Posted on: September 5, 2012
Jarved12
Zweryfikowany użytkownikGry: 431 Opinie: 9
Redeemed by the Combat System alone.
It's only on the GOG release that I've seriously sat down and made an effort to play this game. It's a mixed bag... but incredibly enjoyable. If you stick with it. The Circle of 8 modpack is a must. Easy to install - Win 7 - it tweaks the game so more of the crippling bugs are absent. It also rips up the (ludicrously low) level cap. The plot is simple. Go to village. Find temple. Slay bad guys. Although the first village is in danger of putting folk off the game altogether. The inhabitants of Hommlet are a fickle, tedious lot and don't waste much time in giving a raft of dull, uninspiring quests to fix their soap-opera lives. "I'm an adventurer!" "Really? Old man grumpy is grumpy ever since his wife died. Maybe you could hook him up with the widow up the road" or "clear out the very small grove of a couple of spiders". Meandering side-quests and dull conversation options mean this is no Baldurs Gate. Don't expect a story-driven epic here - unless you want to be disappointed. Treat it as a dungeon crawl and you'll have a far better time. Character creation is lengthy with plenty of options(for D&D newbies the manual is essential) although some may miss the additional races and classes that come with later rule sets. The inventory screens and spells are functional at best. Not a game-breaker, but their simplicity feels a little jarring. Graphics while your party or exploring their surroundings are excellent. 3D models on 2D backgrounds. Incredibly well detailed and animated with all customizations showing up on your party (although losing characters behind walls is nothing short of irritating). The backgrounds are richly detailed and incredibly well done. Pathfinding can be atrocious on occasions. And the music - an interesting synth based score which occasionally seems out of place - is also refreshing from the standard fantasy fare. What makes this work... is the combat system which is nothing short of excellent. The early fights can be frustrating but stick with it past that... and there's a gem here. Zombies and clerics can be turned to fight for your cause. NPC's can be recruited (although they're a bunch of greedy bastards so it's doubtful you'll shed any tears when they meet their demise). Creatures can be summoned to create a small army. Tactical options abound and a radial menu (which takes a little getting used to if you've been weened on a diet of hot bars) makes considering your options and selecting your next move a breeze. Positioning your party, balancing your ranged and melee fighters whilst protecting your (excellently animated) spell casters who are bombarding the enemy while employing a range of tactics to unbalance, confuse, pummel and ultimately decimate your opponent. Battles are fantastic. On more than one occasion it feels more like a game of chess (on steroids). There are comments the game is short. I'm no D&D veteran so I feel I'm getting my moneys worth (read: I'm a hopeless player). Aside from CO8's sterling work there are no other additional modules or adventures which is a shame. Despite its faults this game does deserve more. Can a game be redeemed by its a combat system alone? I think it can. It's a dungeon crawl. Nothing more. I still want to burn Hommlet to the ground (sadly the game won't let me do that although I can ruthlessly slaughter it's inhabitants without mercy - a fate I think they deserve). But the exploration of dungeons and plotting the take down of the next batch of minions lifted from the monster manual is addictive, fun and satisfying. Just don't let Hommlet put you off. It does get better.
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