Pandora's Wrath

Published January 9, 2009

For world-renowned art thief Charles Deckard, the contract to secure Pandora's Box should have amounted to little more than a challenging museum burglary and a massive payday. His obstacles should have included pedestrian museum security measures, guards, and local police. After all, this is the real world, and hocus-pocus curses stuffed in supernatural boxes is the stuff of legend, not reality.

The scale of Legendary is enormous.

Alas for Deckard, his lack of faith in the unknown comes to a devastating head when Pandora's Box is opened, letting loose a veritable cornucopia of mythological beasts eager to let free their long dormant power and limitless rage on an unprepared world. This is Gamecock Media Group's Legendary™ for Xbox 360®, posing the question of what would happen if the creatures of mythology were unleashed in our world.

Immense Scope
When pandemonium breaks out in the museum after Pandora's Box is opened, it's an impressive sight. Griffons sweep down on the unsuspecting public, plucking them where they stand, ravaging them from on high, and spreading destruction wherever they fly.

Pandora's Box is waiting. Do you dare open it?

Where Legendary really spreads its wings is after leaving the confines of the museum for New York's city streets. It's here you'll witness the raw power of these supernatural creatures. The very streets themselves burst at the seams, buildings rupture under the strain of supernatural might, and cars are flung about like playthings. Legendary brings to life the kind of massive wholesale devastation rarely seen on such a close-up scale in gaming.

Tactical Mythology
Unlike many shooters where enemies are found in dense packs around every corner, the combat encounters in Legendary typically involve fewer enemies, greater tension, and more tactics. For example, even the relatively straightforward firedrakes must be studied if they're to be defeated handily.

Griffons aren't to be trusted.

You need to know that they suffer greater damage when glowing, that they explode in a dangerous hail of molten rock when killed, and that their spawning ground can be neutralized with water from a burst pipe, fire hydrant, or similar water source.

Likewise, while you can eliminate werewolves at the cost of massive amounts of ammunition, a few stout whacks with a fire axe is much more effective. If you don't decapitate the werewolf after subduing them, they'll regenerate their health and rise again to do you mischief.

Whether it's the noble but savage griffons, a towering golem, firedrakes, or werewolves, you can be sure every creature you face will have their own trademark strengths and weaknesses. Luckily, our hero Deckard keeps notes on each creature he faces, which you can peruse at your leisure to better understand your adversaries.

Deckard's Animus
Traditional weapons like pistols, submachine guns, and grenades all find their purpose in Legendary, but Deckard also wields supernatural powers in the form of the Animus thanks to the part he played in unwittingly opening Pandora's Box.

The Animus takes the form of a magical glyph tattooed on the back of Deckard's hand and it allows him to siphon off and wield the magical energy left behind by defeated creatures. Indeed, Deckard can turn the energy inward on himself to heal his wounds or unleash it outward to stun and damage enemies. What other powers the Animus wields and what role it plays in the game's story unfold naturally as you progress through each chapter.

Decapitation is in order.

Path Puzzles
In addition to the many battles, you'll find periodic breaks from the frantic combat in the form of environmental puzzles. Here, you must assess your surroundings to determine how to proceed to the next area.

While these sections present their own subtle challenges, they aren't needlessly convoluted. Rather, they offer just enough thought to pique your interest and let you catch your breath before the next big fight.

For example, after your first major werewolf encounter, you'll need to lower a weighted pallet full of boxes down to ground level so you can climb up and over them to reach a ladder. Only trouble is there's no switch or pulley available to set the platform moving. However, if you look closely you'll see the pallet in question is connected to another on the opposite side filled with water barrels. Shoot the barrels to lighten the load of the counterbalance and you'll send your desired pallet to ground level.

Legendary brings to life the mythological creatures we've grown up with, and unleashes them on the modern world in a way not yet seen in gaming. It does so on an enormous scale brought to life with gameplay that stands out against standard twitch-shooters.

Pandora's Box is waiting. Do you dare open it?

Article by Ryan Treit