Despite the fact that Sudeki is one out of about only 15 RPGs available for Xbox, the makers have still succeeded in creating an enjoyable game. Playing the game puts you into an in-depth, well-animated world with a high amount of diversity. Plot and character development both grow as you progress to give an enjoyable gaming experience that is fairly matched to many popular RPG games currently available. The game immerses you in a fantasy land of magic and gods, which has been torn apart by its creator and his twin. You begin controlling Tal, a young, brawny recruit, fighting for the side of good. Your first mission is your basic "save the princess" job, which leads to the start of your involvement in something bigger. As you move through the missions, you gain the control of Ailish, the reluctant heiress to the Kingdom of Illumina, and a practiced sorceress; Elco, the prodigal trigger-happy brainiac and scientist-in-residence for the aforementioned kingdom; and Buki, a fierce warrior with the soul of a tiger. Inhabiting the realms are hundreds of non player characters to talk to, along with thousands of evildoers to slice, dice or shoot. Plenty of side-quests are given to you to complete as you fight for the freedom of the land, and there are multiple puzzles to challenge your mind while you're not fighting off the enemy. The game world is massive, and filled to the brim with amazingly detailed environments and areas to explore. The system of character development contained within is well laid out, and the game allows you to personalise your characters and their abilities and equipment to suit your playing style. .

Along with this, a simple, straightforward menu structure creates a simple environment in which to progress. Four game character play and their complementary abilities are an excellent touch and as your characters grow and develop, they learn skills that add to the enjoyment of battles and exploring the game world.

Conversely, once all four characters are under your control, a certain amount of lag and a severe increase to already fairly long load times occurs. Also, there was a large gap between many save points, which means having to repeat very large sections if all the characters die.

A simple player interface system means it is easy to pick up and play the game without much instruction, although reading the manual is advisable for some of the more complex parts of the game. The depth and complexity of the game means that a demo version is worthless for judging how good the game actually is.

While the loading times were occasionally a little too long, they were definitely worth the wait to see the stunning and detailed graphics that filled the game world. The animation was slightly too cartoon-like for what appears to be its target audience, given the amount of violence in the first few sections of the game. Overall, the good definitely outweighed the bad and I would have to suggest this game to any Xbox owners who are missing out on some of those good old Japanese RPGs.

Currently available for Xbox.
Retails at approx. $65
Rated M15+

About the Author
Mitchell is currently in year 10 at Melbourne High School. He enjoys anime, programming, gaming and the subtle randomness of British humour. He hopes to pursue a career in graphic design or game programming or in journalism.

Reprinted from the October 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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