Turn based, tactical goodness.
Pop quiz hotshot: Three Bugbears have launched an attack against your party in a confined room, your thief is knocked unconscious and your barbarian is soaking up shots like an underground ooze and your wizard is down to her last spell. More of the creatures are approaching from a nearby tunnel and the bugbear leader has just gone wild with battle rage...things are getting hairy.
So what ya gonna do hotshot?
And the answer is, 'Well this being Temple Of Elemental Evil my good sir, i can bally well do quite a lot thank-you very much, now bugger off and let me play'.
TOEE is all about the combat. As an rpg it has little to offer other than it's setting, as a turn based combat dungeon crawler it provides entertainment in spades.
From the intial party creation the level of detail is apparent. There are a nice mixture of character classes and a huge number of skills and special feats to choose from alongside the many spells. Weapons too are expanded to an impressive armoury, and whilst a typical two handed sword may provide hefty damage, the more unsual length of spiked chain or ranseur have different benefits that may make choosing a weapon proficiency a harder choice than in other rpg's.
The ruleset used in TOEE was a newer version than most other D&D games had used previously, and while at first glance it is overwhelming it does lead to a more tactical and enjoyable combat-intensive game. Tooltips provide a brief description of the different abilities, but it still takes a bit of patience and time to sift through all the data.
The game itself is a visually pleasent isomentric world, filled with nicely animated monsters and special effects with an unsual electronic soundtrack rather than a typical fantasy fanfare. Depending on the alignment chosen, the reason for you party's adventure in the world of Greywolf could range from a missing persons case to wanton 'just for the hell of it' destruction.
Choosing an alignment and watching a different opening cutscene and endgame scene is really about as rpg as TOEE gets. A few of the NPC's will appear in a different light depending on your alignment, but TOEE is all about busting dungeons wide open and tackling ever greater..and more numerous threats to your party.
From lumbering and deadly giants to annoying ticks, the monster list in TOEE is fantastic and contains some classic D&D baddies like the giant gelatinous cube, which i don't think i had ever seen in a pc game before. Combined with the games difficulty...getting that first experience level can be a pain..and you will treat the new and oversized creatures you meet with caution until you know just what their strengths and weaknesses are.
To deal with the enemies encountered on your quest the list of combat options is impressive. Do you fight defensively or charge into the fray for extra damage? Cast a spell or ready a counter spell? Move, run, trip an opponent, slice them open while they lie unconsious. The list goes on and the higher up the level ladder you climb the more feats and spells that become available to your characters..even crafting magical weapons or potions becomes an option.
The curse of the Troika bugs is no longer an issue with TOEE, so if your a fan of deep and challenging turn based, squad level strategy then this game is a must. The original release contained a couple of towns, outdoor locations (and random encounter maps) and a starter dungeon as well as the Temple itself. The Circle Of Eight mod changes many things in the game and adds a heap of content, so if you do purchase the game make sure to grab their download.
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