Sudeki

Sudeki
Developer(s)	Climax Group
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios (Xbox) Zoo Digital Publishing (PC)
Designer(s)	Tuomas Pirinen
Composer(s)	Tom Colvin
Platform(s)	Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	Xbox NA 20 July 2004 EU 24 August 2004 JP 14 July 2005 Microsoft Windows NA 25 March 2005 EU 25 March 2005 WW 24 February 2014 (Steam) 24 April 2014 (GOG)
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	DVD, download

Sudeki is an action role-playing video game developed by Climax Group and was first released as an Xbox exclusive before later being ported to Microsoft Windows.

Gameplay

The game is mostly played in real time, controlling one character at a time; when the party has multiple characters, the player can switch between them and unleash powerful abilities unique to each character (known as Skill Strikes and Spirit Strikes). The combat system is relatively complex for an action RPG, as it utilises various button combos based on timed button presses, similar to some fighting games. Out of the four characters, half are melee and the other half are ranged; this results in some combat to be played as a first-person shooter.

Outside of combat, the game plays as a normal RPG, but in hostile environments without NPCs, the characters often have to use their unique external-combat abilities to solve puzzles to progress, be it block puzzles with Tal, dispelling with Ailish, climbing challenges with Buki or flight with Elco. A myriad of side quests are available if spoken to the right people, often done by collecting items for said persons. A wide range of items can be collected, those not for medicinal purposes are often collected to sell or complete quests. A portal system is used as transport between areas later in the game.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (Xbox) 73.36%[1] (PC) 68.25%[2] Metacritic (Xbox) 72/100[3] Review scores Publication Score Edge 6/10[4] Electronic Gaming Monthly 5.33/10[5] Eurogamer 5/10[6] Game Informer 7.75/10[7] GamePro [8] Game Revolution C+[9] GameSpot 6.5/10[10] GameSpy [11] GameZone 7.7/10[12] IGN 7.8/10[13] Official Xbox Magazine 6.5/10[14] PC Gamer (UK) 75%[15] The Sydney Morning Herald [16] The Times [17]

Sudeki was met with average reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 73.36% and 72 out of 100 for the Xbox version,^[1][3] and 68.25% for the PC version.^[2]

In a review for The Washington Post, Tom Ham praised the enormousness of the game, the aesthetically-pleasing graphics and the combat system, but also noted that it was too short at only twenty hours of gameplay, and lacked replay value with no online play or unlockable features. The review concluded that it was worth renting but not buying.^[18] David Leonard's review for PopMatters expressed considerable concern about the Orientalist packaging of the Asian setting of the game as well as the currents of "female hypersexuality", "racism, sexism and simulations of the war on terror". Despite these more ideological concerns, Leonard praised the "wonderful graphics and playability".^[19]

John Walsh of Maxim gave the game a perfect ten, stating, "Action fans might balk at what sounds like a standard role-playing game opening, but Sudeki soon bursts into the most intense, bone-crunching combat you'll find on any platform."^[20] The Times gave it a score of four stars out of five and called it "a competent debut, but, despite the oriental touches, it isn't in the epic "Final Fantasy" league."^[17] However, Jason Hill of The Sydney Morning Herald gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "Despite the game's terrific combat, Sudeki is sadly let down by a plodding story, clumsy dialogue and forgettable characters."^[16]

References

External links

• Sudeki at MobyGames