Koudelka Reviews

Koudelka is a fantastic, original horror game. It is nothing like Resident Evil. Not even close. If anything, it's maybe a little like Galerians.

Combat is delivered in RPG format: turn-based, simple, and random. Where this game shines is in its plot, and the voice acting in Koudelka is as excellent as Metal Gear: Solid or any other game with high production value. The game really does have an amazing script. The graphics are also quite good for the PSone.

While I typically do not enjoy RPG turn-based combat (because I typically do not enjoy RPGs at all), I found it tolerable because so much of the rest of the game is just excellent.

The game follows a gruff and beautiful gypsie girl, a soul-searching adventurer and a haunted Vatican bishop. They meet fatefully in an English manor, each after a different thing. Koudelka is called to the mansion by spirits. Edward is in search of treasure, and James is returning to his past. The three learn more about each other as the story unravels. The endings are amazing.

I would say that Koudelka is a near perfect horror game. The main character, the girl, is completely shrouded in angst and loneliness. The bishop is full of regret, and the young man is indecisive and arrogant. The characters are really believable.

Sadly, this game gets a lot of negative feedback. For the life of me, I do not know why that is. Tastes vary, for sure, but the quality of this game is high in several aspects. It is better than Resident Evil in virtually every way.

I bought this game with the intention of playing it once I had finished with Final Fantasy VIII but I never did. It seemed like a waste of an idea. I don't think anything could have been done to save it.

It just sits on my shelf, untouched and I have no drive to ever bother with it. It reminds me of a dream I once had, a dream I never want to relive.

It's a cross between a console-RPG and Resident Evil, when both are perfectly fine how they are: separate!