Galerians (PlayStation) review"It added some unique new features, and is propelled by an excellent storyline. Galerians isn't quite as scary as Silent Hill, but its seriousness definitely surpasses Resident Evil's ''jump-out-of-your-seat'' horror." |
Introduction:
The survival horror genre was started by Resident Evil in PSX's earlier days, and since then, there've been several RE ''clones'' (Dino Crisis, Silent Hill, Countdown Vampires). They were all pretty similar to RE, but now there's Galerians, and while it does share its similarities with RE, it still has many new features.
Pros:
+ Nice graphics. Polygon characters on detailed pre-rendered backgrounds, much like those of RE3, although a different style. While they're not excellent, they're still pretty nice to look at, plus a ton of good-quality FMV's! More than in any other game I've played--RPG's included.
+ Innovative gameplay, with psychic abilities you use. You play the role of Rion, a 14 year old escapee from strange hospital experiments. You find yourself with the abilities to light things on fire, move objects around, and create a powerful shockwave with your mind. You must take drugs, as your ''ammo'' for these powers, but if you use them too much, your anger points will increase, and when they reach their max, you ''short out.'' Shorting out is where Rion's abilities go chaotic, and he can't control them. While you're shorting out, all enemies around you will die a gruesome death, but your HP will slowly drop, and you can't run. Simply take a certain pill, and you're cured. The only weapons you use in this game are Rion's psychic abilities, so it's a change from the guns found in Silent Hill and RE.
+ Mood-setting sound. The sound in Galerians not only has surprisingly good voice acting, but the music and sound effects are very creepy, and set a gothic mood for the game.
+ An excellent storyline with many morals. Galerians deals with religion, politics, child abuse, and other issues. Galerians's storyline is not a joke, and should be taken seriously. It takes place in the future where a suprecomputer called Dorathy runs Michelangelo city. She creates a techno-species called Galerians who will follow orders, and are very much like humans, but will do anything Dorothy says. In the world of Galerians, humans become pointless, and the computers take over. It's a frightening story, because it's actually quite realistic. It makes you think about what might happen in the near future.
Cons:
- Sometimes the camera view can get very annoying, and confusing. The control is like RE, and we all know how difficult it can be in RE. Sometimes it's hard to tell which way Rion is facing.
- There's a limited amount of items you can carry at one time, and there aren't any chests or boxes where you can store things, so that can get incredibly annoying.
- Sometimes the difficulty seems inconsistent i.e. the second boss is one of the hardest in the game, while the later bosses are rather easy.
Conclusion:
Galerians is a great addition to the survival horror genre. It added some unique new features, and is propelled by an excellent storyline. Galerians isn't quite as scary as Silent Hill, but its seriousness definitely surpasses Resident Evil's ''jump-out-of-your-seat'' horror. I personally think this game is just as good as RE3 (maybe not RE2), if not better.
Staff review by James Gordon (Date unavailable)
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