Despite the limitless nature of imagination, many RPGs are based on a cliché high fantasy setting, usually based on medieval Europe. Of those that aren't, most still find their inspiration in an equally familiar science fiction environment. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader, released back in 2003 by Interplay, is one of the few titles that try something different - it is based on an alternate history version of Renaissance Europe.

During the Third Crusade, Richard Lionheart unwittingly tore the fabric of the universe by his executions of prisoners after the Siege of Acre, which released magic and demonic creatures upon the unsuspecting populace. The story picks up four centuries later, with the player taking the role of one of Richard's many (bastard) descendants. He is thus thrust into a world where the Spanish Inquisition fights magic users, the Mongols are actually goblins invaders and Shakespeare is a down on his luck writer, who lost his muse (actually a fairy).

The game starts in a slave pit outside Barcelona, from which the player escapes with the aid of his spirit and the timely arrival of Leonardo da Vinci. Barcelona itself is amidst war preparations, as the Armada prepares to sail against the heathen, magic-using English. Many famous historical figures populate Barcelona, including Faust, Galileo, Guy Fawkes, Cortes and others, while da Vinci and Nostradamus play a more significant part in the storyline. Magic has left its scar on the world, and citizens of Barcelona will look down on the player's character if he displays traits of the Taint. Regardless, the player must join a faction - the Knight Templar, who guard sacred relics, the narrow-minded Inquisition, and the Wielders, a banned, prosecuted sect of magic users, are the available options.

Played from an isometric perspective, gameplay is perhaps most reminiscent of Diablo. Yes, unfortunately, Lionheart is at its core a hack and slash game. While Barcelona is filled with interesting quests, and important choices are ruthlessly thrown on you (something lacking in many RPGs), most other areas have nothing but enemies. The wilderness around Barcelona maintains some semblance of design, but as soon as you pass the first town in France, it's predominately monsters. Of course, there's more depth than Diablo in some aspects - searching for hidden doors and caches is an important element of the game, as well as unlocking of various treasure chests, but Diablo wins with the sheer number of combat skills offered. Unfortunately, that is a key element of the hack and slash experience, and Lionheart just can't compete.

Character development is based on the SPECIAL system, complete with the Skilled/Gifted trait combination we all loved in Fallout. There's a choice of race (pureblood, or one of the three tainted types of humans) plus a mandatory racial trait, but skill tagging and rising costs as you invest points remain. Skills are divided into five categories: one combat, three magic and a thieving category (involving lock picking, sneaking, speaking and finding hidden objects). The magic skills are further divided into four branches, each of which offers five spells. Perks offer a wide range of bonuses, though you will probably run out of meaningful choices by the end of the game.

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Unfortunately, the numerous skills options are mostly just wasted - all the fighting required immediately precludes a focus on thievery (though sneaking does give experience, up to 75% of the worth of a kill), and playing a mage character is almost impossible. Namely, while there are some hard battles requiring a maximally optimized character build, mages must also wait for their mana to regenerate, and the tedium involved will dissuade all but the most determined. Slain enemies leave behind health and mana spirits, which does help with the pacing, but mages will run out too fast regardless. In the end, a character focused on melee, with enough knowledge in magic to heal himself, is the only realistic option.

{loadposition content_adsense250} Collecting loot, a mainstay of most hack and slash titles, could have been better implemented in Lionheart. Since there isn't a huge number of available equipment, nor a plethora of magic modifiers (a la Diablo), you will probably get all you need fairly soon. The rest of the game will be characterized by minor advances ("My goodness, a +18 lock picking bonus instead of a +16 one!") and hauling loot back to (the few) vendors. You might want to hang on to some resistance-boosting items though, as there's a whole nine damage types - the other way of dealing with damage is through appropriate perks. It is possible for enemy attacks to actually heal you (once resistance rises over 100), and you can also increase the damage you do with a given attack type (which is the only possible way to play a mage - focusing on fire boosting perks and items can more than double your fire damage output).

Graphics are again most easily described as similar to Diablo, if maybe crisper in general. The fixed resolution will limit your view range (making ranged characters is a bad idea), but sprites age much better than any 3D engine, so you will likely have no problems adjusting. Most named characters have superb voice acting, though sound effects in general are lacking - the fighting grunts and sword clashes are tiring, while the music is missing through most of the game (though it is also excellent).

Lionheart is a flawed game, for the most part. It is unsure of its focus, and because of that it fails both as a hack and slash title, and a more traditional RPG. However, the unique setting and compelling design of Barcelona make at least the first several hours worthy of play.