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I loved the aesthetic of this game, but the systems were so complex I had to keep consulting the manual. I don't have a physical copy of that so continually canceling the game to look at it was a pain. Now though there's been a DosBox update and I can play the game windowed, with the PDF of the manual right near by. I can finally learn this game and play it as it was meant to be! Thanks Gog :D
No time limit. No threats. No obligations to even 100% a task. Just a couple clear jobs to do, tools to do them with, and a fun little environment to explore. I love this game for its simplicity and satisfaction and definite impression of progression, like improving your office between missions or learning perks to improve your work efficiency. There's an economics game for later on and the tasks are entertaining even if they do repeat. There's some issues with finding really hidden objects or unclear objectives, but then you just turn in the task as close to complete as you can for a cash reward you can use on other jobs. Pleasant music, pleasant colors. If you have a bad computer like me just set all the settings low and you can still enjoy the game!
It functions fine, looks great, and the only thing missing is a manual which might be added later. But just in case, here's the only controls you need to know. T - Take U - Use L - Look S - Speak I - Inventory D - Save and Exit
Moon logic governs a lot of these puzzles which would mean less if there was more than one to tackle at a time, but so often I found myself just plain stuck because I hadn't thought to rub a seemingly pointless object on an NPC that seemed completely unrelated. The general premise of a patently evil religious leader and his regime got REALLY tiresome after awhile. You'll know all the twists by the end of the introduction because you've seen this story a million times before. It's not a bold revelation when the traditionally dressed religious straw man who mutters empty platitudes turns out to be the villain and the mysterious creatures threatening the land turn out to be a conspiracy. Every puzzle however seems convinced this is a big original notion, and it doesn't even wink at the audience to let them know this generic plot in an intentional goof. Feel how you will about religion, several hours of grumbling about it get stale. The lead character goes from being enjoyably innocent to annoyingly naive and dense. If there was more humor and less haranguing I'd be considerably less annoyed. Nice music anyway.
Masquerada is a game I wanted to love but ended up not finishing. The time I spent in the game had charm, but the constantly mindless grind of combat is a real drain when it tends to boil down to using the same abilities over and over again. Reminded me of Dragon Age 2 in which heaps of enemies are mistaken for interesting challenges. In the beginning the unique Venetian aesthetic is fascinating and there is a ton of lore, but even that becomes opaque with weird words replacing ordinary concepts and only explained in a glossary of collectable entires. The style of the art is simple and bright, from cutscenes to gameplay, but almost nothing is intractable in the same environment. NPCs without full dialogue just emit speech bubbles and otherwise are just background elements. You make no decisions in dialogue. It might as well be a visual novel. And about halfway through the intriguing concepts give way to an overlong social message which seems out of place, barely defined, and frankly quite preachy. With the original epic story in shambles I couldn't bring myself to endure more boring combat to see the unsatisfying conclusion. Play if you like the world, but you might get just as much enjoyment watching the CGI introduction which condenses the good of the game into a couple of minutes, and might have made for a fine animated series.
This is the best RPG I've ever played just in terms of the sheer amount to do, the personality, the tone of adventure and discovery. It's dated only in the graphics but the UI is easy to use with so many shortcuts added just to make the experience that much more enjoyable. It's difficult, but fairly so and makes the climb to greatness feel earned and satisfying. It's an RPG in that you really do feel like you're playing roles. So many little details keep you engaged with your party such as their little grins or frowns as they fail of succeed at tasks or even so much as get a good or bad deal at a store. The music is beautiful, the world intriguing, sound effects on point, tons to do and more to see. Just click on stones to find hidden caches, overhear conversations and go on quests, get drunk...it's all possible! Only thing holding it back is the limitations of contemporary hardware comparatively. The game tends to run in a tiny window and you need to set the compatibility before it will function at all, but there's mods to improve the experience. If you haven't played an MM game, this is the one. Nostalgia might be contributing to my opinion, but I went back and played it and it's better than ever.
This game is more of what I wish GTA could be: no time limits, just a kill score to rack up pulling off moves and blowing things up! This is a lot like Max Payne if he was directed by Robert Rodriguez. You have a big hub world environment to explore, cars to jack, missions to play and replay, and challenges that are less about frustration than fun. I dug it a lot, from gathering icons to boost status and bye new 'loco moves' to just enjoying the soundtrack and goofy characters. It's a little rough around the edges but I cannot fault it for this. Frantic gun battles ARE frantic but you can finesse them with practice, if you're tired of running around look for a car, and when the game did put the wrong walk cycles on pedestrians it almost seemed intentional (try not to laugh when you see a burly Mexican mincing along like a runway model). Jumping is imprecise but there's no really imperative jumping puzzles. Even the escort missions gives you EVERY opportunity to keep the guy you need to keep alive safe, having him wait for you if you veer off looking for secrets and fight back if attacked. Overall one of my new favorite sand-box combat games!
Both of these games are amazingly addictive. There's so much to collect and you can spend hours just making the perfect character let along traversing huge dungeons and fighting tons of diverse creatures! Menoberanzan is a free ranging story-based game with pretty decent graphics and tons to do by itself but I find Dungeon Hack to be my go-to. It's a full customizable dungeon-in-a-box from your character to the type of dungeon you want to explore (how many floors, what level of monsters, the amount of keys and doors and traps...etc) and if you enjoy the kind of game with fast paced tense battles while gathering equipment, improving stats, and finding out how to open the next doorway this is the game for you. Neither game is easy but they're not unfair, they just come from the early days of D&D where you rested for days to heal your paltry health and when you might be able to kill a goblin in a sword stroke but they're just as capable of getting in a lucky hit themselves. Exciting, beautifully paced, vastly customizable and the dated graphics are no obstacle to two terrific games!
Lands of Lore is interestingly an upgrade in this edition compared to the original game. The midi music is the best sounding I've ever heard it and the graphics look crisp and bright! The game itself is a pleasurable mix of puzzles and combat without either being too complex and if you look around you can find a compass, a map, and a lantern to make every different scenario slightly more convenient. You can really hear the original Westwood team from the music to some returning voice actors from the Kyrandia series. There's a lot of personality you can't even find in a modern game like Legend of Grimrock with characters remarking on things and companions replying to them. The second game is not nearly as smooth but was a noble effort and has the same charm and streamlined nature. I wish it had stuck to the isometric scheme but that's probably just me. Overall great games and not just for nostalgia. They're pretty lengthy and you'll enjoy your time spent looking for secrets, fighting orcs, and casting spells.