by Sheila Robinson

Created on: April 04, 2010

About the Game

Champions: Return to Arms is an action/adventure RPG game based on the PC game Everquest and sequel to Champions of Norrath. The story centers on stopping a powerful threat to the Planes of Power. An ally named Fiona Vie has summoned you to request your help. To begin your journey you must travel through the dangerous Plains of War and find out the source of the problem.   

Game Play

Champions: Return to Arms is set in a third-person view that can be zoomed in for closer viewing. Most of the game is spent exploring the different Planes and battling various monsters. Each Plane offers a variety of interesting challenges. A map feature is available that can show you areas that have been explored.

You can use the Arena section to practice your combat skills. You have three lives to survive as many combat challenges you can. Bonuses can be earned for each wave of combat you complete.  

Character Selection

The fun part of Champions: Return to Arms is character selection. You can choose between the Shaman, Wood Elf Ranger, Erudite Wizard, High Elf Cleric, Barbarian Warrior, Vah Shir Berserker or Dark Elf Shadow. Each provides you with different skills and abilities.

All characters have their individual strengths and weaknesses. The Iksar Shaman has regenerative powers, but is limited to spiritual attacks.  The Shaman is a weak fighter but a powerful magic user. A Barbarian Warrior is a basic combat character who can only use melee weapons and bows.

The Vah Shir Berserker is a strong at dealing damage with throwing axes, but weak with his evasion skills. An Elf Ranger is weak in close up combat and superior with bow skills.

For the best of both worlds, the Dark Elf Shadow Knight has magic and warrior combat skills. One of his notable abilities is Summon Skeleton. This ability serves as a distraction for enemies as well as being a decent fighter ally.

After choosing a character, you can allocate 20 ability points to distribute in Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength and Stamina. Your character’s appearance can also be altered. This includes skin color hair color and hairstyle.

Levels of Difficulty and Modes of Play

There are four difficulty levels in Return to Arms: Adventurous, Champion, Courageous and Legendary.  However, the Adventurous level is the only one available to you the first time you play. Each level opens up one at a time after each successful level of difficulty is completed.    

The modes of play include Arena or Play Missions. The game can be played as a standalone through your PS2 console or online through the Internet. 

Graphics and Sound

For the time of Champions: Return to Arms release (2005) the graphics are well detailed and sharp. Character actions move smoothly during play, while combat and magic attacks look appealing to watch.

Audio soundtrack in the game sounds like one from a fantasy-adventure movie. Character voices seem to fit, except for the male Barbarian voice that sounds a bit dim-witted.

Overall Impressions

For fans of Everquest and RPG style games, this title is worth a look. Its variety of characters and ability to customize make it appealing. Despite the somewhat dated graphics, it is detailed enough to keep your attention and interest. The online and standalone modes give the game some replay ability. Check it out as rental or buy a cheap copy through Ebay.

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