The Age of Decadence

This game seems truly non linear. Trainer could be a little more flushed out seeing how important decisions in create a character are. Story had me excited at first, then a bit tedious when I realized that I had to replay a lot of it since my character had no options but failure. Enjoyed juicing the stats for some saweet turn based combat.

Age of Decadence is one of the few games in recent years that made me feel respected. Unlike so many of its peers, AoD doesn't take my motivations or time for granted. No inane fetch quests, no "kill 10 rats" quests, nothing of the sort. No pointless and slow backtracking for the purposes of padding content, if anything the game rushes you too much by teleporting you exactly where you need to go after conversations (if you choose that option). Just as importantly, the game respects my goals and character motivations. It's not assumed I will want to do everything just as the questgiver asked. It's entirely possible to betray, backstab, and turn traitor multiple times per playthrough, should you so choose. AoD's core strength comes from its system of choices & consequences (and thus its replayability). Seemingly every little decision you make will have repercussions further down the road. I've played through three and a half times now, each time with a different build, and it feels that each playthrough was almost a completely separate game. The way a trader with the Merchant's Guild interfaces with the world is going to be completely different than a mercenary with the Imperial Guard, and the same goes for Praetorians. Your build matters, a lot, almost to the point where it's overwhelming. This is not the sort of game where you can max out all skills in one playthrough and see everything. Combat is strong with a good deal of variety, although it will be prohibitively difficult for "talking" characters (as designed). The game is strict but fair, no bullshit "rocks fall everyone dies" but enough danger to keep you on your toes. The game might respect you but the characters certainly do not. There's a persistent cynical tone every interaction, you can't take any characters at their word.

Unique engaging story that intrigues you from the start and builds to a satisfying climax. I found myself genuinely interested to see how it all unfolds - a feeling I've not had in a while in games, where the stories are more simplistic and predictable. The writing in general is top notch. Memorable characters with interesting dialogue and great artwork! Obviously the graphics are not the highlight of this game, however, the writing and artwork make the characters and story more memorable than many so called AAA titles out there with the most realistic graphics. One of the things I love about the game is how it brings you to the 'action' right away. Whether that be a specific location, a specific person, an encounter, whatever it is you are doing, there is no time wasting. In other games, I tire of the 'filler' content. You get a quest. You search for the person/location/item. You travel back to the quest giver. Get your reward, move on. Rinse & repeat. Very tedious and not fun. Here you are brought directly to your objective in most cases and jump right into interesting dialogue, combat, etc. As someone with a full time job, wife and kid, I don't have time for nonsense. I want to jump right into discovering the story and the characters and that's what this game delivers. I wish more games were like this. Finally, the combat is refreshing. It is fun, tactical and satisfying. I've enjoyed roleplaying various scenarios and either dying a horrible stupid death playing the role of an over-eager hero wannabe or barely surviving by the skin of my teeth an encounter carefully planned and executed. This is an underappreciated gem with great replay potential that offers truly different experiences. I can't wait for their next one!

people giving bad reviews to this game did not understand what this game is. criticising AoD graphics isn't a valid argument. the game isn't meant to be beautiful but still is very atmospheric and endearing. AoD is ALL about combats AND/OR C&C and this game does it perfectly. just be aware that the C&C aspect makes the game feel like a CYOA most of the time but it's supposed to be like this anyway, and it is spot on. combats are the best and the most challenging i've seen in a crpg, only dungeon rats has better combats. AT LAST, a challenging tactical crpg where stats and skills are critical. you can't improvise when creating a character. you have to be very cautious when using skill points, otherwise the game will punish you severely. i'm very picky, but i've always somewhat felt frustrated with those tactical crpgs in which stats during character creation didn't matter much. i've played temple of elemental evil recently, i created a party with poor stats and random skills, and yet, i've had no problem beating the game. i've always felt like stats/skills in most crpgs were an illusion, and that feeling got even stronger after playing AoD and dungeon rats. AoD is hardcore and unforgiving. and that's another point you can't even complain about. because the game never takes you by surprise, it lets you know from the very beginning that it is MEANT to be hardcore. atmosphere and musics are also fantastic, the game does an amazing job making you feel like you're in constant danger. loved that aspect.

To me, the most interesting aspect of this game is that it is short but broad. A trip from the start of the game to whatever ending you choose - and there are many - does not take as long as it might for a more linear RPG. The tradeoff is that you have MANY consequential decisions to make that can lead you down a host of branching paths. This is not a game that offers the illusion of choice and then funnels you into the same conclusion; the story very much depends on your decisions as a character. In this RPG, you don't just roll dice to hit things - you play a role. Your choice of stats and skills has a big impact on the options available - not just in terms of how you can solve a given quest, but what quests, characters, and even locations are available to you in the first place. As a consequence, there is no way to experience the entire game in one go. Don't think that this is a negative, however, because each play-through is varied enough that it's worth your while to run through the game two or three times. Personally, I first stabbed my way through the game as a streetwise, spear-wielding mercenary, and then immediately started over to experience the game as a combat-adverse loremaster. Totally different experiences, not just in terms of plot but also of play style; the first run felt like a tactical RPG, while the second played out like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book with lots of skill checks. I have just one gripe and one bit of advice. The gripe: While the game is non-linear, the game is divided roughly into a few major acts. You aren't always sufficiently warned when embarking on a quest will usher you irreversibly into the next act - causing you to miss out on a lot of potential story. You learn quickly to save before any serious-sounding quest, just in case. The advice: Don't rush to spend all your skill points, especially if playing a pacifist. You never know what skill checks the game might throw at you, and it pays to be flexible.