Graphics: If Legend does anything right it’s in the graphics department. The environments look awesome and the lighting is dynamic, a feature which plays out especially well in dark areas where Luna is your only source of illumination. Shadows flicker off walls, and since they change with every motion of the cursor, the identification of what’s around the corner is based solely on how mouse-efficient you are when exploring the depths. Character models can go both ways. While the enemies look good, their animation is not on par with Targon’s, and while Targon animates well, his texturing is less than stellar.

Interface: Although the use of Luna is reminiscent of the Zelda series, I still applaud Master Creating for thinking beyond tradition. The downside to all of this is that because Luna is fully animated the selection and attacking of monsters feels like maneuvering through sludge. Simple tasks like buying potions (which can only be purchased one at a time, and no, they don’t stack), are also affected in this way, and come across as cumbersome and monotonous.

The rest of the onscreen indicators are fine, however, with a large health/mana/exp bar and convenient mini-map that shows enemy locations should one get into trouble and have to run through an area. Skill trees and inventory coincide with what RPG-minded individuals are used to, though some Tetris experience is required.

Gameplay: The decision to only allow three action buttons is very disappointing. I can’t see a reason for having a hotbar (which isn’t actually present in the GUI) if it doesn’t actually activate when pressed. Those accustomed to other games of this genre expect a little more fluidity, and with the impressive list of spells, buffs and attacks that become available in Legend, this system only limits one of the better features of the game which is combat.

Not that fighting in the land of Aris is a grandiose thing; as most moves are accomplished by either clicking or holding the appropriate mouse button. The on-screen animations do well to break up this limited arrangement, but the integration of more keyboard actions certainly would have helped. Legend is also prone to some stickiness in other areas besides controlling your light elf. Due to the random dungeon generation, Targon got stuck in the weirdest of places, forcing me to use a runestone (which is an expendable fast travel ticket) to re-enter the dungeon and eventually develop a fear of walking near walls and over debris piles.

Sound FX: I will say first that all of the sound effects in Legend are indicative of the actions on screen and good at notifying the player of what type of object hit the ground or what beastie is attacking them. Sadly, however, it all repeats without variance and borders on unbearable after a couple of hours. The voiceovers grate as well, whether it’s Luna’s shrill prattling or Targon’s emotionless, wooden delivery, it’s all just plain bad.

Music: Legend’s music is a perfect means to drown out the aforementioned audio portions as it is very well written and heroically appropriate. Orchestral thunder soars through your speakers, and although there are no dynamics like volume change or intensity during battle to highlight stuff, it sure beats hearing Luna tell me to “Look out!” or “Run awaaaayy!” again.

Intelligence: The villainous creatures that populate the lands and underworld stick to their roles as they vie to defeat our hero. The ranged hang back and pick you off from afar and the melee charge at you with fire in their eyes. Mages also stay back with the distance fighters; healing the fallen until you can find an open window to take them out. Oh, and don’t run unless you can zone somehow. Mobs give unrelenting chase until they can corner you and force you to sign an autograph in your own blood. On the downside, some of the encounters were anticlimactic. On multiple occasions a monster would run at me and then suddenly stop because I was fighting someone else. “How polite of him” I say to myself, “I’ll take your head in a minute, then!”

Difficulty: While the ability to skyrocket in power or defense can come at any second via a unique item, the ladder to leveling for common folk isn’t an easy path. Dice rolls govern every attack, so while you might think you have the upper hand, a few virtual bad sides up and you’re instantly in trouble. A few times I found myself confronted with an enemy that just floored me. Perhaps a spell that hits hard every time, or one that rapidly drains my life bar would cause me to rap on my spacebar like a telegraph operator. Carry plenty of potions; invest heartily in a healing spell, and pray that when the next epic monster walks around the corner you’re ready.

Overall: Legend: Hand of God falls into the footsteps of Diablo and its ilk due to frustrating and muddy controls, terrible sound work and hang-ups with the randomly generated dungeons. The graphics really are impressive, and the soundtrack is top notch, yet we should all know by now that a pretty face can sometimes hide a suitcase full of other unimpressive traits. The loot locating RPG loving masses can do better than this.