Betrayal at Krondor Pack

This is one of the first RPG games I ever played. I remember fondly the puzzles to open the chests, and finding out that GoG had released it and I could now play it on my new computers has made my day!

Betrayal at Krondor is one of those RPGs that has it all: A fun, challenging combat system, rewarding character growth, heroes you'll grow to love both on and off the battlefield, memorable combats both easy and difficult, powerful weapons, spells, and dozens of groovy items. Most of all, it tells a good story, and it does it well. Utilizing the fantasy world of a bestselling fantasy author (this being several years after some excellent Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms D&D games started coming out), this game is based in the world of Midkemia and its war-weary Kingdom of the Isles. You've got the mysterious Gorath, a dark elf prisoner with a white beard, being escorted to Krondor by Seigneur Locklear (basically a squire) to bring news of a new plot with assassins on their heels, while the novice magician Owen caught up in the ride. So you've got the first chapter's goal: Bring Gorath to Krondor! Your motley crew starts off quite square: Gorath is the strong and slow guy, Locklear is an overall excellent warrior, and poor Owen's only good spell is a blindness spell whose mechanics the game doesn't even explain to you (though it's good). These and your other party members improve on a total of 16 skills plus their Strength stat very gradually with practice. Trust me, you will see their fighting skills and especially their equipment and magic become the stuff of champions. There's the same level of detail and variety in the items: not just Rations, but poisoned and spoiled rations, "Days Rations" of quality food sold in taverns that offer no in-game benefit, the abnormal ailments: each ranging from 1-100% strength, mostly hard to shake off, and several having key roles in the plot or game world, and the small towns: you'll love walking up to doors just to see if there's a shop to sell all that junk you're carrying, and finding a friendly villager making polite conversation instead. You'll look forward to Gorath's insightful observations (with full character body portrait) when he detects an enemy ambush. It's the game's narration that uses these otherwise boring mechanics to immerse you in the game world and story. The overall gameplay and combat system is different. You need to rest to heal for the most part, keep track of rations, repair your equipment, and follow the yellow roads to your goal (or get lost hunting for treasure chests!). You usually see the enemy you're about to fight, and during combats you alternate between movement, accurate thrusts, strong swings, using magic, plus Defend and Rest options. I know it sounds difficult to learn a completely new RPG system, but it's not boring in this case. By the time you fight this game's first really terrible battle (and it's pretty early!), you'll have it all figured out and be hooked on this game. Betrayal at Krondor was one of the last pre-Windows 95 compatible computer RPGs that came out, a mega-leech on the computer memory in its day, and it was worth it. It earns a solid A in my book.

Betrayel at krondor is THE game of my high-school years. So far, I have not played another game that make me feel similar. I really hope somebody will remake the game again.

Krondor was my first experience with a real openworld RPG with an excellent story. Antara is a good game, with a not-quite-as-good story. Krondor is old now and it shows. But work your way past the clunky GUI and the dated graphics and you have a true experience waiting for you.

Why do I call this amazing gem a fantasy novel type RPG and not simply fantasy, you might ask. Simple - because its gameplay feels like playing through a good book, with an unbelievable degree of immersion. What made Keanu sad was the realization of how much time he wasted on that amateurish simulation when perfection had been available for years (and for free too). Now I know, the fantasy part sounds like the typical car salesman line of nearly any RPG ever made (Immerse yourself in a world of fantasy!). Now there are some amazing games for which this undeniably holds true - in Morrowind you have unprecedented freedom in an amazingly stunning environment, while in Baldur's Gate you can find the apex of the AD&D fantasy genre (yes, which excludes the best one ever - Torment) in terms of story, gameplay and enjoyment. Yet both games, radically different as they are, lack something which makes Krondor unique - being story driven. The contrast to Morrowind is obvious, since the game hardly has any plot story at all (but more than makes up for it with its atmosphere elements; all those lovably insane books are unforgettable). Baldur, don't get me wrong, has a great story, *and* excellent RPG gameplay. They are, however, separate. There are side quests, there is the main quest. In Krondor, the gameplay *is* the story. You are constantly progressing in the plot in the course of your travels, as strictly speaking, there are few true side quests. The beauty of it is, it feels free. The battle system is brutally realistic, hammering in the crucial importance of who gets the drop on whom. Your party does not survive on steel and magic - they require food rations to sustain them on their journey through the kingdom and beyond. While this might sound random and arduous, it is amazingly enjoyable for the realism it provides. Not for no reason does Tolkien spend a good deal of preparation narrative in The Hobbit on food supplies. Guiding a small band of endearing characters through the perils of a kingdom in an era of strife would just not be the same without having to think about food. Storywise, It puts you right in the midst of things with a limited perspective, and lets you gradually, sometimes coincidentally, discover more about the world you find yourself in. The lore is extensive and thought out, immediately betraying being the work of a master. All in all, the game is an experience and a marvel. Its "sequel" is not. I would say it did not deserve to share the praised name of its predecessor, were it not utterly deserving of having 'betrayal' in its title. While the treachery is mysterious in Krondor, it is immediately obvious who the betrayed one is in Antara - perhaps the first item the game lets you find should be a mirror. This abomination is a prime example of the tyranny of "progress" in the gaming industry - it improves on redundant or harmful facets while preserving little of the soul of the original. The story is as bland as could be imagined - an unlikely hero discovers hidden powers and embarks on a journey. Not that classics cannot be good, but here it comes across as cringeworthy cheesy. The graphics engine is "improved" - it is indeed smoother, but the surroundings have become ugly, the towns confusing, the movement vertigo-inducing. Not even combat has been spared - it is now smoother as well, but cartoonish, and not just slightly. When you behold what used to be a mighty fireball in Krondor having become a pitiful flying red worm, you know this is not a game you will ever love. Enemies outside of battle are now static figures, which I assume has to do with the "improved" engine. In krondor, your movement was dictated by steps. Whenever you encountered enemies, they would move with every step you took until you managed or botched sneaking up to them and battle was initiated. With the new smooth movement, there is no steps, so enemies just stand in certain places forever until you decide to fight them. It does wonders to make the world believable. They added voice acting because they could. As is ever the case with voice acting which is not done well, it does not help. No, I've had enough. Honestly. I could list the countless flaws, but basically all Antara is is part of the battle and world travel mechanics of Krondor. You might think that those were really good and another game, even a completely different one, utilizing them might be worthwhile in itself. Sadly, everything about it is so uninspired that all it ever does is point out the industry's fetish for "better" graphics, forced voice acting and lack of essence. All it ever does is scream its flaws at you. Its shallowness. Its betrayal.