Xena: Warrior Princess (video game)
Xena: Warrior Princess | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Bill Brown (PlayStation)[1] | Mike Reagan (PlayStation)[1] Jean-Marie Philibert (Game Boy Color)[2] | |
Platform(s) | PlayStation Game Boy Color | |
Release | PlayStation
| |
Genre(s) | Hack and slash | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Xena: Warrior Princess is a
Plot
The Game begins with Xena and Gabrielle walking down a road and Gabrielle telling Xena a joke. Xena decided to go travel alone to visit an old friend in Oebalus; as she approaches, she notices black smoke rising where the village would be. When she arrives in Oebalus, she finds her friend dying and she is told that "they are looking for her", referring to Gabrielle. Xena goes into the village, rescues the remaining hostages, and finds the Pirate King Pactolus. After his defeat, he informs her that King Valerian paid him and his men to distract her while Valerian's Soldiers capture Gabrielle on the road.
Xena then travels to the Isle of Kronos to find Valerian, but is stopped on the beach by a Cyclops. Upon its defeat, she also fights Valerian's soldiers and defeats a troll in order to cross a bridge. When she finally enters the Castle, the King comes out with two bodyguards. After killing them, Xena asks Valerian about Gabrielle and why she was taken. Valerian replies that Gabrielle has been chosen for a very special ceremony and that her sacrifice would help usher in a new world order. The king transforms into a Minotaur and runs into the labyrinth of the castle with Xena hot in close pursuit. In the labyrinth Xena, finds Gabrielle and kills the Minotaur. Reunited, Gabrielle tells her that she heard the King mention a band of Amazons. They decide to visit them in order to get some answers.
When they arrived in the Amazon village, the Amazons attack them on sight. They search for the Amazon Queen in the Lost Temple; however, a hidden group of Amazons kidnapped Gabrielle and lock Xena inside. As a result, Xena must go alone to find the Amazon Queen. Upon finding her, she informs Xena that they want an Amazon Queen to be sacrificed in order to create a new world. Gabrielle, being an Amazon Queen herself, will take her place. Xena kills the Queen and comes face to face with the main antagonist, Kalabrax, an angry Goddess who seek revenge from Gods by trying to create a world where she will be in control. Kalabrax tells Xena that she is going to sacrifice Gabrielle. In order to get Xena out of the way, she opens the earth and casts Xena down to Tartarus.
The only way to get out of the underworld is to find Hades himself. On the road to Hades' Castle, she has to overcome the traps of Charon, face the zombies coming from the ground, the undead boatman, and the Well of Lost Souls. When she arrives in the castle, Hades welcomes Xena and she asks his permission to send her back to the surface world to stop Kalabrax.
Hades sends Xena to the Village of Tir' Na to find to the Lyre of Orpheus, a key that will help Xena to unlock a Gate that leads to Kalabrax's Temple. However, in the village of Tir' Na, Kalabrax already sent soldiers to seek the Lyre. They have taken the Seer Fei as hostage. Xena kills his captors and rescues the Seer who, in turn, guides her to the druid Yat. She follows Yat to the Temple where a fight ensues, but Xena turns the symbols against him so he dies. Fei thanks Xena for saving him and the Village of Tir' Na; as a reward, he gives her the Lyre of Orpheus.
Finally, Xena travels through the mountains to find the Temple of Kalabrax. The last obstacles she has to overcome are the Three Serpent Sisters and the Ogre Protectors. In defeating the ogres, she completes a puzzle regarding chimes and the order they raise in. After working her way through each of the five Ogres and the odd harpy, she strikes the chimes in the correct order, plays the lyre, and opens the portal.
Xena is transported to the Temple of Pinnacles and found Gabrielle tied to the altar, arriving just before Gabrielle was to sacrificed. Xena fights and kills the two guards and Kalabrax. As she walks to the altar to release Gabrielle, Kalabrax transforms into a beast. In order to truly defeat Kalabrax, Xena makes him run into the supports of the ceiling, smashing them such that the Temple begins to collapse on top of him.
After this last battle, Xena finally reunites with Gabrielle and they embrace each other. After a while, Gabrielle suggests to Xena that they create a game based on the adventure they lived.
Gameplay
PlayStation version
The PlayStation version of Xena: Warrior Princess is played from a
The player controls Xena, who must defeat all enemies and complete tasks to proceed through each level of the game.[3] Xena can carry out numerous attacks through a combination of button commands performed by the player.[4][3] If the attack is executed successfully, Xena lets out her signature warrior scream.[6][5] Xena can run, jump, kick, slash, and block enemy attacks, as well as perform groin kicks and cartwheels.[6]
The player can also use power-ups found throughout the game.[3][6] Power-ups can replenish the player's health, as well as provide armor upgrades or additional attack abilities.[6] The player can also use Xena's chakram, a weapon featured on the television series.[6] The chakram can be used against enemies, as well as cutting chains and flipping switches.[3][6] Optionally, the player can also steer the chakram while it is in mid-air, for a better chance of hitting a target.[6][4] Xena can also use a sword. Both weapons can be upgraded by collecting power-ups.[4][6] The player can only attack one enemy at a time,[4] and is defenseless against nearby enemies while the chakram is in use.[6]
The game features 21 levels.[6] Early levels, and some of the later levels, include tasks in which Xena must rescue hostages by using a long-distance attack against the enemies.[6] If the player merely beats up an enemy rather than kill it, karma is added to Xena's karma meter. When the karma meter becomes full, the player receives temporary invincibility.[4] Defeating boss enemies typically requires the player to perform certain actions, as Xena's weapons do not have any effect on some of them.[4][6][3] Scrolls found on various levels provide the player with hints, such as information on how to defeat boss enemies.[4]
Game Boy Color version
The Game Boy Color version is a side-scrolling platform action game played primarily from an overhead perspective. The game's story focuses on Xena, who is stuck in a dream world known as Psychosia and must locate Darphus, who is responsible for trapping her there. Xena must also locate
The player controls Xena, who can run, jump, climb, and swim.[8] Xena can also use items such as maple syrup and keys. A total of 13 items can be found throughout the game, and are stored in an inventory screen. The player can equip up to two items. Xena's health is represented by hearts. Health can be increased by finding heart containers throughout the game.[7] The game features 16 levels.[8] The game can be linked up with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, allowing the player to play as Hercules, who is capable of accessing secret levels.[7]
Development and release
In November 1998, Titus Interactive announced that it had acquired the rights to produce video games based on the television show.[11] In May 2000, Titus announced that a Game Boy Color version of Xena: Warrior Princess was scheduled for release at the end of summer 2000.[12] The Game Boy Color version, developed and published by Titus,[8] was ultimately released on July 30, 2001.[12]
Reception
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
AllGame N/A | [4] | |
Computer and Video Games | [15] | N/A |
EP Daily | N/A | 7/10[16] |
GameSpot | N/A | 4.6/10[3] |
IGN | N/A | 6.5/10[6] |
Next Generation | N/A | [17] |
Nintendo Power | [14] | N/A |
The Sydney Morning Herald | N/A | 3.5 of 5[18] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine rated the PlayStation version 3.5 out of 5,[13] while Nintendo Power rated the Game Boy Color version a 3 out of 5.[14]
Joe Fielder of GameSpot gave the PlayStation version a rating of 4.6 out of 10, and criticized the fact that Xena is defenseless while using her chakram weapon. Fielder also noted that the game's characters "all look very blocky, and the backgrounds are basic and sparse." Fielder said the game's platform-jumping and puzzle-solving sections were not fun because of the game's poor camera system: "The camera has a mind of its own at times, swinging this way and that in some situations while taking too long to catch up to your character in others. On top of that, the controls that let you adjust the camera manually feel backward and the perspective shifts too slowly to be much use in tough situations. [...] You'll fly easily through this title if you can find the motivation to attempt it, the hardest tasks being those set by working with the camera." Fielder ultimately concluded that the game "feels as though its developers were focused so intently on making the title carry mass appeal that in the end, the result is a watered-down, thin, sorry state of a game barely deserving of a rental, let alone a purchase. Like Xena? Stick to the TV show and put this one out to pasture."[3]
Dean Austin of IGN rated the PlayStation version a 6.5 out of 10 and noted its outdated graphics, but praised its design and the pacing of its music, as well as the chakram, calling it "by far the most innovative part of the game." Austin also wrote, "The levels are involved but not particularly deep and the overall time of play is an issue. Only Xena could have so much skin exposed running around in snow covered mountain levels. [...] It's a shame that Gabrielle was not used more as a base character. A game that featured two-player co-operative play controlling both Xena and Gabrielle would have been most welcome." Austin also complained of "warping and camera clipping problems that occur throughout the game. These two problems impact gameplay at inopportune times (not to mention the excessive pop-up)."[6]
Jason White of
Jules Grant of The Electric Playground gave the game a 7 out of 10 and wrote that it "accurately recreates the atmosphere of the television series and uses some of the same characters. [...] This game is always fast and furious and the environments, particularly the outdoor areas are unmatched on the PlayStation." Grant criticized the game's camera system, writing, "Camera work is always a sticky item in 3rd person perspective games. In Xena, because of the speed of the melee combat and the 360 degree action, the camera gets to be a real problem." However, Grant wrote that the camera issues were not "overly irritating". Grant noted the "very short and focussed levels", as well as the difficulty of the final boss battle, which was largely due to camera issues.[16]
Jeff Lundrigan of Next Generation gave the PlayStation version four stars out of five and said, "Solidly crafted, with a few nice touches and a thoughtful design, this one comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."[17]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Xena: Warrior Princess Credits (PlayStation)". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Xena: Warrior Princess Credits (Game Boy Color)". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fielder, Joe (October 5, 1999). "Xena: Warrior Princess Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ AllGame. Archived from the originalon November 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c d White, Jason. "Xena: Warrior Princess Overview (PlayStation)". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Austin, Dean (October 5, 1999). "Xena: Warrior Princess". IGN. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c Marriott, Scott Alan. "Xena: Warrior Princess (Game Boy Color)". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Xena: Warrior Princess Game Highlights (Game Boy Color)". IGN. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ a b "Electronic Arts Ships Xena: Warrior Princess for the Playstation; She's Smart, She's Sexy and She's Gaming's Toughest Heroine". Electronic Arts. September 29, 1999. Retrieved March 23, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Game Informer News". Game Informer. 1999-10-12. Archived from the original on 1999-10-12. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (November 20, 1998). "Titus Announces Three Game Licenses". GameSpot. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ a b Harris, Craig (May 18, 2000). "Xena". IGN. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ a b "Xena: Warrior Princess (PlayStation)". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
- ^ a b "Also Playing this Month". Nintendo Power. No. 149. October 2001. p. 127.
- ^ "Xena: Warrior Princess". Computer and Video Games. No. 232. March 2001. p. 107.
- ^ a b Grant, Jules (September 30, 1999). "Xena: Warrior Princess Review". The Electric Playground. Archived from the original on January 28, 2002.
- ^ a b Lundrigan, Jeff (November 1999). "Xena: Warrior Princess (PS)". Next Generation. No. 59. Imagine Media. p. 121. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- Smh.com.au. January 29, 2000. Archived from the originalon December 6, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.