While the genre today continues to be infatuated with FBI agents, amateur archeologists and worldwide conspiracies, Tale of a Hero is a welcome attempt to recapture the old glories of fantasy adventures. At first glance, it seems to have what it takes to do just that, featuring a fearless, old-fashioned hero capable of defeating monsters, rescuing distressed damsels and saving kingdoms by means of his bravery, loyalty and devotion to duty. Add to that an original fairy tale land full of dozens of quirky characters, plus an initially promising plot involving a vengeful giant, and all the elements would seem to be in place for an epic fantasy quest. Unfortunately, all that glitters isn’t always gold, and Tale of a Hero not only fails to be a worthy modern champion of the fantasy genre, it isn’t a very compelling adventure in its own right, with flawed, simplistic gameplay and a blatantly clichéd story that falls well short of even its own ambitions.

It’s a pity the quality doesn’t last, because the game starts off really well. Instead of throwing the player straight into the middle of the main plot, Tale of a Hero begins with the protagonist, Olaf son of Halfard, falling down a pit. As the heir of a legendary hero from the past, the villagers have given him the seemingly simple task of getting rid of the local monster. Unluckily for Olaf, they promised him a rather innocuous beast and instead he finds himself trapped in the den of a Dolsimian, a dangerous sort of stone troll. With the aid of Smokey, a creature made (naturally) of smoke whose sole purpose is to haunt the Dolsimian, Olaf succeeds in neutralizing the monster – not by usual heroic means like slaughtering it with an enchanted sword, but by talking it into leaving the village alone and opening a business instead. The villagers aren’t very happy, of course, but it’s a fair deal: Olaf even shares part of the company and he and the Dolsimian equally divide the income.

After this playable prologue, the real adventure begins, and most of the imagination stops. While resting after the “defeat” of the monster, Olaf is visited by a witch named Pripogala, who comes to him with a message: the Ice Giant Krugell has awoken from his slumber and is now planning revenge upon Olaf, whose father once killed his brother, the Fire Dragon. Krugell has already kidnapped the princess Erea, and Olaf must save the day by seeking an ancient prophecy and a forgotten weapon, the only one capable of defeating Krugell. So, leaving the tranquility of his little home, Olaf sets off to fulfill a destiny that will take him through a reeking swamp, atop misty mountains, and deep into an underwater fish kingdom.

If you have played any fantasy adventures before, the plot inevitably sounds like a cliché. Though originality is rare in the fantasy genre, the story of Tale of a Hero contains no twists, no unusual detail, no distinctive spice of any kind. That doesn’t mean it can’t be entertaining, but only if you’re willing to overlook the banality of the premise and the predictability of its actual developments. The uninspired plot could have been saved by writing capable of enlivening these formulas with clever irony or powerful human drama, but unfortunately the script here is tacky, never really deciding between being humorous or serious, resulting in an inconsistent hodgepodge. Don’t misunderstand me: even in the darkest adventures, some comedic touches are welcomed if they help relieve the tension and enrich the atmosphere, but the problem with Tale of a Hero lies in the main narrative itself. The designers were unable to properly shape the story, failing to resolve between a lighthearted, spoof-like tone or a somber, emotional approach. What’s worse, the humor is wearisome, often relying on bad puns and daft wisecracks, while the occasional epic turn feels terribly shallow, packed with so many trivialities that it can’t help but seem insincere.

The characters fare no better, forming a cast of overused caricatures like the gossipy innkeeper, the insufferable know-it-all witch with a penchant for quips (one of which is taken straight out of King’s Quest), the down-to-earth girlfriend who criticizes her lover’s craving for adventure, and an oracle with the precious gift of the Sight. Olaf himself is nothing but a shallow avatar, and even the nameless hero of Quest for Glory showed more signs of a personality. Some of Olaf’s statements toward his fiancée seem slightly sexist, treating his “darling” like an object rather than a person. When she slams the door in his face, he has nothing better to say than, “She’s angry now, but it will be over in a day or two. Which doesn’t mean that I won’t have to softsoap her for another six months.” Luckily, this attitude is toned down later in the game, but not because of any actual character development, so don’t expect anything deep or moving even then. The only well-designed character is Smokey, who turns out to be consistently funny in an unexpected, often politically incorrect sort of way. It’s a pity that it isn’t given more time on screen, as I would have preferred to hear his bitingly sarcastic comments than the dull commentary by Olaf.

Tale of a Hero was never released in English-language markets, but the Italian version does include full English voice acting, which is a mixed bag. While it is generally well done, some roles like Masek the Innkeeper are badly directed, resulting in lines spoken with the wrong emphasis or trivial dialogues whispered like they were valuable secrets. To supplement the voiceovers, the developers have recently offered an English subtitle patch, an option not offered in the original retail release. One nice thing about the setting is that the land of Aldiara has been given a detailed background, and sometimes Olaf and the other characters refer to its rich history during the dialogues. This would have been more intriguing with a better script, but it’s nice to see that the designers took some time to create a cultural mythology. It still isn't particularly original, but it's at least peculiar enough to differentiate Aldiara from a classic Middle Earth-like world.