Anguna 2008 By: Bite the Chili

Overview:

Anguna is an adventure game done in much the same style as the Legend of Zelda. It boasts all the adventure nuts and bolts including exploration, nifty items, power ups, secret passages and a some great evil that needs over coming. The game consists of a good sized overland map and four complete dungeons.

At the beginning of the game the hero is trapped within "Prison Dungeon" and has to fight his way out. Within a few rooms of the starting point players can find the first of many many secret passages spread throughout the game. (Finding it can even save you a key that you can use later in the game.) The first dungeon also contains the first secondary item.

Just as in the Legend of Zelda these secondary items give the character additional options. Players can find and use the Bow, the Lanter, the Life Potion, the Winged Boots, the Damage Ring and even Dynamite. As one can imagine the Bow is used to shoot arrows at enemies. The Lantern is a light in dark places. The Life Potion completely fills the hero's health bar (and you can carry up to three). The Winged Boots allow you to fly over holes and water. The Damage Ring adds a great deal to your attack. Dynamite can be used to remove obstacles and deal massive damage to enemies.

There are also number of consumable items such as food, gold, arrows and additional sticks of dynamite. Again, very obviously, food restores lost health. Gold is used to buy things. Arrows are used with the bow to shoot enemies. Additional sticks of dynamite are, in fact, additional sticks of dynamite...

In addition there are items that increase your maximum health, attack power and defensive power. All this is pretty standard for adventure games. However, the shear quantity of hidden items in the game is remarkable. In fact, at the end of the game you are given a score based on what percentage of the hidden items you managed to find. The more you exert your energy looking around the more you'll be prepared for the final battle.

The are a large number of enemies with different AI strategies. After you defeat an enemy it's stats are recorded in your "Enemy List" so you can see what it's exact stats are including it's hit points and attack damage. The combination of enemies give the game challenge without making it frustrating or monotonous. All the Boss fights are very different and each gives way to a different strategy.

The auto-map feature makes exploring more enjoyable as you are less likely to get lost. It's also easy to keep track of where you have been and where you need to go. There is an auto-map both for the dungeons and the overland map.

All in all Anguna is a stunning home brew title. If you haven't played it yet give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Directions:

Your primary weapon is your sword and it's always with you. Pushing Start will bring up the menu where you can scroll through your inventory, enemy list and map with the L and R buttons. You use the inventory screen to select the secondary item you want to use.

That's pretty much it for the directions, so here is a little helpful advice:

Explore! Anguna isn't a large world, but it is filled with secret doors, hidden rooms and hard to find items. You might find a gold coin or a permanent health increase under every old jar. Literally look under every bush, you never know what you'll find.

Use your Bow! Arrows are easy to find in Anguna. For some reason monsters seem to love to carry them. (I guess they want to keep them safely out of the hands of the hero...) You will quickly hit the quiver limit (which is 255) after which there will be no reason to pick up more arrows. Don't horde them, they are cheap, use them whenever you can.

Save your money! Be sure you've found the item you want before you buy anything. There are several merchants around. Some sell better items than others. You don't want to blow you whole stash on the first guy you run into with a “for sale” sign hanging up...

Dynamite, it's not just for rocks anymore! When you run into an enemy that is giving you a hard time try giving him a taste of dynamite. It may be just what you need to get him out of your face.

Back track! Sometimes you won't be able to completely explore an area when you first arrive. Be sure to revisit places after you've collected a few more items. Who knows what you'll find!

Don't bite off more than you chew! If it looks like the monsters in an area are too tough go somewhere else. Anguna doesn't tell you where to go, you can go where ever you want. That includes places that are going to get you killed. Try to stay where you feel relatively safe. Once your power increases you'll be able to make headway in places where you couldn't before.