Lionheart starts out promising, with its interesting and (at least among computer RPG settings) unique premise.  The game is set in an alternate 16th century Europe, roughly four centuries after the Crusaders were tricked into unleashing demons and magic into the world.  The first part of the game works well, centered on the city of Barcelona, which is the stronghold of the Inquisition, which tries to put down magic and demons by extreme means.  There are many opportunities for real role-playing, in the sense of an opportunity to make decisions (such as whether you want to operate on the side of the strict Inquisition, or work for less legal groups, such as the magic users).  The quests of the various groups intertwine, so that you can't please everyone, and will ultimately be forced to make a choice on who you want as your allies.  Barcelona also is home to a number of interesting variants of real-life 16th century people, such as DaVinci, Galileo, and Shakespeare, which adds extra interest.
Unfortunately, once your quests send you away from Barcelona, the game turns into a slogfest of ceaseless combat.  When you've finished some of the later areas, the floors will literally be covered wall-to-wall with corpses.  With all the fighting, the opportunity for real decision-making vanishes, and the game becomes truly linear.  Your only task is to move from one map to the next.  This is highly disappointing, as the game starts out with such a fresh premise.
A second problem with the fighting is that it is hampered by a cumbersome interface.  The fighting is done in real time, much like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, but the enemies move at much greater speeds.  Thus, you have no real chance to use ranged weapons, as the enemies close on you after the first shot.  Second, because the enemies move so fast, it is hard to click on them.  Frequently, you miss, and your character simply walks over to the spot where the enemy was.  Inexplicably, the game will not allow you to target an enemy while it is paused.
Lionheart is also terribly buggy.  You have a chance to acquire companions during the game, but roughly 10% of the time, having a companion will corrupt your game such that you can't move from one map to another (or, if you can, the next save game may be corrupted).  Put together, the collapse of the storyline into meaningless fighting and the bugginess suggest that this game was rushed out the door far too early.  It has a lot of promise, but doesn't live up to it.
Lionheart starts out promising, with its interesting and (at least among computer RPG settings) unique premise. The game is set in an alternate 16th century Europe, roughly four centuries after the Crusaders were tricked into unleashing demons and magic into the world. The first part of the game works well, centered on the city of Barcelona, which is the stronghold of the Inquisition, which tries to put down magic and demons by extreme means. There are many opportunities for real role-playing, in the sense of an opportunity to make decisions (such as whether you want to operate on the side of the strict Inquisition, or work for less legal groups, such as the magic users). The quests of the various groups intertwine, so that you can't please everyone, and will ultimately be forced to make a choice on who you want as your allies. Barcelona also is home to a number of interesting variants of real-life 16th century people, such as DaVinci, Galileo, and Shakespeare, which adds extra interest. Unfortunately, once your quests send you away from Barcelona, the game turns into a slogfest of ceaseless combat. When you've finished some of the later areas, the floors will literally be covered wall-to-wall with corpses. With all the fighting, the opportunity for real decision-making vanishes, and the game becomes truly linear. Your only task is to move from one map to the next. This is highly disappointing, as the game starts out with such a fresh premise. A second problem with the fighting is that it is hampered by a cumbersome interface. The fighting is done in real time, much like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, but the enemies move at much greater speeds. Thus, you have no real chance to use ranged weapons, as the enemies close on you after the first shot. Second, because the enemies move so fast, it is hard to click on them. Frequently, you miss, and your character simply walks over to the spot where the enemy was. Inexplicably, the game will not allow you to target an enemy while it is paused. Lionheart is also terribly buggy. You have a chance to acquire companions during the game, but roughly 10% of the time, having a companion will corrupt your game such that you can't move from one map to another (or, if you can, the next save game may be corrupted). Put together, the collapse of the storyline into meaningless fighting and the bugginess suggest that this game was rushed out the door far too early. It has a lot of promise, but doesn't live up to it.