Rune

Discount Price: $9.99

Features:

• You play as Ragnar the Viking, a young warrior looking to prove his worth
• It is you who has been chosen to protect Odin's Runestones against the schemes of the evil god, Loki
• In over 30 single-player adventures, you'll solve puzzles and battle monsters out of Norse mythology, as you stop a groups of evil Vikings from releasing Loki from his prison
• Unique multiplayer environments for deathmatches and team play

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Attack of the killer crabs..... [Posted on 2002-04-05]
...should have been the title. Which is a shame, because the opening sequences were well done and promised a good, solid FPS/3PS with a unique feel, and it performed well and looked very good on my computer. I especially enjoyed the underwater sequences with floating bodies, a sunken ship, and nasty looking fish, but the game soon deteriorated into endless hacking and chopping of an army of large crab-like beasts through never-ending caverns, all the while on my knees. Combine this with a monosyllabic "hero"....no, wait. "Monosyllabic" implies some form of speech or communication. This Neanderthal doesn't even grunt. Conan the Barbarian is a poet compared to this guy and I'm supposed to care whether he lives or dies? Either way, I didn't make it through the first level before I returned the game. Perhaps you will have more patience than I.

Completely dull start [Posted on 2003-03-29]
This game has wonderful graphics and what seems to be a promising storyline. But the problem is the repetitiveness. Over and over again I kill the same boring monsters in the first 9..yes 9...levels. If I had to cut one more head off of a zombie I was going to delete the game. I just got out of Hel (yes Hel), and I'm continuing the game...

Best Hack and Slash Multiplayer of all time [Posted on 2003-04-14]
The single player is fun, perhaps the storyline leads a little to be desired, but it is still fun seeking revenge with the help of Odin.

The multiplayer, however is some excellent fun! The weapons are extrodinary, the levels are well put together, and there are a ton of new levels to download off the Internet. A friend and I have spent hours playing Rune. It's a nice change to the "shoot the rocket launcher first persons" on the market today. They really should consider a sequel that would introduce some new graphics and put a multiplayer twist to the idea of Enclave.

2 Thumbs up, if you're in for a hack/slash game this is your best bet for the PC!

Hack! Slash! Kill! Drink beer! Fight zombies! What's not to love? [Posted on 2005-07-15]
Diary of Ragnar Jarlson

20th of June, 1312:
Passed my manhood trials today. Had to fight the best warrior in the villiage, who's a pushover. Didin't even break out a sweat. Then that nasty guy Conrack attacked our longboat and sank it. Everyone's dead...except for me. After swimming through lots and lots of underwater caverns, i'm now fighting my way past snake things, goblins, and crabs. This doesn't feel right. I'm a viking. Shouldn't I be fighting...uh...other vikings? Running around caverns killing snake things doesn't really fit into the job description of "Viking."
Oh well, I shouldn't complain. I'ts easy to do all the stuff a viking can do, like run, jump, swim, and attack wtih my weapons. Need to get bigger swords.

22nd of June, 1312:
Spent my second day in Hel today, fighting zombies! Man, these buggers are everywhere! And there are still more crab things to fight. At least I keep getting bigger and better weapons. Hel itself is an interesting place to vist, but i'm not sure I want to live here. Lots of lava, huge caverns, and that creepy chick Hel talks to me occasionally in that creepy voice of hers. No wonder Odin banished her down here.
There were a few tricky traps as well. I have to watch out everywhere, to make sure I don't get burned to a crisp, or worse. Right now i'm in a room that has a lot of stone platforms lying on the ground, and the floor is made out of steel grills. Hmm...maybe that switch will do something...

23rd of June, 1312:
Note to self: Do not pull every switch you see in Hel. I'm lucky to have escaped with burned feet, and those rooms filled with spinning sharp insturments wasn't too pleasant either. But i've gotten bigger weapons! I was lucky to get out of this mountain range, but damn it's cold out here in the snow. Wish I had a shirt. Guess it's into that fortress in the distance for me...

24th of June, 1312
At last, i'm fighting actual vikings! Too bad there are a lot of them, and they have very sharp curvey axes. The good thing is, i've got one of those axes in my hands, already stained with the blood of many dark vikings. Hehe. Good thing my foes are pretty stupid. I can just walk backwards, let em' come forward, and then slash once. Rinse and repeat until they die. Works every time. I do admit, the food here is quite tasty. If I take a drink of mead (or as other people call it, beer), my health suddenly goes up, and it's fun to smash the mug afterwards. Sure beats eating lizards all the time.
And I keep getting bigger weapons!

26th of June, 1312:
Finished going through some rather big mountains. Keep getting bigger weapons, keep killing goblins, and fighting giant snow beasts. No places to stay around here, but the scenery sure is pretty.
But a thought about my weapons. Why did Odin, in his infiniate wisdom, let the rune powers I aquire last less then thirty seconds? I risk my life to fill up my power bar, and most of my weapons deplete over half of it when I use the rune magic. In my opinion, using power for only thirty seconds when you risk your life for it, is not really worth it. But I have to admit, freezing enemies is quite cool.

27th of June, 1312:
I'm finally out of the dwarf city. Those little punks were a pain in the butt. They sure are ugly, they have riddiculously huge feet, and they sound funny. But at least I picked up some bigger weapons along the way! This huge, blood-stained hammer sure is mighty satisfying to carry and swing around. And I got this nifty suit of viking armor as well. I've started to notice at this point that all I do nowadays is fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, pull a switch, fight, fight, jump, jump, fight, and fight. But at least the scenery changes a lot, so I never get bored exploring the enviornment. And I still get to fight zombies!

28th of June, 1312:
I think this will be my last entry. That punk Conrack is down here somewhere...I can feel it. And it helped that Odin appeared and told me that. I have to hunt him down, and take him out.
But...it's creepy down here. There are lots of zombies, but they're changing. Getting bigger...stronger...more demonic.
And that laughter...
I'm not sure what lies before me. I've gotten all the weapons that i'll find on my quest. And the last ones have been huge. That dwarf battle axe, in paticular, is so large I can barely lift it, let alone swing it.
Overall, it's been a fun, hack and slash quest. I'm so glad I haven't had to push any boxes, just have to flip switches and jump a lot.
If Odin gave me the chance, i'd gladly go on this quest again. It's a lot of fun.
But my destiny calls me. I must continue onwards. The laughter is getting louder, and my heart is beating faster with fear.
I must press on...

NOT impressed by gathering of developers; it needs a walkthough? [Posted on 2006-03-21]
i am NOT impressed by gathering of developers, ....storyline & graphics are cool, and all the keyboard controls are not too bad when you get used to them or adjust them - there are a lot- but it seems like a deadend. You walk into a corner of the village and have to back-track. Wish he could jump over some of the stuff. Pretty narrow constraints. You get stuck in a cave after you are brought back from death and there is a neat waterfall too high to jump to and nota clue what to do or where to go, so you wonder around in circles til you give up. Sad. Tha's level 1.
This is another game that is impossible to play without many free days to figure out 1 puzzle, or it is in need of a game walkhru to get past level 1. Tragic. Though it may be a lot of great fun [with a walk-thru / or some kind of cheatsbook/guidebook, full of pointers/ tips & directions to assist you]. ...Nice music score and viking theme, weapons, combat, and cutscenes though. Graphics are nice too. I wish someone would tell me what i am supposed to do & how to do it.

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