament..the quest. Very much the format of the original Legend of Zelda and addictive.
Rating: - Not Worth the Pain
Oh my GOD this game is annoying. In my fifteen years as a gamer, I have NEVER been more irritated or frustrated or disappointed by an RPG. I liked Lufia. I LOVED Lufia II. I really wanted to enjoy this game, and in a lot of ways, I did. The animation is fun and cute, the story is formula, but no more so than most fantasy RPGs. The game play, however, goes from not so good, to bad, to the WORST I've ever encountered. Mandatory puzzles change the rules on you, mandatory mazes have switches, vines, and holes which are much too difficult to see unless you know what you're looking for, and it's often MUCH too difficult to find the next plot point. I was interested enough in the characters and the story that I kept playing for 70+ hours despite the boring and slow battle system and the myriad of other design flaws, but just as I was about to get to the last dungeon, lo and behold, I missed a necessary element about one third through the game and had to do one of the old dungeons through from the beginning in order to get to the game's ending.
I've never been forced to use a walkthrough more than twice on any other game I've played. On this game I ended up needing to refer to one at least eight or nine times just to get to the next plot point after I'd been stuck for six or seven hours on one puzzle and it usually ended up being something totally stupid which had stumped me; something I could NEVER have guessed how to do on my own. I like a challenge and I don't give up easily, but this game is not worth the pain OR the money.
Lufia lovers, don't worry about missing anything. The story is almost completely unrelated to the one we know and love.
Rating: - Disappointing
I've played the original SNES Lufia I and II, they were fun and entertaining. This game is a bit monotonaous. basically you go around and train, fight a boss. The plot is weak and the game grows boring after a while. I bought the game because I was going on a trip and needed somehting to do. I got bored with it 1/3 or the way though. I'm a die-hard RPG fan so this one is just plain disapointing
- In Japan this excellent game was released as a side-story to the main series.
- Sub-par Lufia effort.
- Not Worth the Pain
