Rune (video game)
Rune is a computer game, made by Human Head Studios. It was released in late 2000.
The game casts the player as Ragnar, a young Viking warrior. It follows a fairly generic fantasy plot, but with overt use of Norse mythology. Although made using the Unreal Tournament Game engine (a First Person Shooter engine), Rune is a third person perspective game without any shooting. The weapons used in the game include swords, axes, maces and other medieval melee weapons. Despite using an engine made for shooting, the interface lends itself well to a playing style consisting of running, jumping and hacking at opponents (including goblins, skeletons and other Vikings).
An innovative feature of the game is that anything dropped by a dead opponent can be picked up and used. This extends to include body parts. Limbs can be swung as clubs, and grotesquely enough, heads can be carried and used as weapons. Although the game includes no ranged weapons, any weapon can be thrown. The handaxe is a commonly thrown weapon because of the speed in which it travels through the air.
As the game goes on, as in most games of its type, better weapons are accumulated. In Rune, bigger is always better, and late in the game you find yourself wielding weapons of ridiculous size.
An expansion was released in 2001, called Halls of Valhalla. It consisted mostly (or entirely) of extra multiplayer features, some of which were quite original. One example is a gruesome parody of team sports, players scored points by beheading their opponents and throwing the heads into a goal.
The Plot
SPOILER WARNING! If you have not completed the game, look no further, please.
The story begins when the player, as Ragnar, is initiated into the odinsblade, a order of warriors sworn to protect the runestones, magical creations of odin which bind the evil god, Loki and prevent him from unleashing Ragnarok - the end of the world. Ragnar then must face Ulf, the strongest fighter in the village to be truly considered a warrior. After the battle is concluded, a warrior bursts into the scene and informs the two that a viking known as Conrack and his men are pillaging and destroying several villages. The three then depart for the village's longship, to do battle.
Ragnar, his father, Ulf and the rest of his village's warriors encounter Conrack and his men on another ship. Ragnar's Father is about to order his men to attack, when Conrack calls upon Loki to destroy the ship with a surge of Lightning from above. All the men within the longship die, and slip into the sea. Odin calls to Ragnar, informing him it is not his time to die. Ragnar recovers, and swims to safety in a underwater cave. Ragnar then proceeds through the caverns, doing battle with a vast array of monsters. He eventually enters the land of the dead, domain of Loki's daughter, Hel.
Passing through the Underworld and facing the gastly undead, Ragnar is captured by goblins and fights their trial beast and escapes riding on a giant flying bug. He comes across Thorstadt, the mountain fortress of Conrack. He steals the uniform of a guard, then assaults Thorstadt. Ragnar then comes across a Temple dedicated to Loki, and encounters a Viking known as Siguard and his men are talking to Conrack, and are having second thoughts about destroying the world of men, or Midgard. Conrack then punishes Siguard by having two monsterous skeletal creatures slaughter Sigard and his men. Conrack then leaves the temple via a underground elevator with his hideous bodyguards. Ragnar then enters the scene, and stands before the dying Warrior. He informs Ragnar that he is the last of the odinsblade, and saving the world is up to him. Siguard then dies.
Ragnar follows conrack, and ends up in the land of the Dwarves. In Rune, Dwarves are depicted as short, stocky purple beings. Ragnar comes by a small hut, and dons a leather suit with chain mail and a horned helmet. He then travels through the industrial powerhouse of the dwarven land, and learns that the dwarves are supplying new weaponry and armor for Loki's new sinister armies. Odin then tasks Ragnar to murder the dwarf king, who's will holds the dwarves allegiance to loki together. The King has apparently proclaimed himself a demi-god, and resides in a temple dedicated to himself. Ragnar enters battle with the king, and uses the great machine that bestows the king's powers upon him to destroy him.
Ragnar travels deep below the earth, to the Acid surrounded castle of loki. Odin tells Ragnar that he will not be able to contact him whilst he transverses through Loki's realm. Ragnar discovers that it is the acid that transforms Hel's undead warriors to the monsters of Loki's armies. He Passes through the castle and loki's maze, arriving at the holding chamber of Loki himself. It is here Ragnar faces conrack at last, and attacks him. Conrack soon learns that he is no match for Ragnar's power, and is knocked into a river of acid, which at first, is agonising for him. However, the great stone snake which binds loki drips acid onto his gaping chest wound, and causes him to scream with rage. The spectacle turns the green acid purple. Conrack arises out of the river, reborn in loki's image as a hideous monster. Conrack reveals to Ragnar that loki's armies are invading Midgard and are destroying Odin's runestones left and right. He leaps over Ragnar onto a high cliff, and escapes. Ragnar is then attacked by two of his creatures, but bests them. He however, is trapped in the pit of Loki. With no other choice, he leaps into the purple acid, the blood of Loki.
Ragnar emerges from the river a abonimation, one of loki's creatures. Loki tries to pursuade Ragnar to stay with him and join his armies. He however, refuses, and leaps from the pit, chasing after Conrack. He escapes from loki's castle and makes his way through caverns out into the world above. He then stands witness to the devastation wrought by Loki's armies. Loki mocks him, but he presses on. His fellow warriors no longer recognize him, and attack him on sight. Ragnar finally arrives home, only to see it totally destroyed. Loki offers one last time to join him, and Conrack sends his men forward to destroy the runestone and Ragnar. There are two possible out-comes of the game, depending on what the player does here.
Alternative Bad Ending
Ragnar marches forward upon his village's runestone, and destroys it, sealing the world's fate. Loki betrays Ragnar however, and has him attached to the walls of his pit. Ragnarok is unleashed.
Canonical Good Ending
Ragnar Marches forward upon Conrack's men, And destroys them utterly. He then turns his sights upon Conrack, and does battle against him. Conrack is still no match for Ragnar, And is defeated. Odin Speaks to Ragnar, telling him that the people of his village are safe in the hands of his servant Bragi. He informs Ragnar that he has succeeded, and Ragnarok has been averted. Loki, full of bitterness and rage at his failure, fills in his cave with boulders. Odin then opens up a portal in his last runstone and tells Ragnar to step through, and join him at his side as the first living warrior to enter Asguard. Ragnar complies. Ragnar enters Odin's realm, restored to his human form, runs over the rainbow bridge, and enters the Halls of Valhalla.