Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (video game)

2001 video game

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a video game developed by Player 1 and published by Titus Interactive for the Nintendo 64 in 2000 and developed and published by Titus Interactive for the Game Boy Color in 2001. The game is licensed from the 1995 television series of the same name, and the Game Boy Color title was released by Titus Interactive alongside Xena: Warrior Princess in the same month, with both games having linked features using the Game Link Cable. The Nintendo 64 version of Hercules integrates elements of platform, role playing and adventure games. The Game Boy version also contains the notable feature of being able to use the Game Link Cable with a system playing Xena: Warrior Princess to switch the characters in the game and unlock secret levels.

Reception of the Nintendo 64 version of Hercules was mixed. 64 praised the range of content in the game, stating "there are plenty of puzzles to crack, codes to break and people to save you are never bored for want of something to do", and the "many different environments" in the game. Similarly, Nintendo Power found the game to be a "pale Zelda wannabe", stating "much of the quest is bogged down with repetitive combat and uneventful exploration". The Game Boy Color version of Hercules received mixed reviews, with critics finding frustration with the execution of the gameplay. In a lukewarm review, Jem Roberts of Total Game Boy praised the "genuinely compelling" puzzles and found "loads to do" in the game, but observed the game was compromised by "stupid challenges" and an "unbelievably irritating" save system. In contrast, Oliver Lan of Game Boy Xtreme dismissed the game as "monotonous" and "irritating", finding most of the gameplay involving "trudging around with nothing to do", although acknowledged the game contained an "interesting mix of gameplay styles." Both reviews remarked the game was superior to the Game Boy Color counterpart Xena: Warrior Princess.