how long is Lands of Hyperborea?

[Hordolur]

how many gameplay hours is Lands of Hyperborea about?

[Kilarin]

That all depends on how you play it.

There is really a LOT of room for different play styles in LOH. Since the monsters respawn, you can spend a LOT of time hacking through the same interesting places over and over if you like (and want to build up your character).

You can go back and hunt swamp trolls

Spend hours and hours in the Valkyrie hunting grounds (The Dragons respawn so quickly you have to fight them all over again on the way back out)

Put a day or more into harvesting Giant armor (while attempting not to end up a smear on one of their boots).

You can hack at Zombies FOREVER and never make a real dent into their numbers!

You can Fight Bandits or Elemental Witches or Goblins or,
well, like I said, there is a LOT of room to do whatever the heck you WANT to do. And LOH is interesting enough to make you WANT to go through the same adventures more than once.

I played regular old DS through once. I enjoyed it.
I couldn't finish LOA. the plot made me sick to my stomach.

BUT, I played LOH through the entire primary campaign once, then realized I had an older version that wouldn't let me do some of the cool "after the adventure is over" adventures. So I downloaded the newest version, then played LOH all the way through a second time. Since I emphasized different skill sets the second time through, it became a very different game! And I will probably fire up LOH again some day and go all the way through it yet another time.

LOH has a real story. LOH has real characters. LOH makes you feel like each place on the map has it's own mood, it's own people, it's own atmosphere. LOH is non-linear, and lets you play it differently every single time.

When you complete all of the quests in LOH, and finally get your character too high level to be challenged by even the toughest thing on the map (and that takes a LONG time), you will be spending time trying to think up new ways to play (such as the <Nekid Fury Run>)

So how many hours does it take to play LOH?
How many hours do you have?

[hordolur]

Wow thanks for the help, I take it Mageworld plays the same way?

[Hacknshoot]

I've been playing it about 20-30 hours(it's not on right now, so I'm not sure), and gotten 2 of the secret people, and am in the VOT4W. After that, I'm gonna win the game, then go to the special areas. After I find a way to get my main guy(who has been leveling up faster than anything I have ever seen ) to level 80, I'm going to the other secret area. Then, I'll transfer all the real useful things I have to my main guy, and will play SP to try to level to 150. Side note-how tough are the dragons for a 35/10/44/54 character who uses Flame and Shock as my main spells?
Side note: I didn't realize that Hordolur had posted at about the same time I did, so this for LoH, not MW. But MW is quite different than LoH, let me tell you.

[Kilarin]

hordolur:

I take it Mageworld plays the same way?

Actually, Mageworld is VERY different from LOH in a lot of ways, similar in others. Mageworld is a total conversion, with radically different play from anything you've ever done in the DS engine before. Mageworld is non-linear, in that you can end up wandering all over the place. But since the SERIOUS badguys don't respawn, you don't end up clearing the same area out over and over.
Mageworld is an absolutely fantastic game, and in Mageworld you can see many of the ideas that Xaa started playing with in LOH taken to more complete versions. (such as the crafting system).
Mageworld is an incredible experience, I recommend you play it! I also recommend LOH. I find comparing them to be very difficult, if not impossible. Apples and Oranges. GOOD Apples and GOOD Oranges.

HackNShoot:

will play SP to try to level to 150.

LOH has lots of content for characters up to level 80 or so. Then a big gap, and then a bonus for characters that have reached at least level 120. Getting from 80 to 120 in SP can be very difficult.

If you have the patience for it, working your character up bit by bit is VERY rewarding. But if you need something to help you make the jump from 80 to 120,
wander over to SiegeNetwork and do a search on "Ron of Forumite".

My Fantasy is that someday, Xaa will decide to revisit LOH, and will add several new dungeons to fill that gap from 80 to 120. Going back through LOH with new content would be like visiting an old friend and finding out they've got kids now.

BUT, alas, it IS just a Fantasy. Xaa has every reason to be sick and tired of LOH (he received all kinds of flak from users just because he was nice enough to give them a free game). When he moves on to modding again, it will probably be with the Torque engine. And, just like with Mageworld, we will get something new and cool and fantastic and different.

[Hacknshoot]

I know of RoF. Honestly, I don't think I would find a way to beat him. And I accidentally put it as SP? I meant MP. It would be nice to NOT have a party tagging along, stealing all the exp I need to level up. Both of the games are amazing in their own right.

[hordolur]

I'll see tonight, when I get home going to finish DS1 and load this up. and try them out wheeeeeeeeeee!

[Xaa]

LoH = About 45 hours of gameplay in SP, more in MP. Most players should finish SP in a week. Difficulty: Variable.

Mageworld: About 300 to 900 hours of play in SP, more in MP. Most players should finish SP in a month. Difficulty: Hard.