Posted on: November 19, 2017
ChickenJoe9680
Games: 55 Reviews: 6
Better Than Nostalgia
I have almost all of the GOG cRPG collection, and I'd like to disagree with many of the reviews here. Yes, you cannot get away from Baldur's Gate comparisons, but this game stands on its own. It's not a homage or a play on the nostalgia. I played this game first, and its quality of life, ease of use, and accessibility are beyond anything else in the genre. The storytelling and characters are a great, if imperfect blend of serious and fun. It is sometimes on rails, but I never felt "railroaded." Except for bugs, its freedom to do what you want is only limited by your strategic expertise. Even if its not your cup of tea to play the battles, the game on Easy is a great romp with engaging and resonant characters, especially Eder and Aloth. I'd recommend Hard for anyone who isn't put-off by the combat mechanics, though. The only real criticism I have, one that doesn't subtract stars, is a general criticism of cRPGs. The pause-and-play is nicely done here, but true turn-based is simply mechanically superior. The more intense battles, such as if you bum-rush the first real bosses available, feel so pause-heavy that I could not help wonder why this wasn't just a true turn-based tactics-style simulator, potentially even with a square or hex grid (the pathing is sometimes rage, especially battles around doors, but only enough for losing half a star; I rounded up). Turn-based tactics have none of those problems, and it is the dominant combat method of actual tabletop pen & paper RPGs, as well as many JRPGs that should honestly be industrywide points of reference, despite that I like western games better. I've always been at a loss for why this game in particular instead relies upon somewhat dysfunctional and at-times highly imprecise mechanics that honestly worked much better in the 80s-90s, but became unwieldy as settings became more complex. I only say this because, if you're coming from a background of tactics rather than cRPG, it might nag at you.
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