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Review: Cardinal Syn |
Cardinal Syn is thought to be a pathetic little game. A game that brings absolutely nothing to the 3D genre. These comments are partially true but not entirely accurate.
For starters Cardinal Syn takes you to a realm of magic, violence and dragons. Personally games that take place in such realms have some sort of appeal to me. I somehow get drawn into storylines such as the one found in Cardinal Syn.
Cardinal Syn is actually a very powerful game when it comes to the visuals. Although there is some evidence of choppiness on most levels, the character design is quite unique. You have a one eye titan, a jester, an amazon, a spectre, among other very detailed characters. Most of these characters possess moves that mirror their personas such as Mongoro’s powerful farts. The backgrounds are truly 3 dimensional. Studio 989 was nice enough to add wall damage when your character is thrown to a nearby rock. What does that mean? Say for example your opponent is against a wall. You attack him with your axe and propel him to the wall. He will sustain damage from the axe move and from the wall. Damage can be seen visually as the character bleeds upon contact. Overall, the background design is quite exquisite and should offer some relief to the very usual streets or factory compounds.
Another plus for this game are the very well done Full Motion Videos scattered throughout the game. You not only get a nice introduction with tons of flashy special effects, you also get a nice story for each character at the beginning of each tournament. Aside from that, you receive a full motion video ending. Kudos to Studios 989 for this.
In the audio department, Cardinal Syn also deserves some credit. There are a couple of well developed tracks that get the adrenaline running. Most of the tracks suit the level perfectly. The sound effects however, could use a little help. Overall, the audio is more than satisfactory.
The sad truth however, is the fact that the gameplay in Cardinal Syn is uninspired. After the god awful Criticom AND Dark Rift, Kronos learns nothing new. There is absolutely nothing added to the 3D fighting game genre. Aside from that, the game does not even improve on any current title. Bleh I say. If you played Criticom… you’ve played Syn.
The play control is horrible. The characters are animated rather choppy and more often than you would prefer, perform moves that are uncalled for. Aside from that, jumping is performed by the use of a jump button. This feature is completely awkward.
Kronos added a couple of in-game items that give your character power ups. Some allow you health increases while others give you magical powers for more powerful moves. Period.
The Verdict: Kronos may have to attend church after making this game. And once they confess for their Syns… then maybe they will be forgiven. This game is critically flawed.
- HardCore
