RING II: TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

LONG, LONG AGO...

 

Nibelungen's Ring legend is the most famous story from north European mythology. It has captivated the hearts and minds of millions, and the glory and beauty of this story has finally found its shape in Ring II, the second and last part of the adaptation of the four operas by Richard Wagner. It is a strange, yet beautiful land, matched only by the engrossing nature of the tale itself. It is the ultimate link between the various worlds of gods, Humans, Dwarves and Giants. It is a universe in which the Ring ensures equilibrium and continuity between all inhabitants therein. Even Wotan, master of the gods, is under its power.

THIS IS A TIME OF DESTINY.

When the spring tides rise, the last of the wolves will stare at the pole star to celebrate the memory of their hero, Siegfried; a child born of forbidden love who alone dared challenge the Gods and forever ended their reign. From the darkest forests at the top of the world comes this legend of a lost child who knows no fear. It is the story of a broken sword in need of repair and of a boy's fight with Fafner, the guardian of a ring whose power he will wield.

Discover the Golden Age of Siegfried, as he slays monsters, defies great powers and beguiles Brünehilde the Valkyrie in the Twilight of Gods. This is a time of courage and betrayal, and of passion and revenge.

Like the first opus, Ring II is a magnificent and moving fairy tale - the story of a child becoming and adult in a world ruled by unpredictable and powerful creatures. It is an eternal legend of glory, love and sacrifice that the art of Philippe Druillet, combined with Richard Wagner's music, magnifies and passes on to our digital generation with the beauty and refinement that few adventure games on PC will ever approach.

FEATURES

• Superb graphics and details
• A well-written story line
• Amazing music and sound effects
• Hours and hours of game play
• Full orchestral score by Wagner
• Fully rendered 3D environment
• Mind-bending puzzles and pulse-pounding action combines!

~ from the back of the box

 
We're you confused when you played Ring: The Legend of the Nibelungen? I was. It retold the first two parts of the Richard Wagner's mythological Ring Cycle - The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie - as a disjointed sci-fi space opera which was pure befuddlement. The subtitle for Ring II: Twilight of the Gods refers to the fourth part, but other than the last 15 minutes this equally strange sequel is all about part three; Siegfried.

Not that this matters much. Like its predecessor, its musical inspiration is just a means to plonk puzzles in fancy location so they don't seem as uninspired as they actually are. It keeps the spectacularly rich designs of Philippe Druillet and the sweet CGI rendering suite but the gameplay itself has drastically changed. We've morphed from first-person adventuring to third-person direct movement complete with stilted tank controls. Think Resident Evil but without the zombies and you have an idea.

The keyboard controls will revert to the mouse when zoomed in on puzzles

whether it be pumping air in a furnace (left) or solving a sliding puzzle (right). 

In more ways than one, I quite like this change - more so than the consensus it seems. The original didn't use the format well, being more style over substance, stumping the player through obnoxious design choices than challenging the player with good design. The visuals did all of the heavy lifting. For the sequel, it seems the designers at Arxel Tribe put some effort into the puzzle design. Each one is in keeping with the task at hand, be it forging a sword, mastering alchemy or befriending a bear. Even when the dreaded sliding puzzle crops up, its use doubles not only as a door lock, but to subtly teach runic numerals which come in very handy later.

There are also inventory puzzles too, though the nature of the game's mechanics mean that they can't be too complex. Other than a dagger tucked into his loincloth, Siegfried can only carry one other item at a time. This means that should you come across another item and pick it up, he'll put down what he's holding in its place. Items never carry over between chapters or locations so its not a broken mechanic, but it does limit the game in terms of complexity. You may carry a blade, but the weapon is not used in combat. In fact, even with a sword on your back there is no fighting at all in the game, at least not outside of cutscenes. Any real-time battle act out as puzzles to solve, and they tend to be the easiest and most obvious ones in the entire game. 

Sieglinde's telling us to jump over a chasm. If only we could see it (left).

The amount of time I unnecessarily saw this death screen during my playthrough was ridiculous (right).

Ring 1 had its issues, but this change in direction has introduced some startling new ones. At times, the camera angles used don't portray the scene in a useful way. The camera is often zoomed too far out or cramped in too close to get an idea of your surroundings, particularly during the stealth sections. One screen towards the beginning of the game has a chasm over which you need to jump, but the way the scene is drawn makes it completely undefinable. Thankfully, platforming is rare... but you know what isn't? Death. You will die often whether from falls, enemies or unforeseen traps to the point where you'll see the death screen countless times. At least the game returns you at a decent point so you don't waste too much time, but this is not an autosave. Don't quit the game thinking it as such or you'll lose a lot of progress. Unfortunately, despite the game being completable, the save system is a little buggy. For some reason, you can only load your last save making multiple save files useless - something even patches proclaimed for this purpose couldn't fix. It is a short and easy playthrough so it's not too much of a big deal in my opinion, but it's something to take note of.

As for the story, well I'd say it's a little more coherent this time round. You start of as an enslaved teenage Siegfried under the care of the annoying dwarven Nibelung blacksmith called Mime (thankfully his voiceover is an improvement over the last game). Although he hasn't been told his name yet, we will be following the incestual offspring of twins Siegmund and Sieglinde throughout this adventure as he grows up to defeat the villainous dragon Fafner, confront his godlike grandfather Wotan and save the Valkyrie (who is also his future lover and aunt) Brünnhilde. Phew, that's quite a story. And that doesn't even mention the returning Alberich, king of the Nibelung who has been trapped by a giant or the actual Ring of the title (we actually get to see it this time, albeit briefly)!



By forgoing the three playable characters of the first game, we have a more tightly designed game, though it's still a story bafflingly told. I got my understanding of the story that made up that previous paragraph from Wikipedia. The game itself does have a condensed copy of the story that gets unlocked as you progress, but even here you cannot get a sense of the complex family dynamics of Norse gods and magical creatures. Being one who can forgive a lot in a game if the storytelling grips me, it is by far my biggest issue with either game.

My overall take on Ring II: Twilight of the Gods is more positive than the original. Just about. This is not the consensus according to both critics and players but that all depends on what you look for in a game. I believe these people enjoyed the sheer weirdness of the original which has been reduced somewhat here, not to mention adventure-gaming enthusiasts bemoaning yet another shift away from the point-and-clicks they love. I too would have added to those voices in 2003 when this game came out during a particularly notable slump of the genre (even Broken Sword removed pointing and clicking the very same year). With over 20 years of hindsight, I think I prefer how this sequel came together and a whole, but don't take this praise as anything other than faint. I'm grading on a curve here and much like its predecessor, Ring II is more of a curious oddity than a well put together game.

To download the game, follow the link below. This is a custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses  DxWind and dgVoodoo to run on modern systems. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 911 Mb.  Install Size: 1.01 Gb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Ring II: Twilight of the Gods is © The Arxel Guild
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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