Sabre Wulf

Calm your fears, GBA adventure seekers and Ultimate enthusiasts: Sabreman is back after almost two decades in the wilderness. Released by THQ in 2004, this Sabre Wulf for a new generation sees the return of one of gaming’s veteran heroes in a legendary quest which blends together action, puzzles, exploration and some good old-fashioned quality platforming.

It’s been a long time since Sabreman’s last big adventure, and to be honest he’s beginning to suspect he’s past his prime. He gave up wielding his namesake sabre years ago in favour of taming and raising wild animals. However, none of this puts off the Mayor of Blackwyche Village, who is determined that only Sabreman has what it takes to save the land from a rising menace – and he may well be right, for this menace is none other than his ancient arch-enemy, the Sabrewulf itself.

In thrall to the mysterious master who released it from imprisonment, the ‘Wulf is waging a campaign of terror and theft across the land. Armed only with an affinity for the creatures that he finds along the way, Sabreman must follow in his adversary’s wake and put things right, reclaiming the stolen treasure as he hunts the ‘Wulf to a final showdown.

Thankfully the creatures native to the land are often highly specialised, offering everything from stickiness to glue an enemy to the spot to a trampoline-like stomach providing access to those higher ledges. It’s by careful use of his personal menagerie that Sabreman will be able to navigate the 2D platform levels that comprise the ‘Wulf’s various lairs. Only when he reaches the end can he take back the stolen treasure or crucial item from the sleeping ‘Wulf, followed by a bracing sprint back to the safety of his tent as his enemy proves less sleepy than he’d hoped!

Back in the overworld outside these lairs, the action comes in the form of free-roaming 3D exploration, complete with a host of quirky characters to meet, tasks to perform and vastly different surroundings for each of the eight main areas. A rich and varied quest awaits Sabreman as he makes his way across the land, from the disrupted tranquillity of Blackwyche Village to the cloying heat of Karnath Jungle, the archaic mystery of the Temple of Imhotep and beyond.

On the whole, this is a game that offers an inventive pot-pourri of gaming styles that should hold something for everyone from the action aficionado to the die-hard RPG enthusiast. Whether you’re a previous follower of Sabreman’s adventures or an eager new recruit, join him in this all-new outing and see for yourself how well it lives up to the legendary Sabre Wulf name…

Source:

rareware.com

A mysterious stranger has shattered the fabled Sabre Wulf amulet, unleashing the savage Sabrewulf from long years of imprisionment! Once more it falls to Sabreman, explorer and treasure hunter extraordinaire, to track and recapture his most fearsome nemesis. Enter a breathtaking world filled with magical creatures and marvelous action in a unique gaming experience all its own! Welcome to the epic adventure of Sabre Wulf’!

FEATURES - Sabreman and Sabrewulf come to a new generation of gamers! Rare’s classic franchise comes to handheld systems for the first time! - Rare: One of the world’s most dominant developers (Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark) - A truly unique adventure combining 2D and 3D gameplay spread across action-packed layers and levels - Find and control a menagerie of magical creatures whose powers are the key to surviving traps, obstacles, and the dreaded Sabrewulf - “Arcade action for the thinking gamer.” – Play Magazine

Source:

www.thq.com

Cheerio, Sabre Wulf old chap.

Sabre Wulf is unusual, ambitious and ultimately quite fun, especially for gamers looking for something a little different.

One of the GBA games left in limbo when Microsoft purchased Rare Ltd. was Sabre Wulf. At long last, the game looks to be seeing the light of day, courtesy of publisher THQ, which also published Rare's Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge.

Features * Oddball mix of platforming, adventure and puzzle elements * Features the Sabre Wulf character from Rare's Killer Instinct * Play as Dr. Sabrewulf, rescuing amulet pieces and other items from Sabre Wulf and an evil scientist * Bright, cheerful graphics and perky music * Plenty of Rare's bizarre humor

The backstory has Sabre Wulf ravaging a quiet Blackwyche Village until Dr. Sabrewulf found an amulet. The villagers used the amulet to seal Sabre Wulf in a statue. But now an evil scientist has shattered the amulet and teamed up with Sabre Wulf to wreak havoc on the land. Dr. Sabrewulf must recover the eight pieces of the amulet (and, in typical Rare fashion, gold pieces, coins and a bunch of other stuff) to set things right.

The game's very Englishness will feel bizarre to US gamers who didn't grow up on a steady diet of David Niven movies. With his pith helmet, bushy moustache and old-fogeyisms like "For the Empire, what?" Dr. Sabrewulf looks every inch the Victorian explorer. And then there's Tom Leaf, a "championship tea drinker." Very strange.

The developers at Rare can never resist the urge to slap a pair of eyes on the most humdrum object and give it a cute name. Any other developer would create a bomb, but Rare had to go make a dragon-looking creature named Boomer who explodes after a few seconds. Other cute power-ups include Blubba (a sleeping bear that Dr. Sabrewulf can bounce off), Serpent (a step), and Bigfoot (which smashes anything in its path). Enemies include Blocker (a big hunk o' stone), Bomb, Crumble (a temporary stepping-stone) and Spike (touch its spiked shell and the good doctor is toast).

Sabre Wulf is a relentless thief who typically falls asleep after returning to his cave with his booty. The game centers on Dr. Sabrewulf deploying his power-ups so that he can avoid the bad creatures and reach the goods swiped by Sabre Wulf. These levels look like standard side-scrolling fare, but because you have a limited supply of power-ups, they emphasize puzzle-solving skills much more than running and jumping. Once Dr. Sabrewulf grabs the stolen goods, Sabre Wulf invariably awakens, so Dr. Sabrewulf must run like the wind to the safety of his tent.

Sabre Wulf is abetted by a fiendish scientist who has stored items in laboratories filled with buzz saws, conveyor belts and other mechanical hazards. Dr. Sabrewulf must avoid them and grab the item before time expires. However, the overworld is presented in a three-quarters view. Here, Dr. Sabrewulf behaves very much like an adventure hero: interviewing townspeople, buying and selling goods, running errands and solving elementary puzzles.

Fans of Rare's humor will find it in abundance here, beginning with the doltish Dr. Sabrewulf. The villagers are too cowardly, or clever, or maybe both, to tangle with Sabre Wulf. Fortunately for them, they've found a ready sucker in Dr. Sabrewulf, who never hesitates to put his ageing neck in mortal danger. Soldiers even have the nerve to tell him that they only enlisted because girls like a man in a uniform. Go figure.

Bottom Line

Sabre Wulf's weird mix of gaming styles and quirky sense of humor won't be everyone's cup of tea. This game will appeal most to players who like to use their brains but don't take gaming too se

Source:

www.nintendo.com