More on Alundra 2

[11.02.99] » Action RPG's storyline and mini-games exposed. (Possible spoilers.)

   Activision recently shed new light on the story and game mechanics of Contrail's Alundra 2, which Activision will be publishing in North America early next year. First of all, the hero will be known in the North American version as "Flint," a more sensible name than "Firi." In Flint's earlier years, his family's ship was attacked by pirates; his mother was killed and his father, a knight, vanished. Now, using the sword techniques his father taught him, Flint battles the pirates and continues the hunt for his father. He soon joins up with Aisha, the seventh princess of the Kingdom of Vanilla; Aisha is also searching for her missing father, the King of Vanilla. The pair is assisted by Aisha's advisor, an old man named Boolean who offers advice and tips to puzzles.

   It seems that forces larger than a band of pirates at work, however. The main pirate family -- consisting of father Tetsuo, son Al, and daughter Ruby -- is taking orders from Mephisto, the obligatory "ancient sealed evil." Thanks to the powers of items known as "Magic Screws" (stop laughing), this alien being is able to use his "Magical Evolution" powers to transform ordinary humans into robotic servants -- presumably the "evil evolution" referred to in the game's subtitle, Mysteries of Evil Evolution. Mephisto's ultimate goal is to create a giant Magic Screw capable of turning the world's entire populace into mechanical slave labor.

   Four of Alundra 2's eleven mini-games have also been announced. The first is a simple darts game; obtaining a high score boosts the power of your Elementals. Two of the other three games offer items for prizes. In "Dog Dog Attack," Flint has to lead a dog to a switch without letting the dog catch up to him, and in "River of Bombs," he must arrange a chain reaction of bombs to blow open a crate. Finally, in the city of Gyuu York, you can win money by betting on a bull fighting tournament -- a bull fighting tournament in the sense that bulls are fighting each other!