I really really wanted to like this game. It was said to be "a game of exploration." Yes, and because of the way the 'save games' are set up, I explored the same place over and over and over again.
I gave this game a fair chance, I truly did: 2 1/2 hours of play. So far, I have liked most every other old game (I never got to play as a kid) that I have tried - except this one! Worst controls ev-er, made me want to scream. And when I finally went to YouTube to find out what I was doing wrong in the gameplay, it turned out [spoiler coming up] that all I needed to do was run fast past those guards. "Exploration" indeed.

In fact, I hated this game so much, I decided to write a post about it [snivel].

I downloaded a demo of the second game in the series, just to see if the controls improved, and boy did they ever. (But I'm still not going to buy it.)

Just thought I would be the purple sheep here, and offer a different opinion of this game, since everyone else "just loved it."

Well, I feel your pain!
I played through both LBA 1 and LBA 2 as a kid, but nowadays I just can't get myself to play LBA 1 anymore. I too abandoned that game after a few hours, the controls and the save system is just so awkward and with the limited playing time I have, I don't want to waste it on those shortcomings.

But not playing the second part you really miss out on one of the most lovely games in gaming history (and with decent controlls too)!

So you think I should play LBA 2? Because, it really did seem much less frustrating. And the game does look so cool. Will I miss out on any important plot stuff if I do?

(And I must admit, having just finished playing Beyond Good and Evil, I was perhaps feeling a bit pampered in the 'controls' department.)

Definitaley!
They improved the controls somewhat. For example you don't get that atrocious hitting animation every time you run into a wall. Saving works just as it should.

Turning speed is still way too slow and combat feels awkward because of the lengthy hitting animations, so it's basically back to who hits whom first, wins the fight. Fortunately you can outrun most of the enemies (as you noted before :). Some of the puzzles were a little unintuitive and I had to look them up after a while, but I guess that's down to personal capacity. Some of the platfoming parts can be a bit tricky due to the weird camera angle adjustment.

You will miss out on some story and lore not playing the first game, also alot of characters are introduced in that installment. Yet I don't see this as being a problem, as the second part is still quite self-contained and because LBA's story isn't really deep. It's the world and atmosphere that will take you captive and wanting to explore! Anyway, you'll be able to follow the plot without problems, I'm certain.

Oh, and just one more thing: the music is stellar! Imo best soundtrack ever! It's really a one-to-one image of the games landscape and vibe formed into frequency and amplitude.

btw: I'm playing Beyond Good and Evil atm and well, those controls ARE something different. I can't believe how smooth that game plays!

Thank you for your reply Lorzius. I DO so like exploration games. Perhaps, when LBA-2 comes on sale, I will give it a go.

And it is true, the music was some kinda' good in LBA-1.

Thanks again,
and Cheers. :)

It's hard to believe that some1 can perceive LBA as a frustrating game... Strange.

"Frustrating" is maybe a bit over the top, when I think about it... I'd call it annyoing on second thought. At least parts of it are REALLY annoying! And I find it hard to believe that someone could find it hard to believe someone perceives LBA1 as being annoying sometimes :).

I always thought and will think about this game as being magical. It will always attract me no matter how old I am. In fact, I've just finished it today for the third time. Yay!
It's not as annoying as it may seem to be. If you encounter those "annoying" parts in LBA1 which you can't pass, most likely, there's an other, simpler way of completing them. Almost every location, which seems to be hard to get through, turns out to be very simple if you use different tactics (or item... sometimes). I know what I'm talking about, because as a teen I had big problems with certain areas of the game, but nowadays I completed them the other way around without any problems. It helps to ask NPCs around about things. They sometimes give very good advices on future locations.

The only annoying thing I can think of is the magic ball, which is hard to master. And despite what it's written on GameFAQs, it does not get more forgiving as your level rises. More powerful - yes, more accurate? No.

The game is not about combat. You're an escapee in a distopian police country, so run when possible and attack only when necessary. And do the latter from the distance, if possible. If you get hit by a soldier, from a medium distance, immediately switch to Athletics mode (F2) and go backwards (down arrow) instead of forwards. When hit, you take an automatic step back so retreating BACK is the best way to avoid then next shot. This saves your live most of the time. Remember, enemy aren't taught to lead the target.

Some advice I can give you (no spoilers, I hope):
1. If possible, never engage quetch soldiers with melee weapons.
2. Athletic mode is the most preferable mode (fast+relatively quick turning). Switch to normal when you wanna talk or search scenery for items, to discreet if you wanna lob magic balls over obstacles (or in certain situations that demand you to be discreet), aggresive mode when you attack quetch nurses (unarmed) or you have something else than a ball in your hand...
3. For precise movement (like, on the ledges, cliffs, etc.) use discreet mode. Provides most control over your character.
4. Search everything and talk to everyone everytime your main dialogue changes.

Can't say anything about LBA2. I've only played it once because I've never got used to those ulgy 3D outside sceneries.

It's got one of the most beautiful and unique sceneries ever created. The most unique one in that time.

Totally agree with the OP. LBA 1 is extremely frustrating, and because of that I regret purchasing it. I wish the GOG reviews would mention these problems instead of being pure nostalgia.

For the controls someone made this mod for the LBAWin program which allows you to control twinsen with the mouse and also adds FPS (WSAD etc.) controls. There might be other mods too on that forum, as this was just what I found on a quick search:
http://forum.magicball.net/showthread.php?t=13569

Never tried it myself though, I think usually I just get used to the controls whilst playing. With LBAWin though you can disable damage taken when running into walls which makes it a bit more like LBA 2 (or the LBA 1 Playstation port).
Thread on GOG about how to use LBAWin with GOG's version:
https://secure.gog.com/en/forum/little_big_adventure_series/lbawin_windows_native_source_port_of_lba

The Magic Ball site also has this FAQ which gives tips about using the Save Game feature:
http://www.magicball.net/games/lba1/relentless_twinsens_adventure_faq#s2

As for the guards thing. I did get stuck as a kid at one point and then with a walkthrough realised I just had to go into Discreet mode to sneak past which made sense. Once you first figure out the different modes have a use in certain situations I think you start to experiment. I think the way the magic ball moves changes in different modes which is also helpful when trying to hit something.

LBA2 does improve on some of the controls and gameplay aspects, and the save feature is different too I think. Both great games though for the atmosphere and characters you meet along the way so I still would reccomend both. But would say not to miss out on LBA 2 either way. :)

Can't quite understand the problems described here. I played LBA for the first time when I was 14 or so, and it soon became my favorite game for a very long time (I'm not even sure if I ever had a real favorite game afterwards, even LBA2 wasn't as fascinating for me as the first part).

What's wrong with the controls? The only thing I remember that can be annoying is running against walls.
The savegame-system was often criticised, even in the reviews back in 1994 when the game was released.
I never found it that bad, I think it's quite similar to today's games with a checkpoint system (which can of course be annoying, too). The only thing to know is that the game is saved when you leave a certain area.

The controls really aren't that hard once you get used to them. I can understand your frustration though, it IS a pretty hard game in the beginning, but once you get to know the 'lay of the land' and get some of the main story done, it gets really damn fun! :)

I never beat this as a kid, but I did beat the second game. A few years ago I finally beat LBA1, and I've been replaying it every few years since. :)

It's still a great game but it does have frustrating things in it. Here is the review from the authoritative Computer Gaming World (Jan 1995):

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/97288413/Pages%20from%20cgw_126%20relentess.pdf

The reviewer nailed it by saying, "Some games are great because of their strengths, and others in spite of their weaknesses, and Relentless belongs to the latter."

But fabulous storytelling, marvelous sceneries, colorful characters and charming music overwhelm tiny, annoying bugs ;-)