Rune: Halls of Valhalla: Information from Answers.com

Platform: IBM PC Compatible
Release Date: May 10, 2001
Genre: Action
Style: Third-Person 3D Action
Similar Games: Unreal Tournament (IBM PC Compatible), Heretic II (IBM PC Compatible), Quake III Arena (IBM PC Compatible), Rune (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Rune: Halls of Valhalla is a release that focuses on enhancing the multiplayer aspects of the successful third-person 3D action game Rune from Human Head Studios. While the title can serve as an expansion pack for the original game, Rune: Halls of Valhalla can also run as a stand-alone game for online multiplayer battles. The release includes new maps and skins for multiplayer contests and adds two new modes of competition, Arena and HeadBall.

Arena puts the player in a viciously competitive playing field, full of monsters and other warriors, in which the victor is the one fighter left standing when the battle is over. There are also options for two- and three-player teams in Arena. HeadBall makes gory use of the game's localized character damage capabilities, as the object is to score points by lofting an enemy's severed head through a goal. HeadBall can also be set up such that other severed body parts can be used to score points as well.

~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

In the tradition of Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, Rune: Halls of Valhalla is designed as a multiplayer experience. The game contains character models and weapons found in the original Rune along with new deathmatch maps and characters.

~ Matthew House, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Multiplayer games, especially those with complex graphics, demand a high-speed connection to run effectively online. Rune: Halls of Valhalla is a strictly online multiplayer title with beautifully detailed graphics and an insatiable appetite for bandwidth. This product should come with a big orange warning sticker screaming out to the buyer: "do not buy this game if you are using a 56K or slower modem." While the game is polished and fun, it is not accessible to everyone.

The game installs over existing copies of Rune or as a standalone program. The original cast of Rune is joined by about another dozen characters and put in the arenas of Valhalla, the final destination for deceased Viking warriors who battle and feast every day, with their wounds healing by morning. The legend is heaven for a battle hungry society, just as the continuous in-your-face melee battles are heaven for Internet and LAN warriors.

The levels are mostly standard deathmatch fare with seven of the 30+ maps designed by fans of Rune. You can download more maps by runners-up and honorable mentions through links at the Rune: Halls of Valhalla official downloads game site at www.runegame.com/downloads.php. The entire collection is playable and easy to navigate.

The arenas are stocked with several weapons and runes, the meat of the game. Due to melee nature of combat (although weapons are sometimes, albeit rarely, thrown), the weapons list is filled with a wide assortment of swords, hammers, maces, and the like. Each item can be imbued with the power of runes, stones with archaic magical markings on them, for unique effects, particularly the rune that lights up swords like light sabers. Other runes give health and bloodlust or the ability to take additional damage without harm. Finally, shields have been enhanced to provide more depth than a simple hack, slash, and slay strategy, although matches often end up as bloody slice-fests with no finesse.

Even though deathmatch games are action packed, they often lose players from the repetitious gameplay. To allay boredom, Human Head Studios added several features such as localized damage effects, four styles of gameplay including Headball, a gruesome basketball version using severed heads, and more levels and skins available on the Internet. Unfortunately, players cannot spawn bots to battle for offline practice and must seek out live challengers for hand-to-hand action. In the end, however, it is still the same old game in a new outfit.

The game utilizes the Unreal engine and is a pleasure to behold. You can roam levels while not online to simply explore and experience the excellent lighting and water effects without the threat of decapitation. This beauty, however, comes at a price -- hefty system requirements and a ninja fast Internet connection. Even with most of the graphics turned down and all other unnecessary background programs turned off, those with faster machines and connections will run past and circle behind you for the kill. By the time you receive the message that you're dead, along with the inevitable taunt that follows, the culprit will have long since moved on to other targets.

Overall, Rune: Halls of Valhalla is a solid title and those with the appropriate means will find it challenging until the bloodlust has worn off and repetition sets in, which, for some, will take quite a while. For the rest of the population hemmed in by slow ISPs, the game will be little more than a source of frustration. When affordable high bandwidth becomes the norm, the game will be a fine addition to any gaming library. Until then, satisfy your Viking urges with the original Rune.