The original Sabre Wulf was made for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 back in 1984. It spawned 3 sequels called Knight Lore, Nightshade and Underwurlde (plus 2 further sequels that never got released called Pentagram and Mire Mare). Now arrives the 4th sequel, once again called Sabre Wulf.
Sabre Man (our hero of the franchise) is now quite old but still has that spirited Indiana Jones/David Attenborough fondness for adventure about him. In this game he is camping in the forest outside of Blackwyche Village when the evil Doctor Dolittle-Goode sets the imprisoned Sabre Wulf free to wreck havoc up on the innocent citizens. Our hero jumps to the rescue. This is where we take over.
The gameplay of Sabre Wulf is a mix of RPG elements and platforming action. As Sabre Man you wander all over a relatively large map covering locations such as Mount Knightlore, the Underwurlde Mines, Blackwyche village and docks and Karnath Jungle. In each of these areas are entrances into the 2D platform levels in which you must rescue treasure, useful objects or people from the Sabre Wulf using good animals to cancel out bad animals. For example the 'boomer' is a small dragon that can blow up almost anything, the 'blubba' is a fat bear you can bounce on to reach higher levels and the Bigfoot will give a nasty rock a kick to smash it. Obviously there are many more creatures to help you.
Each level offers a learning curve. You must attempt the harder ones a good few times, memorising the dangers within, in order to complete them. It sounds repetitive but the gameplay is easy to pick up and totally addictive.
The graphics look gorgeous, the sound effects just as good and even the music can be quite atmospheric and impressive when it's not busy being cute. There are some side missions to give the game a longer life when you're done with the Sabre Wulf too.
Definitely a game that shows off what the GBA is capable of and one to look out for.
Graphics A Sound A Gameplay A Lasting Appeal B
