Alundra cover art

Alundra

A dark PS1 Zelda-like famed for punishing puzzle dungeons inside villagers' dreams.

Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION5 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    5/10

    Demanding platforming jumps for a top-down game

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    0/10

    Bosses and dungeons fully scripted

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    1/10

    Little hidden once dungeon entered

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    7/10

    Brutal dungeon puzzles are the real test

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

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Game details

Released
1997
Developer
Matrix Software
Platforms
PS3, PS1, PSP
Modes
Single player
IGDB users
74/100
PlatformRole-playing (RPG)AdventureActionHorrorSurvivalSandboxOpen world