Genji: Days Of The Blade was a game so despicable and tedious that we’re still having nightmares about it now. It remains just about the worst thing you can do with your PlayStation 3, aside from picking the console up and hurling it into the face of an elderly woman. And it’s rumoured that every time somebody plays Genji that a fairy will die, which might explain why Game Republic, the team responsible for Days Of The Blade, has created the fantasy adventure that is Folklore.

Folklore, although far from a perfect game, is a big improvement on Genji. Set in an enchanted Irish village that acts as a portal between equally magical realms, it is a title with plenty of charm – an attribute that was sorely lacking from Game Republic’s last venture. This means that while Genji suffered from a dull and predictable scrap through feudal Japan, many aspects of Folklore, from the multifarious cast to the fairy-tale locales, ooze with appeal, surprise and personality. Admittedly, this is more a result of beautiful presentation than excellent plot or dialogue, but nevertheless it’s hard not to be sucked into Folklore’s world.

This world is divided into two distinct segments. On the one hand, there’s Doolin (the Irish village at the centre of Folklore’s yarn), which dishes out the bulk of the tasks and story, and on the other there’s the Netherworld, which is where the combat takes place. Naturally, it’s the Netherworld that offers the biggest visual thrills; there are vibrant, dense forests, caves bathed in all manner of light tricks and shadows, fields of swaying flora and gorgeously sculpted seascapes. And these scenes are made even more attractive when you see all of the wildlife and NPCs wandering around them.

Certainly, the creature design is absolutely stunning. There are kooky scarecrows, invisible men dressed in theatre garb and Commedia half masks, giant wooden elephants and plenty of other living things that would simply take too long to describe.

Even the two playable characters, Ellen and Keats, behave convincingly, with the former approaching most situations delicately, while the latter tends to be abrupt and snappy every time he’s unimpressed. And even the tiniest of details, such as the way the characters move across uneven or jagged ground, have been animated perfectly. It’s almost enough to convince you that Folklore is truly next gen.

Unfortunately, for all of its bells and whistles, it appears that Folklore’s graphical splendour comes at a price; the levels really couldn’t be any less interactive. In some titles this might be forgivable, but considering that a huge amount of Folklore’s gameplay relies on good old-fashioned adventuring, it’s a really disappointing fact. Even in areas that appear numerous times, there are no items that can be triggered or collected, unless you count NPCs of course, who often appear purely for their aesthetic value. It’s a bit like spending time in a strip club; you can look, but you can’t touch. In fact, there are even times when your character will be halted by an invisible wall or turn themselves around because they ‘want to go somewhere else’. Naturally, this makes for quite a linear affair.

Indeed, anyone hoping for a complex free-roaming experience will be greatly dissatisfied, as Folklore almost always holds players tightly by the hand. Generally, gameplay is a simple case of obtaining an artefact, heading to the Netherworld, fighting your way through a new location and repeating until the end of the story. This wouldn’t be so problematic if there was at least a little bit of true exploration to be had, but even when players are allowed to head off in a variety of different directions, it’s usually mind-numbingly obvious what it is that you’re supposed to do. The main reason for this is that Folklore’s entire story is told through cut-scenes, many of which are triggered the instant you walk into a location, and any key information is highlighted in pink or green subtitles. Furthermore, if that wasn’t clear enough, when you eventually start skipping past these lengthy chats, Ellen and Keats will often tell you exactly where they think they should go. And finally, don’t be fooled into thinking that playing through the tale with a different character will make a great deal of difference; it’s pretty much a case of more of the same.

However, Folklore gets away with nearly all of this because it remains quite a fun game to play, which, as we all know, is the one quality that can redeem any release. Okay, so it’s fairly simple and the combat is quite repetitive (see It’s A Monster Mash boxout), but there’s no denying that it provides a unique and addictive experience. That said, Folklore would probably fare less well were it not for the fact that there is a distinct lack of similar titles (and, in particular, killer titles) on the PS3. For now, though, it’s not only worth a try, but also strong evidence that not everything Game Republic develop will be as pitiful as Genji.

Adam Harrold