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Released in North America on August 18, 2000 for the Nintendo 64 by
Titus Interactive, developed by Player 1,
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys brings the television series
to the 64-bit realm
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The 1990s were a great time for syndicated adventure programs.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which ran from 1995 to 1999 might not
be an all-time great show, but it is certainly fun comfort viewing. 2000's
Nintendo 64 adaptation could act as a victory lap for the show, but the game was
released by Titus Interactive...who also released 1999's
Superman 64...generally
regarded as one of the worst video games ever made. Oh dear. Some reviewers have also declared the game a lazy derivative of 1998's legendary
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,
ironically often considered one of the
best video games ever made. The
deck might be stacked against it, but is the Nintendo 64's
Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys objective any good?
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| The ain't a VHS tape, honey, it's my Nintendo 64! |
One thing about this game stands out immediately to anyone who has played a lot
of Nintendo 64 games: Titus took the
Superman 64 criticism personally.
The work and attention to certain details here by developer, Player 1, proves that to
be true. While modern reviews of this game, particularly those of the video persuasion, have
hyperbolically pointed out the game's flaws as if it is a modern
action-adventure game, or held it up to
Ocarina of Time's impossible example,
The Legendary Journeys is actually a solid Nintendo 64 title.
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| So not exactly My Olympus, but not exactly Tuscaloosa, Alabama, either |
As stated, the attention to detail is immediate. The opening start screen and music are evocative of the television series. As soon as a new game is
started, hand-drawn storyboards setup
Journey's plot. These hand drawings are not only
charming, but a creative and visually interesting draw into the game's story.
They aren't just an opening gimmick either, and pop up throughout the game, to help tell its story. Once the actual gameplay starts, the attention to
detail reveals itself in the graphics, as well. The environments in this ancient
mythological world are huge and full of life. Butterflies and birds wheel around
the air. Frogs hop around the feet of waterfalls. Nintendo 64 waterfalls are a
particular aesthetic pleasure of mine, and
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is chock full of them in all their
64-bit glory.
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| Look at this cascade of 64-bit beauty! |
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| Another Nintendo 64 joy is water splash animation, and seeing each studio try to one-up the other with every individual drop |
Generally, within these large environments, if the player sees something, they
can reach it. The game also runs smoothly within those environments. Hercules is
well-animated and looks like Kevin Sorbo. Many characters from the
series pop up here, and they also look like their television counterparts. Enemies, from
sword-wielding lackeys, to minotaur and cyclops, look good and are also
well-animated. However, for all that excellent attention to detail, there are also
strange lapses. For instance, on the opening file screen, a file can't be
copied, and there are multiple points late in the game, where saving ensures the
player can't go back to visit previous environments. In a Nintendo 64 game,
where revisiting beloved 3D environments within a game is like a nostalgic trip
down to a 64-bit basement, this is a major issue, and the reason all of the
screenshots here are from either the final or opening segments of the
game. And while the graphics are good, and environments, varying from grassy
paths, to quaint villages, to a snowy mountain, to sandy beaches, are charmingly
designed, players will sometimes find that houses are totally empty.
At times, they are full of detail--for instance, the tavern near the sea has oceanic paraphernalia everywhere. However, a house's interior is often just an NPC standing in an empty room, ruining the game's otherwise solid sense of
verisimilitude
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| I need realism in the game where I fight the Greek god of war, who has made two identical clones of himself, where I use a freezing spell to help determine the real one |
There are similar pros and cons in the sound design. The music is actually
quite good, taking a page from the series, and featuring many tracks, unique to
different environments. I particularly enjoy the whimsical nature of the music
in the snowy, mountaintop village of Alpsius, which is reminiscent of Grant
Kirkhope's work for Freezeezy Peak in
Banjo Kazooie. The sound effects
are fun too and feel pulled straight from the show. However, this is a 2000 Nintendo 64 title, based on a beloved television series that is otherwise highly
evocative of that series, and outside of "oomphs" and "umphs," there is no
voice-acting here. There are many moments that feel like they need a Kevin Sorbo
one-liner, but if that one-liner comes, it's in text form. The two-years older
Ocarina of Time has a silent protagonist and can easily get away with
this--voice-acting is not needed and would feel out of place in that game.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys feels a little empty without voice
acting, though.
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| I don't need the storyteller to talk, but Hercules needs to yap a little bit! |
And now I've mentioned
Ocarina of Time, so I guess I should get into
the gameplay. First, let's get this out of the way:
Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys is not an
Ocarina of Time clone. It's reminiscent in that it
is a 64-bit, 3D action-adventure game in a fantasy world, but it definitely
feels like its own thing when it is actually played. For instance, the combat
is far less complex than
Ocarina of Time's. To
Hercules' detriment, there is no lock-on system. The
player has to just point Hercules in the right direction, and run around with
the joystick to track the enemy as they move. Hercules' main move is a
B-button punch, and if the player taps the button quickly three times, Hercules will perform a
combo, ending in an uppercut. Knock an enemy down and they'll be stunned, and if picked up, thrown at another enemy to instantly kill both. There are a few special moves done with button
combinations, and spells that can be bought and used with the C-buttons, but
overall the combat is very simplistic and arcade-like. That's not necessarily
a bad thing, as the combat is fun, it's just not on the level of the
groundbreaking
Ocarina of Time. This doesn't mean the game is bad. The controls here are solid. Movement with the joystick isn't the most precise,
but gets the job done, and Hercules' speed changes based on how hard it's
pressed. Key to any Nintendo 64 3D game, the Z-button centers the camera, and
the right C-button allows for a first-person, look-around view, when the
player is stationary. Most unlike 64-bit Zelda, the R-button causes the given
character to jump, and the mechanic is fairly precise, though the game
doesn't feature many platforming sections.
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| Kill enemies, get coins, buy stuff |
Hercules' basic gameplay loop evolves as the game goes on. It starts with
Hercules journeying to towns and those towns having problems Hercules must
sort out, often by trading items between villagers, then fighting a boss. But
then, a twist comes where the gods have been kidnapped, and Hercules must
unlock and venture deep into three different labyrinths, to defeat their
minotaur bosses. The purpose of the game becomes rescuing the gods, including
Zeus, from Hercules' dastardly brother, Ares. I guess in Zelda, you go to
villages, talk to villagers and sort out problems. You also visit dungeons and
fight bosses. However, many of these things are in the DNA of action-adventure
games, and
Hercules offers a more simple version of these elements than
Ocarina of Time. That doesn't mean
The Legendary Journeys is a
bad game. It just means it is not as complex or good as
Ocarina of Time. Most games aren't!
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The hand drawn element continues in the pause screen. Yes, I know that Ocarina of Time has a similar pause screen.
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| While labyrinths don't have maps, the overworld does, and Hercules can venture to all these locations. Yes, I know that Ocarina of Time has a similar map screen. |
The village segments are laid back and enjoyable. The three labyrinths actually offer a surprisingly real challenge. The puzzles inside aren't exactly difficult, but
the combination of the large, enemy-filled, mapless mazes and the tough minotaur at the
end is, and that difficulty is inflated by the fact that there
is no saving or leaving once the player enters the labyrinth. Make it all
the way to the boss, get it down to just a few hits, and die? You've got to
play the labyrinth over again from the beginning! Thankfully, outside of
the labyrinths, save points are plentiful, though a memory card is needed.
The gameplay also diversifies by jumping character perspectives at select moments. Iolaus, Hercules' right hand man, can climb vines and uses a
staff instead of his fists--he is weaker than Herc, but lighter and with a
greater range of attack. There is also the centaur, Hind, who uses a bow and
arrow, which takes a minute to get used to, but adds a fun and unique element
to the game.
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| Is she called hind because of...well, you know? |
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| Yes, add Hercules: The Legendary Journeys to the list of Nintendo 64 games that let you fight a dragon |
Overall, though heavily flawed, I enjoyed my ten or so hours in
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' world. There's a frustrating current
narrative that every game is either the best or worst ever, with nothing in
between.
Superman 64 may be one of the worst ever.
Ocarina of Time is certainly one of the best ever.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
is neither the worst nor the best video game. It's a fun, reasonably well-made
game. If you're a fan of the Nintendo 64 and enjoy this genre, you should give
it a shot.
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