The Cursed Crusade

Game Info

Developed for the bargain bin and set up to fail, The Cursed Crusade is a third-person hack and slash style adventure game – think Lord of the Rings, but with less gnomes.  Atlus has taken to churning out some really awful games, but even at its day one price of $40, The Cursed Crusade is actually quite good.  A thorough, (relatively) accurate historical story coupled with visceral combat outweigh this hidden gem’s flaws.  Nobody’s perfect, right?

The two main characters, Denz and Esteban, are Cursed – the embodiment of Death is after them and will steal their souls.  This is not a “might” or a “tap X to save soul” thing, either. Death is going to win. You’ll run into others who are Cursed as well; usually main bosses and plotline evildoers – and set against the backdrop of the religiously and politically complex Fourth Crusade, there’s a lot going on here. The multitude of cutscenes, though poorly animated, explain in detail just what is going on. If you’ve got a few spare hours, watch each and every one for a history lesson and a bit of creative license. But to say that the story is too complex is glossing over the fact that the game is taking place in a complicated period in history, and does a fair job of fleshing it out in a more personal way for a templar and his Spaniard buddy. Sure, sometimes during these cutscenes someone will vanish, or be in the wrong spot – arms frequently clip through weapons and mouths move out of synch with words. Pobody’s nerfect, right?

The gameplay, while not the most original, is perfectly serviceable at the beginning of the game, and improves as more weapons and move combos are unlocked. As the difficulty climbs later in the game, longer combos are essential in dealing greater damage to heavily-armored foes, and completion of these combos results in satisfying kill animations. Combat is slow, methodical, and weighty. When weapons connect, they feel like they’re connecting. Opponents flinch when hit. If you’re in the correct spot next to a fire brazier, hit X and you’ll smash your enemy’s face into it. Kick them down a well! Hit them with a barrel or stool! Sure, sometimes during an animation, your sword will stab through the space next to an opponent’s head, while MSPaint spraypaint tool blood gushes out of thin air. And other times the prompt to hit X and jam some Croat’s face into a pit of fire won’t pop up. Porbady’s narfelt, right?

The game sounds well enough, though.  Denz, Esteban, and all the opponents speak in their appropriate accents, and weapons connect with satisfying noises.  Maces ring out with a hearty thunk on armored opponents, and kicking someone down a well sometimes results in a hilarious Wilhelm Scream.  Music in Cursed Crusade is subtle and period-appropriate, with lots of chanting.  And on the PS3 version, the voicechat is flawless – something some full-priced games still aren’t getting right.

The graphics are… ehh… the thing is, most of the time, everything works just fine, it’s just pretty ugly.  There are clips and some mis-steps, but nothing is particularly blocky or awful. Upgrading armor adds bits and bobs to your characters, which can be lost due to damage. The cursed world looks sufficiently hellish, and the cutscenes when in The Curse are actually pretty impressive. Denz and Esteban have horns, but the other cursed opponents steal the spotlight. Boniface di Montferrot, for example, gains a daemonic visage straight out of Liber Ivonis, with other characters not far behind. Pig demons with twisted grimaces wield burning axes that pulse with hell-forged energy. The world, when cursed, looks horribly burned and apocalyptic – but therein lies the biggest graphical issue. It’s all red, black, and blue flames twitching and licking. Everything gets muddled together. Collectable icons get lost in the background – which actually wouldn’t be that big a deal, since they’re supposed to make a noise when you get near them, but they don’t… Pinkbody’s
ninkfart, right?

I see what the developers were aiming at here, but I wish it was better.  More graphical polish would’ve gone a long way.  But in every other aspect, The Cursed Crusade is actually quite good.  Dig through your local bargain bin for this one, grab a friend, and hack away.