You might not have played Ehrgeiz (PSX)

Ehrgeiz is an arcade 3D fighting game from 1998 that was later ported to the Playstation. The port contains some extra minigames and an all new "Adventure Mode" that turned out to be the main attraction of the game and will in turn be the main focus of this presentation.

Gameplay(1) - Normal Game: 3D, Fighting Game, Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Because the fighting game mode of Ehrgeiz does not play very fluid for a fighting game, its only saving grace is that you can play as characters from Final Fantasy 7.


Gameplay(2) - Quest Mode: Dungeon Crawler, Single Player
The way the game is played, which is similar to a sluggish Soul Calibur game, works out in the Quest Mode of the game though. The combat will probably remind people a lot of Dark Soul. It is mandatory to block or dodge the attacks of the opponent to then retaliate with a few attacks without overcomiting and thus lowering your guard. The goal of the Quest Mode is to reach the bottom floor of a dungeon - standard Dungeon Crawler. To reach that destination you have to fight your way through various enemies and bosses. You have 2 characters (one better suited for melee combat, the other better suited for magic) to chose at a time. If you should die in the dungeon, the other one can set out to rescue the "soul" of the other character and all the items he had on him. Since your characters do level seperately, it is mandatory to switch between them regularly and keep them at a similiar level.
After certain bosses you will unlock shortcuts that allow you to leave and enter the town, where you can heal and purchase/repair equipment, on lower floors. Should you be in trouble on tough spot in the dungeon, you can use a Dragon Wing to open a portal into town (and back). This is especially important because you have to eat food in order not to starve, but at times you wont find enough food in the dungeon. What food you eat, changes the way you gain stats on level up. Eat a lot of meet, become stronger - eat vegan, gain inteligence, etc. This way you can shape your character to your liking.
The story of the Quest Mode is quite simple, your 2 characters are Archeologists that want to explore a dungeon, reason enough to fight monsters, don't you think?


To get this game I suggest searching in your local Retro-Games-Store as the price on amazon is quite high and ebay doesnt look much better. But if you are looking for a solid dungeon crawler this is a safe bet.