Alundra

This article is about the video game. For the wrestler known as Alundra Blayze, see Debrah Miceli.

Alundra
Developer(s)Matrix Software[a]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Yasuhiro Ohori
Producer(s)Takahiro Kaneko
Hideaki Kikukawa
Akira Sato
Designer(s)Yasunaga Oyama
Writer(s)Ichiro Tezuka
Composer(s)Kōhei Tanaka
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Alundra (アランドラ, Arandora), released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action-adventure video game developed by Matrix Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was originally released in 1997 in Japan, January 1998 in North America by Working Designs and June 1998 in PAL territories by Sony-owned Psygnosis.[2]

The game's protagonist is a young man named Alundra, who learns that he has the power to enter people's dreams. He is shipwrecked on an island, near the village of Inoa, where locals have been suffering from recurring nightmares that sometimes cause death. With his dream walking ability, Alundra proceeds to try to help the locals. The narrative becomes gradually darker and more twisted as the game progresses, dealing with mature themes such as death, clinical depression,[6] fate, religion, and the essence of human existence.[7]

The gameplay involves extensive exploration of the island and various dungeons, with an emphasis on challenging puzzle solving, real-time action combat, and platforming,[8] as well as interaction with non-player characters in the village of Inoa. The main gameplay innovation is a dream walking mechanic, where Alundra can enter people's dreams, with each of the dream levels having its own unique twist based upon the dreamer's personality and traits.[6]

Upon release, Alundra earned critical acclaim as well as some initial commercial success. It was praised for its well-written story and characterization, smooth game mechanics and platforming, challenging gameplay and puzzles,[8] and expansive overworld exploration. A sequel, Alundra 2, which has very little in common with the original, was released in 1999.

  1. ^ "Working Designs Home Page". 13 October 1999. Archived from the original on 13 October 1999. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b "アランドラ [PS] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CVG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Alundra Release Information for PlayStation". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  5. ^ "JAPANスタジオ作品一覧 1998年～1994年" [List of Japan Studio works 1998–1994] (in Japanese). Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b George Reith (17 June 2010). "Awesome Games That Time Forgot: Alundra". Gaming Bolt. Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Platform Nation's Alundra Review". Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference destructoid was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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