I am Zorro!
While the Zorro license is just screaming out for an incredibly exciting action game, unfortunately this Prince of Persia-lite take on the classic hero just isn't quite up to scratch. It's not a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination, it's just suffering from a few too many flaws to make it entertaining for anything more than a couple of hours at most. The story here is actually quite intriguing, and finds legendary outlaw/hero of the people, Zorro, attempting to solve the mystery behind the identity of the new police commissioner, who appears to be none other than the Slaughterer of Sargossa, a vicious criminal. What follows is a mix of third- and first-person adventuring which mainly focuses on the expected slick and stylish swordplay that is most associated with the character. However, it's here that the game makes a major mistake, as although the combat should be fast paced and exhilarating, an unusual design choice renders it much less so than it should be. Strangely enough, you can't actually move during fights or do anything much other than swing your sword a bit, which is just baffling and which lets the game become quite tedious, quite quickly. It's a shame, as other elements, such as the surprisingly interesting storyline are done well enough. The cutscenes and plot are nicely handled, being compelling and well directed, while the visuals are decent too, with some nice character work and stylish environments. The AI is a bit wobbly, but it's the combat system which really spoils the game so unless you're a diehard Zorro fan, you might want to skip this.
