I would say these are still a sort of art, doing FMV integration well in the 90s was rare, and I don't think this is the worst version of it. That said, yes LoL 1 is by far the best looking entry in the series.
A masterpiece of a game. Never seen a story and sound like this till today. I play it at least once a year and i still find new secrets in this game. Truly epic.
I wonder about that big empty open area at the south end of Claw Mountains. There is a lizard-sized tunnel there you can melt and expand by casting fire spells inside it, but that's all I have found. Oddly, that is the only such instance I have found in the game where it is specifically fire you must use, lightning spells will not do.
I think one of my favorite things about slightly more obscure older games like this one is that it's not quite clear what things are. Your comment alone has made me want to go back and explore the area more thoroughly, so many cool things in this game to find.
They had much more planned for the game but ran out of time before it was released. A lot of the areas had more planned for them. The end area of the city of the ancients was especially barren because of time constraints. Such a shame...
The manual to the first game explains that Baccata's species are effectively immortal. When their body dies, the soul will wander off, plant itself in the ground and grow a new body. So he shouldn't be gone, though I think he does not make any appearance in the third game even though Dawn does. What is happening in that large dark cave section before the final area is that every time you kill one of the blue Hive Warriors, a much more dangerous brown version will spawn. So it's best to run without engaging whenever possible. Finally, a small exploit I once read somewhere and have tried out myself: Every enemy type in the game has an upper limit to how high you can train your warrior and magic levels by fighting that enemy. The statue of Belial in the underground city actually allows you to max out to 20, and it cannot be killed. However, it will send a very devastating attack your way whenever you attack it, though it does quickly resume its path. With some strategic use of the items that will sprout stone or ice stalagmites you can get it stuck in place and _very carefully_ pound on it to raise your levels.
@@Crowley9 those are some good tips. I was vaguely aware about the strange immortality of the Thomgogs, but that's interesting. I haven't played LoL3 yet but it's a shame the series ended there with so much world building done.
@@aquawalrus A bunch of other stuff I happened to remember that you may already know but I didn't spot in the video: The Huline monastery has a large completely optional dungeon area in its basement. There you can encounter the mage Rix, who appears to be possessed by something that forces him to attack you. You are supposed to be able to snap him out of it by using the first level Prism spell (blind), but it is glitchy. I have seen a couple of people claim they have successfully done it. You can alternatively give the Power Orb to the Huline blacksmith in exchange for that sword she has on display. There an option that allows you to get both if you do not mind being a little evil. There is a thief in the back of the Huline village who will steal that sword in exchange for you killing the guard captain in the village. The blacksmith's sword is the only other weapon that can be enhanced at the top of the Ruloi citadel, into a sword that leeches health from enemies to you. Speaking of the Ruloi citadel, you can free those three women. If you do a melee attack on that screen, it will break open that circular thing to the left of the gate, revealing a switch that opens the gate. They will only leave if you have killed _every single one_ of the Ruloi, which is possible, but annoying give their tendency to fly back to those holes high up in the walls to recover. And the heavyset woman will indeed mention that she is Kenneth's beau. The fight with Belial is more difficult the longer you take to reach him, starting from the beginning of the map. There is a room before him that holds four pieces of powerful equipment. The longer you take to reach there, more of those he puts on himself. I have managed to get there quick enough in the past to get all four myself. Also, I think it is possible to also dispel the fake Draracle with the Ruby of Truth. And finally, a smaller one: There are some well-hidden pieces of good equipment in the Dracoid cemetery. You want to look for an above ground structure that has its side walls slanted 45 degrees. If you run up those walls as the lizard, you can enter a low space at the top of the structure that holds the goodies. edit: Just spotted some of these things mentioned in other comments. Oh well.
What's funny is the FMV element within the game, and the campy acting, makes me think I'm playing within a Renaissance Pictures fantasy/adventure TV show LOL (expecting Kevin Sorbo or Bruce Campbell any second, although that one Huline mother you talk to WAS in fact Julie Newmar, unrecognizable in all the makeup). I was initially put off by the drastic change in visual style looking at ads/articles on magazines at the time. Didn't really know what to make of it compared to what I had recognized in that style of PC RPGs, but honestly I the setting kinda grew on me as a refreshing change from the usual medeival "Tolkien" fantasy setting, just more tropical, loved the music too, very tranquil if you love stock rain forest cafe ambiance XD. It's all the more heartbreaking what an unmitigated PoS the 3rd game turned out to be thanks to EA's usual scummery of buying out a dev studio and forcing them to put out a game in a janky unfinished state like they did :-(
@@theblocksays yeah I can't agree more. I was really wary of this game with how massively the setting and visuals were changed from the first, but it really does grow on you by the end. I haven't played the third yet, and I've heard mostly bad things. But I think it'll be worthwhile to play even if just to make me appreciate the first two more.
I frankly had never heard of this series before stumbling on it in the PC version of the bargain bin. I found the gameplay (as someone who was born after it had been made) difficult, but the opening cutscenes and what story I could pick up made me interested to find out how it would all unfold. Thanks a bunch for the review, and I can definitely feel the love you must have for the series :)
@@AmberNatashaMayfair thanks for taking the time to comment! I have a weak spot for these old school dungeon crawlers, and the first Lands of Lore is the one that got me into them so the series is definitely one I have a lot of love for. I keep hovering over LoL3 but I've been delaying playing it so I still have one more entry to look forward to.
I was just thinking of doing a stream of this game pretty soon and hey, there it is. I have the massive strategy guide here…somewhere. It had the lore, a super-detailed walkthrough, lists of all the gear and characters. One thing you missed is that in the final encounter you can steal from Belial. You can take his energy pods and get stronger, you can take his gear and use it against him. His horn is even stronger than the upgraded sword, albeit without the Thunder proc. Another thing is the morality system. You can murder a lot of the Hulines, you can assassinate the head guard to get a thief to steal Kitiara’s sword (which upgrades to the 2nd best weapon). If you’re Evil, You gotta kill the statue yourself, and fight the Draracle.
@@ArmoredChocoboLPs I would love to have the actual strategy guides, those are always a blast to read through. I did get some of his equipment, if I'm not mistaken what equipment you can get is based on how quickly you catch up to him, I got lost for a moment on the way so I only got part of it. The fight was so easy though it didn't feel needed regardless. It's crazy how different the narrative is in this game for an evil playthrough, worth doing twice as it's practically a different game!
You mean the horn Baccata gives you? I'd really not recommend it. It's very slow. Baccata mutters something about normal weapons not being able to harm Belial, that only that horn can, but he's obviously unaware of clever Luther players out there having ascended Firestorm and/or the broken sword to a divine weapon through use of the dream stone. The lightning sword is definitely the best, imo. Couple it with the Cobra statue, and you'll chop through Belial in seconds (depending on if he managed to put on all his gear).
In the mid 90's, I went to a PC game store and decided to pick up two games based on what I saw on the front and back: Lands of Lore and Elder Scrolls: Arena. In hindsight, I really should have kept the games and their boxes. It's too bad that LOL 2 didn't stick to the same formula as the first, with perhaps some refining. I bought Guardians of Destiny and the original LOL with digitized speech on GOG, and I still enjoy playing the first one occasionally. Maybe I'll try Guardians some time, but I'm in no rush :)
Guardians is a very different experience, but still a worthwhile game to play even today! I also regret selling 99 percent of my physical games, I'm glad they are so easy to get digitally but I would love to rebuild my collection some day.
The curse was so damned frustrating to deal with at times. If I remember correctly I completed this as well as the first game. I often wonder why they have never done more since.
@@aquawalrus There's a spell in the game that stops you from transforming and can be upgraded to transform at will. You get it at the very beginning of the game, but I can't remember where. I haven't played this game in decades, but I remember almost always having that spell equipped.
I wish they explained what some of those accessories do. You basically have to read lol3 wiki to know that. Also regeneration can save you from death one time while it's active. And I think the prism spell is only found in the optional dungeon in the monastery.
@@st.haborym that might explain why I didn't get prism. I did do that optional dungeon, but got stuck on the end boss and ended up just skipping the whole thing.
@@aquawalrus The prism spell is neat, blind is really good cause it stuns an enemy for a good long time, and one of the spells is a laser. Another one is a hologram that draws aggro.
I usually play through a game once I started it, even if it turns out to be a bad one, but this specific title defies me. I did four or five attempts since the age of 15 and I never managed to beat it, simply because how easy it is to get softlocked by the game not working properly or failing to pick up certain items. Its charm is broken by its infuriating aspects in my opinion. Bonus points because there are no meaningful item or spell descriptions in the game and even trying consumables or spells does not really let you know whats happening apart from very obvious ones, i.e. eating poison and then suffering from poisoning.
@@Worse_Is_To_Come absolutely correct, like I did really enjoy myself playing this, but I would be lying if I said I didn't take the occasional peek at a walkthrough to figure where to go next. Some of the puzzles are just so obtuse I don't know how you would ever figure them out on your own.
Tbf even the first Lands of Lore has some puzzles like that. I got stuck several times and ultimately had to look at a walkthrough. I guess that’s 90s adventure game logic for you.
I played this when it was new. Coming from Throne of Chaos, I was so excited. The intro where the camera flies under the drawbridge and into the dungeon had me hooked. But I feel like it went down hill from there. Even as a kid, I think I finished the game more out of determination than enjoyment. It had cool moments, but definitely was more clunky, ugly, and inconsistent than the first installment.
No dark halls in the video? One big area is completely hidden and optional. The Dark Halls in the monastery! Crazy scary atmospheric. So many secrets in that game.
i bought this back in 1999 and played it on a Pentium laptop during a business trip. I made it as far as raising the towers in the city, but for some reason I can't remember I never got around to completing it.
I love this series. I loathe the default controls, but once you set those to something less weird it is a blast to play. It's really crazy how many great great RPG series are being lost to time. There is a generation that thinks Skyrim, 3d Fallout, and Final Fantasy are the only RPGs worth playing. I feel bad because games aren't getting better the way we thought they would, and why we were quick to leave the old behind for new. They are all becoming dumbed down and generic cookie cutter experiences
Totally agree with your take, especially in the AAA space everything is starting to meld together into the same sort of sloppy experience, everyone is just copying the current "meta". It feels games were so much more experimental back in the day, and we got so many more really unique experiences.
@@EonEsper-Kriz I've only played the first two, and loved both. I've heard the third is a bit of a miss but I still want to try it some day to finish out the series.
I didn't get to mentioning it in the video, but I actually loved how the face was reactive to what was going on the whole game, whether jumping, fighting or casting magic it had different looks. In all three forms even!
@@aquawalrus that's some serious attention to detail! I didn't even know there was a lands 2 I'm glad you covered this. You are doing a great job, keep it up the subs will come
I actually only found out 2 existed a few years ago, it came in a bundle with the first game. I only very recently discovered there is also a lands of lore 3. It's got pretty mixed reviews but I'm super curious to give it a try.
Fun fact: This might've been the first time I noticed a severe graphical downgrade compared to the previews. If you look at screenshots in print magazines from before release everything looks much sharper and more detailed, especially the rendered enemies and greenscreened humans. Which they then had to downsample/compress. A lot. Wasn't the last time Westwood did that either. Having said that, while everything ended up very pixely and the rendered stuff + filmed actors + early 3D results in a somewhat incoherent mess artstyle-wise I still love the look. There's so much going on on screen, animations everywhere. not even the UI is static. Gotta appreciate how much work they put into this even if the game itself isn't as good as LoL1.
I really loved how the game had different choices of actions which result in different cutscenes and long-term gameplay. Like you can chose the completely evil path and kill everyone on your way if you are strong enough.
It's crazy the difference it can make to the outcome! I'm tempted to do another playthrough to show the evil side, I don't know if it would be enough for a whole other video but it would be worth playing regardless.
@@aquawalrusWould love to see that and have subscribed to your channel. There is also LOL 3 which I really liked playing as kid. It’s sad that the LOL fanbase is quite small and the rights to it are probably archived in some EA vault, so we will most probably never see a sequel. Imagine if they did a sequel like with God of war for LOL. That would be awesome.
@@masterofx32 happy to have you here! I actually haven't ever played LoL3, but I really want to, I'm trying my best to space the games out a bit but definitely excited to finish the trilogy. The game has a pretty solid foundation of lore to build on (a whole lands worth) and would be cool to see them do something with the IP one day. Stranger things have happened!
The dracoid cemetery makes me feel like one death isn't enough for those ghosts! 💀 Stonekeep is definitely on my list to play! I love the way that game looks!
@aquawalrus it also has a really long development history they started making it in 87 or 88 and it didn't release until 95 partially due to constantly jumping to new tech during development
Ah i remember playing this with my grandpa about 12 years ago, it was the first lol game we played and we didnt know what to do since i was like 8 and we both didnt speak english but darn do i to this day love the janky mess this game is. Amazing video
@@aquawalrus Yeah definitely, also i noticed you never mentioned the evil route you can take in this game, where by the end you kill the draracle and luther turns into an evil god. If you ever make another video on this game you should definitely show that part aswell.!
@@thisisjuleka6027 you're right! Definitely a more interesting bit that I didn't get into in the video was how you can have negative interactions and generally attack just about every NPC in the game. I just can't resist being nice to everyone though, I have a soft spot for all the cat people. That dracoid priest though... I would kill him again if I could ;)
You're right! I actually discovered that after I finished the game when I was reviewing all my footage. I even gave her the wax! If only I'd gone to see her haha.
@@aquawalrus I see (finished the video in two sittings) that you got it from Dawn after the ruin sinks. You can definitely get it sooner than that. Not sure where, maybe the draracle museum?
Paige Rowlands as Dawn feels more like an Amazon queen than a sorceress and the sexual innuendo at the end feels gratuitous, but she is hot! Does game or manual mention what happened to Kieran? It's the 3rd one that falls apart but I would totally watch a review about it
@@usulordo from what I recall, he isn't in the manual but is mentioned in both LoL2 and 3 as the canonical "hero of Gladstone". In the Draracle museum if I'm not mistaken. I really want to play 3, I've never finished it and know it's probably the least liked in the trilogy but still would be fun to experience.
@@jcaique funnily enough LoL3 was going to be my 1000 sub special, but I totally missed to boat. I overestimated the speed at which I put out videos haha. It's coming though!
It’s actually not that bad. It has its faults, and the game is clearly unfinished in parts, but I enjoyed my playthrough of LoL3. That’s not even nostalgia talking either, as I didn’t play it until a few years ago.
number two, gripping characters? no. no way. I played 2 as a kid so i also have the nostalgia goggles but i wouldn't call the characters gripping. the world enthralling yes. the story suspenseful perhaps, for 1 and 2. but i wouldn't call the characters gripping.
I never bothered with this one back in the day because it just looked so ugly compared to the original. It still does. Also, using real actors is something I don't like seeing in video games either.
@@mikesol1162 I agree it is not pretty, but I do find FMV weirdly charming. Like I don't want it to make a comeback or anything, but get a weird nostalgia playing games that have it.
It was especially rough before the glide patch that enabled 3d acceleration . At the time you needed a 3dfx graphics card. Fortunately it can be enabled through dosbox now. (It's not turned on in this playthrough)
The graphics in the first game are a work of art. The graphics in this game are a product.
I would say these are still a sort of art, doing FMV integration well in the 90s was rare, and I don't think this is the worst version of it.
That said, yes LoL 1 is by far the best looking entry in the series.
A masterpiece of a game. Never seen a story and sound like this till today. I play it at least once a year and i still find new secrets in this game. Truly epic.
It's so unbelievably unique. This was my first playthrough but I really want to do another playthrough being evil this time
I wonder about that big empty open area at the south end of Claw Mountains. There is a lizard-sized tunnel there you can melt and expand by casting fire spells inside it, but that's all I have found. Oddly, that is the only such instance I have found in the game where it is specifically fire you must use, lightning spells will not do.
I think one of my favorite things about slightly more obscure older games like this one is that it's not quite clear what things are.
Your comment alone has made me want to go back and explore the area more thoroughly, so many cool things in this game to find.
They had much more planned for the game but ran out of time before it was released. A lot of the areas had more planned for them. The end area of the city of the ancients was especially barren because of time constraints. Such a shame...
you really got me with the Brother Julian bit, hahah
Julian!
The manual to the first game explains that Baccata's species are effectively immortal. When their body dies, the soul will wander off, plant itself in the ground and grow a new body. So he shouldn't be gone, though I think he does not make any appearance in the third game even though Dawn does.
What is happening in that large dark cave section before the final area is that every time you kill one of the blue Hive Warriors, a much more dangerous brown version will spawn. So it's best to run without engaging whenever possible.
Finally, a small exploit I once read somewhere and have tried out myself: Every enemy type in the game has an upper limit to how high you can train your warrior and magic levels by fighting that enemy. The statue of Belial in the underground city actually allows you to max out to 20, and it cannot be killed. However, it will send a very devastating attack your way whenever you attack it, though it does quickly resume its path. With some strategic use of the items that will sprout stone or ice stalagmites you can get it stuck in place and _very carefully_ pound on it to raise your levels.
@@Crowley9 those are some good tips. I was vaguely aware about the strange immortality of the Thomgogs, but that's interesting. I haven't played LoL3 yet but it's a shame the series ended there with so much world building done.
@@aquawalrus A bunch of other stuff I happened to remember that you may already know but I didn't spot in the video:
The Huline monastery has a large completely optional dungeon area in its basement. There you can encounter the mage Rix, who appears to be possessed by something that forces him to attack you. You are supposed to be able to snap him out of it by using the first level Prism spell (blind), but it is glitchy. I have seen a couple of people claim they have successfully done it.
You can alternatively give the Power Orb to the Huline blacksmith in exchange for that sword she has on display. There an option that allows you to get both if you do not mind being a little evil. There is a thief in the back of the Huline village who will steal that sword in exchange for you killing the guard captain in the village. The blacksmith's sword is the only other weapon that can be enhanced at the top of the Ruloi citadel, into a sword that leeches health from enemies to you.
Speaking of the Ruloi citadel, you can free those three women. If you do a melee attack on that screen, it will break open that circular thing to the left of the gate, revealing a switch that opens the gate. They will only leave if you have killed _every single one_ of the Ruloi, which is possible, but annoying give their tendency to fly back to those holes high up in the walls to recover. And the heavyset woman will indeed mention that she is Kenneth's beau.
The fight with Belial is more difficult the longer you take to reach him, starting from the beginning of the map. There is a room before him that holds four pieces of powerful equipment. The longer you take to reach there, more of those he puts on himself. I have managed to get there quick enough in the past to get all four myself. Also, I think it is possible to also dispel the fake Draracle with the Ruby of Truth.
And finally, a smaller one: There are some well-hidden pieces of good equipment in the Dracoid cemetery. You want to look for an above ground structure that has its side walls slanted 45 degrees. If you run up those walls as the lizard, you can enter a low space at the top of the structure that holds the goodies.
edit: Just spotted some of these things mentioned in other comments. Oh well.
This game has such a quirky look to it that I can't stop loving.
I love the mix of FMV and pixel art when done right.
What's funny is the FMV element within the game, and the campy acting, makes me think I'm playing within a Renaissance Pictures fantasy/adventure TV show LOL (expecting Kevin Sorbo or Bruce Campbell any second, although that one Huline mother you talk to WAS in fact Julie Newmar, unrecognizable in all the makeup). I was initially put off by the drastic change in visual style looking at ads/articles on magazines at the time. Didn't really know what to make of it compared to what I had recognized in that style of PC RPGs, but honestly I the setting kinda grew on me as a refreshing change from the usual medeival "Tolkien" fantasy setting, just more tropical, loved the music too, very tranquil if you love stock rain forest cafe ambiance XD.
It's all the more heartbreaking what an unmitigated PoS the 3rd game turned out to be thanks to EA's usual scummery of buying out a dev studio and forcing them to put out a game in a janky unfinished state like they did :-(
@@theblocksays yeah I can't agree more. I was really wary of this game with how massively the setting and visuals were changed from the first, but it really does grow on you by the end.
I haven't played the third yet, and I've heard mostly bad things. But I think it'll be worthwhile to play even if just to make me appreciate the first two more.
i have been waiting for someone to do this game justice with a lengthy review. Thanks from the heart brother ... chef's kiss
It deserves more love! Part of me wants to do a follow up to show the evil path through the game.
@@aquawalrus that would be awesome dude :)
I just want to point out that there's also an evil ending, and it's a lot more entertaining. But also a little harder to acquire.
Yeah, I haven't played through them personally but I did look each ending up, some of them are pretty wild.
I frankly had never heard of this series before stumbling on it in the PC version of the bargain bin.
I found the gameplay (as someone who was born after it had been made) difficult, but the opening cutscenes and what story I could pick up made me interested to find out how it would all unfold.
Thanks a bunch for the review, and I can definitely feel the love you must have for the series :)
@@AmberNatashaMayfair thanks for taking the time to comment!
I have a weak spot for these old school dungeon crawlers, and the first Lands of Lore is the one that got me into them so the series is definitely one I have a lot of love for. I keep hovering over LoL3 but I've been delaying playing it so I still have one more entry to look forward to.
I was just thinking of doing a stream of this game pretty soon and hey, there it is.
I have the massive strategy guide here…somewhere. It had the lore, a super-detailed walkthrough, lists of all the gear and characters.
One thing you missed is that in the final encounter you can steal from Belial. You can take his energy pods and get stronger, you can take his gear and use it against him. His horn is even stronger than the upgraded sword, albeit without the Thunder proc.
Another thing is the morality system. You can murder a lot of the Hulines, you can assassinate the head guard to get a thief to steal Kitiara’s sword (which upgrades to the 2nd best weapon). If you’re Evil, You gotta kill the statue yourself, and fight the Draracle.
@@ArmoredChocoboLPs I would love to have the actual strategy guides, those are always a blast to read through.
I did get some of his equipment, if I'm not mistaken what equipment you can get is based on how quickly you catch up to him, I got lost for a moment on the way so I only got part of it. The fight was so easy though it didn't feel needed regardless.
It's crazy how different the narrative is in this game for an evil playthrough, worth doing twice as it's practically a different game!
You mean the horn Baccata gives you? I'd really not recommend it. It's very slow.
Baccata mutters something about normal weapons not being able to harm Belial, that only that horn can, but he's obviously unaware of clever Luther players out there having ascended Firestorm and/or the broken sword to a divine weapon through use of the dream stone.
The lightning sword is definitely the best, imo. Couple it with the Cobra statue, and you'll chop through Belial in seconds (depending on if he managed to put on all his gear).
@@Gotcha444 for a god like being, he is rather squishy!
@@aquawalrus Man, narcissists, amiright. Pride comes before the fall, etc., etc.
I kinda want you to try it without the strategy guide, simply to see if you can even beat it without a softlock.
In the mid 90's, I went to a PC game store and decided to pick up two games based on what I saw on the front and back: Lands of Lore and Elder Scrolls: Arena. In hindsight, I really should have kept the games and their boxes. It's too bad that LOL 2 didn't stick to the same formula as the first, with perhaps some refining. I bought Guardians of Destiny and the original LOL with digitized speech on GOG, and I still enjoy playing the first one occasionally. Maybe I'll try Guardians some time, but I'm in no rush :)
Guardians is a very different experience, but still a worthwhile game to play even today! I also regret selling 99 percent of my physical games, I'm glad they are so easy to get digitally but I would love to rebuild my collection some day.
The curse was so damned frustrating to deal with at times. If I remember correctly I completed this as well as the first game. I often wonder why they have never done more since.
The curse would always activate at literally the worst moments. It's like the game knew.
@@aquawalrus There's a spell in the game that stops you from transforming and can be upgraded to transform at will. You get it at the very beginning of the game, but I can't remember where. I haven't played this game in decades, but I remember almost always having that spell equipped.
A truly unique and remarkable game. Baccata fan club forever!
He died a hero.
@@aquawalrus🥲🙌
It is a great game. man I have such fond memories of this games and just exploring the everything in this game.
It's such a big game to explore. Worthy of multiple playthroughs!
The first game I played on my dad's P3 500mhz !
It holds up surprisingly well!
I wish they explained what some of those accessories do. You basically have to read lol3 wiki to know that. Also regeneration can save you from death one time while it's active. And I think the prism spell is only found in the optional dungeon in the monastery.
@@st.haborym that might explain why I didn't get prism. I did do that optional dungeon, but got stuck on the end boss and ended up just skipping the whole thing.
@@aquawalrus The prism spell is neat, blind is really good cause it stuns an enemy for a good long time, and one of the spells is a laser. Another one is a hologram that draws aggro.
I'm devastated that I missed out on a laser beam attack.
I usually play through a game once I started it, even if it turns out to be a bad one, but this specific title defies me. I did four or five attempts since the age of 15 and I never managed to beat it, simply because how easy it is to get softlocked by the game not working properly or failing to pick up certain items. Its charm is broken by its infuriating aspects in my opinion.
Bonus points because there are no meaningful item or spell descriptions in the game and even trying consumables or spells does not really let you know whats happening apart from very obvious ones, i.e. eating poison and then suffering from poisoning.
@@Worse_Is_To_Come absolutely correct, like I did really enjoy myself playing this, but I would be lying if I said I didn't take the occasional peek at a walkthrough to figure where to go next. Some of the puzzles are just so obtuse I don't know how you would ever figure them out on your own.
Tbf even the first Lands of Lore has some puzzles like that. I got stuck several times and ultimately had to look at a walkthrough. I guess that’s 90s adventure game logic for you.
I played this when it was new. Coming from Throne of Chaos, I was so excited. The intro where the camera flies under the drawbridge and into the dungeon had me hooked. But I feel like it went down hill from there. Even as a kid, I think I finished the game more out of determination than enjoyment. It had cool moments, but definitely was more clunky, ugly, and inconsistent than the first installment.
@@AdamTheJensen I really enjoyed it, but yeah I have to agree the first game holds far fonder memories for me.
No dark halls in the video?
One big area is completely hidden and optional. The Dark Halls in the monastery! Crazy scary atmospheric. So many secrets in that game.
I did actually go in there, but got stuck on the boss and ended up cutting the section. It is really good though!
i bought this back in 1999 and played it on a Pentium laptop during a business trip. I made it as far as raising the towers in the city, but for some reason I can't remember I never got around to completing it.
@@thisnthat3530 that last bit of the game is a bit of a slog anyhow.
Brother Julian got such a laugh from me. Thanks for that.
Luv - Grim
I am always ecstatic when someone gets my nonsensical references.
@@aquawalrus Well me being Canadian probably helps
@FackinBacin The Trailer Park Boys ARE a national treasure after all ;)
I love this series. I loathe the default controls, but once you set those to something less weird it is a blast to play. It's really crazy how many great great RPG series are being lost to time. There is a generation that thinks Skyrim, 3d Fallout, and Final Fantasy are the only RPGs worth playing. I feel bad because games aren't getting better the way we thought they would, and why we were quick to leave the old behind for new. They are all becoming dumbed down and generic cookie cutter experiences
Totally agree with your take, especially in the AAA space everything is starting to meld together into the same sort of sloppy experience, everyone is just copying the current "meta". It feels games were so much more experimental back in the day, and we got so many more really unique experiences.
Oh man, how have I never heard of this series before seeing your video about the first one??
@@EonEsper-Kriz I've only played the first two, and loved both. I've heard the third is a bit of a miss but I still want to try it some day to finish out the series.
@@aquawalrus I look forward to your new vids. :)
I enjoyed the third one.
Another great video AW. The dudes face at the bottom reminds me of the doom guy
I didn't get to mentioning it in the video, but I actually loved how the face was reactive to what was going on the whole game, whether jumping, fighting or casting magic it had different looks.
In all three forms even!
@@aquawalrus that's some serious attention to detail! I didn't even know there was a lands 2 I'm glad you covered this. You are doing a great job, keep it up the subs will come
I actually only found out 2 existed a few years ago, it came in a bundle with the first game.
I only very recently discovered there is also a lands of lore 3. It's got pretty mixed reviews but I'm super curious to give it a try.
"I'm a dude reviewing 90s games on UA-cam, maybe I don't understand women." Lol I feel this.
If nothing else, I'm self aware lol.
I'm so glad I found this channel 🙀
This channel is so glad you found it as well! Excellent choice of cat emoji. 😸
Fun fact: This might've been the first time I noticed a severe graphical downgrade compared to the previews. If you look at screenshots in print magazines from before release everything looks much sharper and more detailed, especially the rendered enemies and greenscreened humans. Which they then had to downsample/compress. A lot. Wasn't the last time Westwood did that either.
Having said that, while everything ended up very pixely and the rendered stuff + filmed actors + early 3D results in a somewhat incoherent mess artstyle-wise I still love the look. There's so much going on on screen, animations everywhere. not even the UI is static. Gotta appreciate how much work they put into this even if the game itself isn't as good as LoL1.
Totally, the game is objectively a mess to look at, but someone still manages to be super charming and comfortable to play. I had a blast with it.
I really loved how the game had different choices of actions which result in different cutscenes and long-term gameplay. Like you can chose the completely evil path and kill everyone on your way if you are strong enough.
It's crazy the difference it can make to the outcome! I'm tempted to do another playthrough to show the evil side, I don't know if it would be enough for a whole other video but it would be worth playing regardless.
@@aquawalrusWould love to see that and have subscribed to your channel. There is also LOL 3 which I really liked playing as kid.
It’s sad that the LOL fanbase is quite small and the rights to it are probably archived in some EA vault, so we will most probably never see a sequel. Imagine if they did a sequel like with God of war for LOL. That would be awesome.
@@masterofx32 happy to have you here!
I actually haven't ever played LoL3, but I really want to, I'm trying my best to space the games out a bit but definitely excited to finish the trilogy.
The game has a pretty solid foundation of lore to build on (a whole lands worth) and would be cool to see them do something with the IP one day. Stranger things have happened!
Im actually playing this again now im currently in the dracoid cemetery 😭😭😭
I would love to see you cover Stonekeep sometime
The dracoid cemetery makes me feel like one death isn't enough for those ghosts! 💀
Stonekeep is definitely on my list to play! I love the way that game looks!
@aquawalrus it also has a really long development history they started making it in 87 or 88 and it didn't release until 95 partially due to constantly jumping to new tech during development
@@StarElysia even more exciting! Made by Interplay as well which is usually a good thing.
Ah i remember playing this with my grandpa about 12 years ago, it was the first lol game we played and we didnt know what to do since i was like 8 and we both didnt speak english but darn do i to this day love the janky mess this game is. Amazing video
I'm glad I could help bring back some good memories!
Janky mess is absolutely the way I would describe this game, so memorable for it though.
@@aquawalrus Yeah definitely, also i noticed you never mentioned the evil route you can take in this game, where by the end you kill the draracle and luther turns into an evil god. If you ever make another video on this game you should definitely show that part aswell.!
@@thisisjuleka6027 you're right! Definitely a more interesting bit that I didn't get into in the video was how you can have negative interactions and generally attack just about every NPC in the game. I just can't resist being nice to everyone though, I have a soft spot for all the cat people. That dracoid priest though... I would kill him again if I could ;)
@@aquawalruseven in the playthrough where you attack everyone you see you still cant kill him :p though i guess he's already dead
Well, I can at least call him mean names through my monitor.
you can get a charm to suppress the transformations much earlier (by talking to dawn again in the monastery after giving her the wax imprints). 🙈
You're right! I actually discovered that after I finished the game when I was reviewing all my footage.
I even gave her the wax! If only I'd gone to see her haha.
there is a spell that lets you transform into any of the forms (beast, lizard, human) that you want.
@@luffis1985 I definetly missed a couple spots in the game... Reason for another playthrough. Maybe evil this time!
@@aquawalrus I see (finished the video in two sittings) that you got it from Dawn after the ruin sinks. You can definitely get it sooner than that. Not sure where, maybe the draracle museum?
@@aquawalrus Plus that's where the best lines are: "These cat people make strange noises when they die." Lol
Lands of Lore 3 soon? 😊
@@NellWatson I keep putting it off, but it's definetly on my radar super soon. I think I'm just going to be sad to finally finish the series haha.
I understand. 3 is actually my favourite in the series. Thank you!
You can just press keys 1-5 to cast the respective spell
You've just blown my mind.
I think I was stuck in beastform in highschool
@@DavidAdams-r5x 💪
why didn't you speak to Kenneth with the bracers? In fact, why didn't try speaking to all the corpses you found after you got the bracers?
Blame Dawn, she stole them from me after the ruins flooded :
@@aquawalrus Oh, that sucks.
Paige Rowlands as Dawn feels more like an Amazon queen than a sorceress and the sexual innuendo at the end feels gratuitous, but she is hot!
Does game or manual mention what happened to Kieran?
It's the 3rd one that falls apart but I would totally watch a review about it
@@usulordo from what I recall, he isn't in the manual but is mentioned in both LoL2 and 3 as the canonical "hero of Gladstone". In the Draracle museum if I'm not mistaken.
I really want to play 3, I've never finished it and know it's probably the least liked in the trilogy but still would be fun to experience.
Now do Lands of Lore 3
@@jcaique funnily enough LoL3 was going to be my 1000 sub special, but I totally missed to boat. I overestimated the speed at which I put out videos haha.
It's coming though!
I look forward to it.
dawn was hot
She's got that 90s action heroine energy.
back 4 more
Just don't play the 3rd game and you'll be fine :D
I need to play it out of grim curiosity.
It’s actually not that bad. It has its faults, and the game is clearly unfinished in parts, but I enjoyed my playthrough of LoL3. That’s not even nostalgia talking either, as I didn’t play it until a few years ago.
number two, gripping characters? no. no way. I played 2 as a kid so i also have the nostalgia goggles but i wouldn't call the characters gripping. the world enthralling yes. the story suspenseful perhaps, for 1 and 2. but i wouldn't call the characters gripping.
@@benjamindeverell1123 I mean, Bacatta has 4 arms. He can grip twice as much as a normal man! 💪
I never bothered with this one back in the day because it just looked so ugly compared to the original. It still does. Also, using real actors is something I don't like seeing in video games either.
@@mikesol1162 I agree it is not pretty, but I do find FMV weirdly charming.
Like I don't want it to make a comeback or anything, but get a weird nostalgia playing games that have it.
It was especially rough before the glide patch that enabled 3d acceleration . At the time you needed a 3dfx graphics card. Fortunately it can be enabled through dosbox now. (It's not turned on in this playthrough)
sequel sucked. still play the OG tho
Its insane how much this one sucked compared to the first one.
@@Retrofun69 the first one is definetly better... But I still liked this one!
bruh