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Folklore

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GF Rating
6.3

4176 ratings

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GF Rating
4

Weak

an unconvincing children's story

posted by gnomungus (BROOKLYN, NY) Apr 3, 2008

Member since Feb 2008

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

I was pretty excited about Folklore. I'm a fan of console RPGs, I like comics, and the premise sounded interesting enough that I was prepared to like it despite a rather lame reception. Unfortunately, there are enough problems with the game that about half-way through I simply found myself unable to play the game further.

The biggest problem is that the game is that it is miserably translated-or possibly just terribly written in the first place. The characters sound like twelve year-olds, and their bizarre grammar has the tendency to completely destroy the atmosphere of the game. This is a shame because the overall visual effect is a good one, and the character design was well done. Still, the story falls flat because it's almost impossible to sympathize with characters who keep saying strangely stupid things.

This alone might have been surmountable, but the gameplay mechanics, while highly innovative, fall a little flat too. The pokemon-esque soul combat system is neat, but it barely feels like you've made a difference when you "release karma" or upgrade your monsters. On top of that, it often requires forgoing xp in order to do it, which is hardly fun, and the relative brevity of each level means that if you want to fully upgrade your monsters, you have to run back and forth between areas you've already been, interrupting the story's feel, and generally making the game less fun.

Finally the story itself seems a little boring and contrived. Granted I didn't play it all the way through, so it's not quite fair to judge, but all the "VERY MYSTERIOUS" events of the super-#1-mysterious past came off too cheesy to draw me in.

Pros: The game's premise, mechanics, and visual aesthetic are great. The characters are neat, and the ideas behind it are cool but ...

Cons: The characters sound moronic and actions often feel irrational. The gameplay gets repetitive fast, and the story isn't that involving.

Bottom Line: if you're desperate for an RPG play it, otherwise pass.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

not so much

posted by yluhstak (BROOKLYN, NY) Feb 28, 2008

Member since Aug 2007

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

first the good stuff: the game looks ok; some characters you meet are interesting

now the rest:
comic cut scenes are lifeless, dialog is weird and bad as if it was a poor literal translation from another language. The story does not suck you in at all. The combat is repetitive and not challenging. And over all, the game is boring as all h ell.

Unfortunately this has been the only attempt at an RPG for PS3, hopefully there will be better one in the future. For now, save your money and skip this title.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Good, depending on what your looking for.

posted by Emil2015 (NEW YORK, NY) Jan 30, 2008

Member since Jan 2008

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Here is the run down in my oppinion. If you want an interesting story that leaves you guessing untill the end you got it. People have complained that there is almost no world interaction, there isn't, but keep in mind this is an RPG. Lets go look at one of the popular RPGs. The FF series, I have only played up to FFX but from what I remember there really isnt any world interaction. So does that make the game bad? No the story's are usually great. That is the point of an RPG. The gameplay is not FF like, it is an action adventure, like the Kingdom hearts game. If you want a highly interactive world go get the Orange box and play half-life 2, that has ammazing interaction. The world you are in is very pretty and detailed. You have to play the game with both char to complete the entire story. At first i though it was going to be a drag, but they made the different char's side of the story and spells they use different. So instead of being repetitious it was actually refreshing. Also do not judge the game on the first 20min. You need to play for a while to fully see the game, at first it is just simply introducing people, setting up the senario and showing how you got started on your trip. One more thing to add, the CGs are far and few between. When they do pop up they look amazing, but most of the story is done through an interesting comic book style dipiction of still frames and chat bubbles. You will either enjoy it because it is different or you will hate it because you enjoy the actual CGs so much. Do not they this one style difference destroy your entire enjoyment of the game.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

bring the coffee

posted by Tuffcookie (WASHINGTON, DC) Jan 29, 2008

Member since Feb 2006

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Maybe its because i have never been a fan of Action Adventure games but i thought this game was fairly boring and somewhat limited. If you like spending the whole day reading and exploring a seemingly endless world, hey! this game is for you...

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GF Rating
4

Weak

not very fun

posted by Jumpman (COTTAGE GROVE, OR) Dec 5, 2007

Member since Jul 2006

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

WhenI saw this game I thought ot was goin to be awsome but it`s realy boring the first 30 minutes you`re talking & then you walk around for a bit & then you start to talk again for about 15 more minutes & then you start to fight and the fighting sucks you have to beat up the badguy & then tou have to rip their soul or somthing out of them. All I`m saying is don`t your time renting this game.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Nothing Special

posted by kaw214 (SANTA ROSA, CA) Nov 6, 2007

Member since Oct 2007

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

This game wasn't terrible, but it didn't suck me in, and I didn't feel like keeping it around. The comic-book style is cool, but maybe this is more for kids...not really sure.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

If I wanted to read, I would have bought a book

posted by stereo91 (DALLAS, TX) Jan 7, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

Admittedly, I didn't suffer through the entire game so my review is only for the initial hour of gameplay.

First impressions of the game trailer and intro video ruined the game for me. Trailer and intro have fantastic video sequences, but when you are in actual game play it looks like a PS2 game re-released for PS3. The inter-action interludes are cheap stills and un-spoken subtitles. LOTS of reading and little actually said. The characters have a lot of internal dialog that they make you read through and it's boring and doesn't support the plot.

Again, the game could be awesome in the second hour of game play, but I just couldn't bear it until the second hour. BOO!

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GF Rating
4

Weak

Weak is the word

posted by CharlosD (PORTLAND, OR) Jan 2, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

boring and repetitive, and a waste of the sixaxis

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Worst game ever

posted by Dark1Angel (SPRING HILL, FL) Nov 19, 2007

Member since Oct 2007

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

I would love to see a review of this garbage done by the "Angry Video Game Nerd".

I cant believe I found a game that is worse than Fatal Frame. The graphics were fine, but thats ALL it had that was even remotely good. The game play was awful (if and when you actually get to play) in the 3 hours I wasted on this pile of trash (I have better words ... believe me) 90% of the time was spent watching storyline video with a comic book feel, So much so that you even had to read it is the same fashion.

At one point the main character turns into some kind of demon thing, you get all excited because now the butt kicking can begin... uh nope, not even close. He changes right back to his loser self and continues doing NOTHING.

Dont waste you time with this one.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Sent it back after playing for 30 minutes

posted by RevPete (ERIE, CO) Aug 28, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

I got annoyed by the non-stop cut scenes that don't even have audio. You have to skip through dialog with the controller. Then when you finally get to moving around, the controls are clunky, and the cameras are generally fixed POV, pretty disappointing for a next gen game. I have to admit that I didn't give the game much of a chance, and I didn't get into the story far enough for it to be even slightly interesting to me.

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

Worst Game I Have Played on PS3

posted by Wizdom (SANTA CLARITA, CA) Jan 3, 2008

Member since Nov 2007

1 out of 8 gamers (12%) found this review helpful

This game can be summed up in one word... HORRIBLE. I have never played such an annoying and completely pathetic storyline of a game. I played it for the first 30 minutes and kept killing some lame fairy thing over and over without a way to go further. The characters are weak, the dialog is subtitled throughout most of the game and the cut scenes are garbage. I cannot believe Sony even backed this POS. Save you money and do not buy it... thank goodness for Gamefly and renting. Don't even waste your time renting this game.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Not worth it really

posted by Katora (TULSA, OK) May 25, 2013

Member since May 2013

A summary of this game:
Walk with bad camera angles
Have a boring conversation
Walk some more
Read a cutscene
Kill a few things while dealing with bad camera angles
Walk more
Boring conversation
Read a cutscene
Walk
Etc.

It's just boring. Visually, it's very pretty and whimsical, and it seems like maybe there is a good story there, but the gameplay itself is just too boring for me to even care to find out. Just 'meh'.

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

A decently enjoyable game

posted by Average_Joe (BLOOMINGTON, IL) Feb 20, 2013

Member since Feb 2013

I won't go real deep with my review as others have. It's not bad for an early PS3 game. There was effort put into it, as the art design is one of the best features of the game. The use of the six-axis controller is nice, but it does start to get tedious sometimes when you just want to capture the folk (monster) fast.

The story does hold your interest, but it's pretty standard murder/mystery fare. The two-sided viewpoint I think is both the strongest and weakest part of the game. You play as two different characters to get two different viewpoints on the events of the game. It's an interesting idea, but what really hurts it is the fact that to get to the cutscenes and see the alternate viewpoints you have to play as both characters. You have to fight your way through the same areas, fight the same bad guys, get the same powers (with minor deviations) and use the same power combinations to defeat the same bosses. It gets very tedious after a few hours of game play. You must play as both characters just to finish the game.

I'd say it's worth looking out and playing for a few hours. I wouldn't advise buying it though. I just don't think it's worth even the twenty bucks it goes for now.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Great Game

posted by Esperwolf (NEWARK, OH) Aug 9, 2012

Member since Feb 2012

Folklore is an imaginative and amazing. It keeps you guessing who the killer is making you want to know more and more. The Faery's are unique and each have a role to play. The cut-screens are also unusual in the fact they read like a comic. The only bad thing is the fact that when switching between characters the layout of the land does not change. Also when you react the end and the killer is right there but you have to play the other character up to that point as well.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Bad game mechanics ruins beautiful scenery.

posted by dragynfox (YOUNGSTOWN, OH) Jul 9, 2012

Member since Jul 2012

The game itself looks very nice, though a bit outdated, understandable for a older game. The ability to switch back and forth between characters is interesting.

But the game mechanics are awful no matter what way you slice it. The cut scenes, of which there are many, are presented in a format that is jarring and disturbs the flow of the game. There is almost no voice acting, which really takes away from what should be a very atmospheric game. The controls are awkward in many places, or not well-thought out, and the special move that is required to gain experience is especially bothersome. Also the environments, while beautiful to look at, aren't very interesting to play in because there is no interaction. You can't talk to NPCs, read books, anything.

The plot is sort of interesting, but seems lacking in explanation, and if you play the male character, motivation to continue. All in all, I was pretty disappointed.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Really Great Play!

posted by Solbady (FOREST HILLS, NY) Mar 31, 2012

Member since Mar 2012

Folklore is a game where you play as two characters named Ellen and Keats. They are located in the area of Dollen in Ireland there they enter the Netherworld where they find mysterious creatures! The game is by far really, really well made. The story is very clear and to the point and the characters are very well designed for a game created five years ago, the only minor con is the fact that when you are in a very crowded area be aware of sharp FPS (Frames Per Second) Spikes, which won't make the game unplayable but will create quite some lag. All in all, this game is great for anybody that likes games that are very long, seeing as this game can go for 40+ hours. The combat is really well displayed from the variety of attacks, the environmental atmosphere is very well displayed, and the voice acting is superb! This game is great for people that enjoy the JRPG, or RPG franchise, and adventure games alike.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Wast of time

posted by reap999 (PHILADELPHIA, PA) Mar 3, 2012

Member since Mar 2012

this has to be one of the worst games ever

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GF Rating
5

Fair

OK but with many flaws

posted by caperton3030 (DEATSVILLE, AL) Dec 24, 2011

Member since Jul 2011

This game has a cool environment and cool abilities but once you have played about an hour it gets very repetitive and the battle system has some flaws but different enough for a quick rental but could have been better if given some more treatment.

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GF Rating
10

Perfect

Good for gamers who care for the Story

posted by Ngo (DREXEL HILL, PA) Dec 20, 2011

Member since Feb 2011

I'm not gonna lie, you HAVE to like books to like the game
because your going to be doing A LOT of reading, Folklore has a good story full of twists and surprises but most people won't play this for the story (which is lovely)
but rather play just for the art direction which is worth it alone
The art direction is one of the best I've ever seen. each folk is treated beautifully and uniquely and each folk looks like they belong in the realms they inhabit
The Netherealms are in one word Flawless
once you enter you just want the world to go on and on and never end

the only problem is the side quest, they feel EXTREMELY repetitive and useless (unless you want the rare folks) but other then that the game is beautiful and that alone is worth the rent

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GF Rating
5

Fair

controls

posted by aceofemo (BEAUFORT, SC) Nov 21, 2011

Member since Nov 2011

hey i like the way it looked very nice but i quite play for like a week and forgot the controls and now have no idea how to kill or suck the soul out of anyone. its like wow i looked for the controls in the menu but nothing. if you start playing this i would right the controls down lol . and dont stop for the chances of forgeting is high. lol

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Eh not the best

posted by blackgata (SWAMPSCOTT, MA) Nov 7, 2011

Member since Mar 2011

I sent the game back after two days of having it, kind of a kiddish game and i didn't like the movie type scenes...
not worth the rent, but then again that's just my opinon

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Cool concept....gets very boring

posted by RomanK (NORWALK, CT) Oct 22, 2011

Member since Jun 2011

Great visuals, excellent idea. It was fun the first 2 chapters, and than it just became rather boring and frustrating because action was so...well...dull. Boss fights revolved around swapping folks until you found the right one, so you died and came back, died and came back...very linear as well...good potential and I lasted until 3rd chapter simply because of music, concept and visuals....but would not recommend this.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

What was up with the comic book thing

posted by Dale8888 (SAINT PARIS, OH) Aug 18, 2011

Member since Jul 2011

i don't knnow if they didn't have the funds for voices but it would have been better if they had pulled random people off the street and had them read the lines. this game would be slightly cool if i was 12 but hay if you like comic books go for it. The rest of the game was ok but a little to easy for me and not that many choices you could make for yourself it was pretty laid out the way they wanted you to play it.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Let Down

posted by giger4life (CLEBURNE, TX) Aug 11, 2011

Member since Jul 2007

Pros
-unique combat system
-interesting world and foes

Cons
-bad story
-no difficulty option
-redundant linear levels
-save points are too far apart
-boring investigating into a bland story just to get back to the action
-i died a lot

Bottom Line
I just can't help the feeling that this game could have been so much better and I want to like it more, but its faults kept rearing there ugly heads. I would recommend to just go ahead and PASS on this title.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Underated!!

posted by KittyBangOuch (CORALVILLE, IA) Aug 7, 2011

Member since Aug 2011

This game is a gem that is often overlooked. It is a third person rpg. In the beginning you are a young woman in your mother's hometown, who is now deceased. You are trying to find out about her life and why she moved the two of you away when you were a young child. In the midst of your investigation you discover that at night the local tavern is filled with supernatural beings that few people can see. They offer to help you find your mother and the battle in the other world begins.
It doesn't have a card system or anything, but you collect the monsters that you defeat and use them as weapons. It takes a bit of wit for this game because it also has a mystery and puzzle angle to it and you have to solve riddles to figure out what monsters to use against other ones.
Compelling story line, has two characters you must play through to complete the game and each one has a different story. Also has many other interesting side characters to meet.
Upping the replay value is the fact that new dlc and missions are released for free on Playstation Network. Definitely a game you must play.

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