Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan

This first game out of Cameroon is a stylish role-playing introduction to African mythology. It's different from the get-go, featuring not one but two heroes -- an African prince and his beautiful new bride -- and wraps the usual "save the world" goal around deeper themes involving cultural heritage and self-discovery. Role-playing fans will find the RPG elements familiar. Enzo and Erine gain experience by fighting, which (along with weapons and armor) makes them more powerful. Useful things such as food and salable treasures are found by exploring, and a good amount of time is spent doing business with merchants. What's less familiar are Enzo's "Aurionic" powers. These elemental skills, based on things such as fire, water, darkness, and light, let Enzo blast enemies with over-the-top attacks and, by association, give Erine useful support abilities. The two are a wonderfully integrated duo whose cooperation in combat reflects the strength of their marital bond.

Aside from some very frustrating vertical jumping sequences, controls are great (so long as you use a console controller -- keyboard controls are horrendous) and the artwork is truly something special. Adding to the visual feast is the music, which embraces rhythmic African themes. The music's so good in fact, it only emphasizes the utter lack of voice acting and makes the poor and incomplete English text translation all the more painful. Still, since the fighting and exploring is more fun than talking and reading, you're in for an extraordinary adventure with Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan.