Subject: REVIEW: Heimdall
From: Don Rhode <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

In the beginning, Odin the All Father created Man in his own image (but
smaller), and then created the Earth for them to live on. At first the
Gods and Man got on famously, but as time passed the Gods got bored with
Man and left him to his own devices.....

Now the Age of Ragnarok and Gotterdamerung are upon the Earth - basically
your average 10th century Norweigan was a morose bloke, and believed that
everything was doomed from Day One, and that the final great battle between
the Gods and the Beasts is about to begin and the Earth destroyed (my oh my
that must have cheered up those long Nordic nights - `Don't moan Eirik, we
could all be dead tomorrow'

Each of the Gods, Odin, Thor and Frey have a weapon which has magical powers;
Odin has a Sword, Thor a Hammer and Frey a Spear. Unfortunatley for the Gods,
the God of Evil, Loki has got them all a bit squiffy at a banquet, stolen the
weapons and cast them down to Earth......

Why don't they go and get them? I here you cry, well I was just coming to that
bit. You see the Gods aren't permitted to walk the Earth during Ragnarok
without loosing their powers.

How are they going to save the World? Well Thor knocks up a quick storm (which
was his speciality) and a lightning bolt hits a small Norweigan village, where
a young woman wakes up next morning nine months pregnant ... no doubt with all
the ensuing problems!!!!!!!!!!!

All this is portrayed in some superbly drawn and coloured animations, very
much in the `Asterix' or Don Bluth style - big beards and feet!!!! Great
music and speech complement it perfectly. Perhaps a Scandinavian can tell us
what is actually said? (Me thinks its a pisstake personally).

This is where you join the game, you are Heimdall, who is destined to
find the God's weapons so that they can fight the Beasts.  (Although to
what end I'm not sure since they are destined to loose according to
Norse legend), your first task is to see just how charismatic you are -
by the traditional Viking method of going down to the local bar, and
trying to free a girl who has been pinned to a board by her hair....
did I mention the axes?  Oh sorry, by throwing axes in her direction -
without hitting!!!!  Oh yeah, and that Norweigan beer is strong
stuff!!!!!!  All this is attended by riotous scenes of drunken Vikings
leaping around in the background.....

Having successfully avoided turning the girl into puree, your next task is
to run around a muddy field, chasing a greased pig (what a bundle of laughs 
these people were!!!!!!). Some mouthwatering animation here as you end up
looking a complete asshole at regular intervals.

Finally its that Ancient Norse pasttime of leaping aboard longboats, 
massacring the crew and getting the gold ... all good clean fun....

`What a game I hear you cry', and most people would be happy with that, after
all for once the words `cartoon animation' are true. BUT Core have even more
after all that. Heimdall's task is to search the World for the Gods' weapons, 
so its out with the RPG side......

Depending on how well you did in the previous three sessions you get a crew 
to accompany you on your suicidal task. The better you did at greased pig 
catching and the less girls you axed, the more crew and better crew you 
are offered. The crew members all have different occupations such as 
navigators, warriors and magicians.

Then you set off across a beautifully drawn map, Indiana Jones fashion to one
of the many islands that await...... There are three maps in all, each with
twenty or so islands dotted across it - plus the de rigeur seamonster and
whirlpool.

Arriving on the island, your team of three go walkabout in an isometrically
displayed world - like `The Immortal' from EA, but much better drawn. The
animation is again stunning, flames flicker, cloaks swish, monsters do
monstery things, the scrolling SMMOOOOOOTTTTHHHH, and the sound effects are
certainly atmospheric. Dodging traps and flicking switches you progress....
 
Whenever you encounter a denizen of the island, another view flicks up. This
time similar to Dungeon Master and Captive. There is no movement in this view,
but to make up for it the graphics would have FTL gibbering. Cue some great
hacking, slaying, spell casting and general meyhem - LOVELY!!!! All with
digitised screams and gurgles.

Objects are manipulated, spells cast and conversations held in a menu driven
point 'n click RPG interface. Simple to use - no problems at all, this 
section is quite the simplest I have ever used, some of the dedicated D & D
style games could take a good look at Heimdall.
 
Well, to summarise - Heimdall is BIG, BEAUTIFUL and HARD!!!!! It uses both
the mouse and the joystick and the keyboard - but each one is simple and
logical. This is game that proves the Amiga is still THE games machine, show
it to PC owners and watch them dribble......

	Graphics    : 9 1/2      : The apogee of computer art.
	Sound       : 8          : Fantastic scores and fx.
	Ease of Use : 9          : You can use a mouse can't you?
	Challenge   : 9          : You'll be playing this until Ragnarok!!!!!

	Overall     : 9 1/2      : THE GAME OF 1991.

HEIMDALL from Core Designs. 34.99 Pounds, 5 Disks. Copy protected. Manual 
  protection. Not HD Installable.  Contents: Disks, manual, world maps 
  and registration card.  AmigaDOS 2.0 version due any day now.  Needs 
  1 Mb+ more than 1 drive suggested, uses up to 3.
 
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						Don Rohde
						[email-masked]
						[email-masked]