Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Rated: T for Teen
Released: 31 December 1998
Completed: 2 July 2017
When people think of Crystal Dynamics, they probably think of them as the developer entrusted with the Tomb Raider franchise, who succeeded original creators Core Design. Or perhaps they think of the exquisite Legacy of Kain series, which has sadly faded into obscurity, or even Gex, the mascot platformer that graced numerous 32-bit consoles in the 90s. One thing is for sure, they probably don't think of the little-known and lesser-discussed PlayStation 3D platformer Akuji: The Heartless, and that's something of a shame.
Akuji isn't that different from other 3D action-adventure games of the era. The camera is problematic, the 3D jumping puzzles can be obnoxious, and the PlayStation's notorious texture warping is in full force. All those quibbles aside, the game still offers a short and thoroughly enjoyable experience, set in eerie supernatural environments, steeped in voodoo mythology.
As the titular voodoo priest, Akuji, you must avenge your own death at the hands of your brother - who ripped your heart out on your wedding day. Wait, isn't that what your spouse does on your wedding day? *ba-dum, pshhh!* Anyhow, you're doomed to wander the underworld forever until Baron Samedi offers you a chance for redemption - and vengeance - by collecting the souls of your ancestors from the various vestibules of Hell itself.
You'll run, jump, hang, solve puzzles, and combat enemies similar to the early Tomb Raider or Soul Reaver games, but it's really the level design and visual aesthetic that sets Akuji apart from those games. Soul Reaver was certainly no slouch with its gothic atmosphere, but Akuji's levels are more diverse. You'll combat a boss on a giant spider web and make breathtaking jumps across the broken bows of a ship floating in space, in addition to the more standard indoor and outdoor levels, all with a tinge of voodoo creep-factor to them. Like Soul Reaver, there is absolutely no loading time once you're inside the levels. Transitions happen instantly, and even the pre-level loading screens are short.
Akuji's presentation is actually pretty top-notch, even if it hasn't held up well visually. The voice acting is excellent, featuring none other than Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree, as Akuji and an excellent performance from Petri Hawkins-Byrd, best known as the bailiff on TV's Judge Judy, as Baron Samedi. Between levels you're treated to interactions between Akuji and Samedi, and these are always engaging for their well-written dialogue and strong performances, as well as Akuji's own pre-level narration. There's a surprising strength of story for an action-platformer.
The graphics haven't aged as well, with RAMPANT texture warping. I rarely use all-caps in my reviews, but it's necessary here to illustrate the severity. I don't know that I've ever seen it so bad in any other PS1 game, and it's one of the most dubious things the console was known for, so that's saying something. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it's extremely distracting.
As was often the case with PlayStation games, the lighting still looks good. The PS1 was capable of some truly stunning light sourcing, and it's put to excellent use here to sell the supernatural qualities of the environments. Characters and enemies are understandably low quality, but the enemy designs actually hold up pretty well. The low polygon count didn't make Baron Samedi any less chilling.
As you might have guessed from my praise of the voice acting, the audio is quite good. In addition to the strong performances, the music has an appropriately tribal feel with some ambient motifs to enhance the more horrific elements of the visuals. Akuji's overall presentation sits somewhere between African culture and surreal horror, and it makes the game worth exploring.
Obviously this all comes with the caveats mentioned earlier. The camera can be a hindrance. The game supports the DualShock analog controller, but you're still relegated to swiveling the camera with the L1/R1 shoulder buttons or recentering with R2. As you might expect with early 3D games, your depth perception is also going to be thrown off, making some of the game's many platforming sections a nightmare of trial and error. In an effort to combat this, the developers were thoughtful enough to usually put solid ground underneath you, so at worst you'll simply have to try again, but occasionally you'll find yourself falling into the abyss and that can sometimes mean a lengthy trek back to the problem spot. Checkpoints in the game's lengthier later levels are fewer and further between.
Akuji isn't among the PlayStation's best games or anything, but with its paltry asking price these days you have very little to lose giving it a shot. I bought it when it was brand new back in the day, and I enjoyed it then, and even revisiting it now I found a lot to love. If nothing else, it's a solid entry on Crystal Dynamics' already impressive resumé and it deserves more attention than it got.
Akuji: The Heartless was completed on a real PlayStation with no cheats.
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