Koudelka scores 7/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
Koudelka, strategic survival RPG for a new path
by Simon Larocca·November 24, 2024
Ogni videogiocatore che si
respects has erected, at least once in their life, a stack of cases
containing the games from their collection, true towers with precarious
balance next to the favorite console of the moment: my PlayStation, for example, a gray-shining spaceship
that made me take off toward a lot of different worlds every
afternoon, and that day at the top of the tower there was a game mistreated by
everyone, perhaps even a little unjustly.
In an era of Resident Evil and Silent Hill
that were knocking down any survival horror that dared to stick its nose
out, I in that very, very distant 1999 bought
Koudelka precisely because I have always
been a fan of outsiders, the underdogs, those who at the starting line
set off without shoes.
This title, which in the
developers’ intentions at Sacnoth
was supposed to stand as the ideal hybrid between a role-playing video game
in the Final Fantasy style of Squaresoft (doesn’t it bring a tear to your eye?) and a survival
horror of its own kind like the much-vaunted Resident Evil, unfortunately was not born
under the best auspices, due to strong internal disagreements at Sacnoth that
irreparably compromised the final result.
Terrible title and one to forget
easily, then?
Absolutely not, Koudelka has its own reason for being, as they say
in these cases, starting from the basic concept: set in an ancient monastery in Wales permeated by
supernatural atmospheres and demons hidden among the folds of reality, Koudelka
tells the story of its eponymous protagonist, a beauty very different from the
standards implemented by the video game majors of the time, stratospheric dolls
and not always believable ones that filled our monitors, and our dreams,
armed to the teeth.
Koudelka proves to be resolute but also more human, moving
through well-made 3D environments, on the whole, but the “GDR-like” nature emerges in the
random battles in which our heroine will stumble. Grid-based arenas,
where you can move on the squares present, giving the game a strategic touch that
made purists of survival games turn up their noses, as with
Capcom’s Chris Redfield adventures they were used to frantic escapes and
entire magazines emptied into the emaciated bodies of killer zombies.
L’approccio di Koudelka, on the other hand, draws
heavily on multiple genres and subgenres in the attempt, I would dare say much more
than courageous, to set a new standard at a moment, in video game terms,
when experimentation was not always rewarded: with the
PlayStation reigning in sales and its most prominent titles as unmistakable points of
comparison (let’s think of Final
Fantasy VII for pure role-playing fans and Front
Mission or the legendary Populous, for example, on the strategic front, but
I could name at least ten more), throwing a Koudelka with
many good intentions, but an overall performance far from free of
flaws, into the mix was not a commercially viable move.
Koudelka and his movements were not very fluid, the polygonal animations were rather heavy and were not handled very well by the machine they ran on, random battles mostly tested the players’ patience, and there was a sense of general frustration that undermined its playability.
Ma...
But the story works, it is gripping and those who love gothic atmospheres
and JRPGs will find plenty to enjoy, every secondary character
is outlined in function of the story and that is no small thing. One can
sense, as clear as a sunny day after an unexpected snowfall, the
desire to explore new frontiers,
to break new ground.
In addition, for fans of Shadow
Hearts, another “niche” series that is not really so niche if you are
a bit older gamers like the one writing this, know that Koudelka ideally
represents its prequel, another valid reason to pick it up and
give the psychic gypsy protagonist the chance she deserves.
7
Pro
Atmospheric Gothic setting, as well as functional: no open world!
A fascinating protagonist in terms of characterization, origins, and importance within the Shadowheart saga
Contro
Movement management is often cumbersome and not immediately intuitive, so the environmental exploration phase suffers as a result.
A cluttered RPG/survival/strategy hybrid overall; it’s a shame that after 25 years they never put a proper reboot into production. Oh, I’ve just had a brilliant idea!
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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