Summoner

Summoner isn't a perfect game by any means. The interface is clunky, the animations aren't amazing and the summoning system is somehow lackluster. Also, it's pretty generic in the underlying game mechanics, nothing you haven't already seen before. So why 4 stars? Well, the story is the saving grace of this game, because it's nothing less then excellent. Honestly, you should do yourself a favor and play the game just for the story, or you will really miss something. The main character is very likeable and rarely i've felt so connected with the protagonist of the game. It's not that the story is incredibly original or something like that, it's just that the storytelling is very good. It has the correct flow, twists and situations are handled very well, so you really feel a great sense of immersion playing it. It starts somehow slowly, so be sure to keep playing it for a while even if your initial impression isn't that good. You won't regret it.

Yes, the game is clunky mechanically. Yes, the combat is rather slow. However the game has incredible world crafted for it, beautiful music, and the ending that will make you feel like a badass. Highly recommended!

Like other early Volition games, Summoner was long and had great art, good music, and many features. And once again, something's missing at the center. The plot is epic enough. War between a medieval fantasy kingdom against the generic-named Orien(tal) empire. Cities fall, leaders die, and greater threats bide their time. But the characters have little personality and the stakes don't resonate. A minor sidequest sums up the missed potential. Your party finds a book literally written by the world's gods. You give it to a throwaway NPC for a reward. The end. Gameplay is familiar console RPG. Cities full of NPC's who say a couple lines or give you fetch-or-kill sidequests. Lots of time spent hunting random battles on the world map. There are also a few stealth levels where you have to sneak past enemies, and a couple of extended puzzle sequences. It's not very diverse gameplay, so if you get bored with the combat and travel you probably won't enjoy the game. Combat is realtime. You control one character at a time and can switch anytime. The computer controls the others but isn't very smart. Combat is heavy on "chains" of 4 special attacks that require hitting a button at the right time. It's repetitive, and the limit of 4 means most of your moves are unavailable. It's clunky. The game's not awful, but it never excels. It's consistently better than average but not worth a full 4 stars. You'll either enjoy it from start to finish or get bored fast.

Nice character advancement, good storytelling, a satisfying map-size, a fun combat system once you get used to it. Even though it's really nothing that will impress you, however, it's a game worth playing at least a couple of times. I loved the random encounters.