Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Tecmo
Genre: Action/Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ed Humphries

Despite its immense popularity, the constant knock against the Nintendo Wii has been its anemic software support for hardcore gamers. Store shelves are stocked with a variety of party games aimed squarely at the casual consumers who have pushed the Wii to its lofty perch, but, to date, the system has lacked the in-depth action-adventure titles that supported the last-generation’s big mainstream success, the Sony PS2. Tecmo aims to fill this gap with a port of their PS2 hit, Rygar: The Battle of Argus.

In Rygar, players take control of the titular hero, who is let loose in a fantasy landscape that borrows heavily from Greek and Roman mythology. In time-honored tradition, Rygar is in pursuit of an imperiled princess and travels to a myriad of Mediterranean locales to track her down. Along the way, he encounters a rogue’s gallery of villains from ancient mythology, including a rampaging Minotaur, the multi-headed devil dog Cerberus, and Hades, God of the Underworld.

To aid him in his fight, Rygar is entrusted with the Diskarmor, a large bladed shield that acts as his main attack weapon. The Diskarmor serves multiple purposes. As you progress through the game, new offensive combos can be learned that allow Rygar to unleash devastating attacks. In addition, the Diskarmor can be used to summon familiars that act as magic spells. The Diskarmor is also upgraded throughout the game, allowing Rygar to use it to soar on zip lines, rappel down cliffs and grapple across crevices.

Rygar: The Battle of Argus was originally released for the PS2 in 2002. In the seven years since its release, third-person action-adventure games have evolved greatly, with titles such as God of War refining the genre through meticulously crafted environmental puzzles, satisfying combat situations and a compelling narrative. Having played through those early efforts, I feel that Rygar’s re-release comes across as heavily dated. The storyline is laughable, with overwrought voiceovers giving the player just enough information to get from points A to B without telling a cohesive story. In God of War, the battle against mythological heavyweights such as Ares and Medusa felt epic. Here, the inclusion of characters and creatures such as Hades and Cerberus feels like bullet points and doesn’t often make sense to the story.

The combat in Rygar lacks the visceral punch that action gamers crave. While Rygar learns a number of combo attacks, you find that it’s just as easy to mash the A button to take down most enemies, including the various bosses who pop up. From a visual perspective, the character models haven’t aged well, with blocky designs underscoring the game’s PS2 roots. The environments have held up, though, with Rygar adventuring through some nicely rendered landscapes that highlight natural elements, including fire and air. I was also impressed that Tecmo showed restraint when mapping the controls to the Wii. While Rygar does employ motion-sensitive control, it’s mostly relegated to the optional Gladiator mode, a stand-alone battle arena built specifically for the Wii release.

I’ve often argued that the Wii needs all kinds of games for all kinds of players to truly cultivate its success. Games like Rygar are sorely needed in a sea of casual titles and party games. That said, we need more games like this to be built from the ground up and not just quick cash-in ports. Unfortunately, Rygar falls into the latter category. Rygar: The Battle of Argus is the product of a bygone era and deserves to remain ancient history.

Our Score: