NB version reviewed is the 1995 DOS CD (with voice acting) version. This game is a masterpiece. Along with X-Wing, they set the standard for future space sim games such as X-Wing Alliance, Wing Commander Prophecy and Descent Freespace. The story is a most exquisite space opera. The gameplay is enjoyable, and challenging - often like solving a puzzle, where the puzzle is where to be and what to shoot to complete your objectives. (The difficulty is somewhat more fair than X-Wing too!) The event driven iMuse music matches in-game events closely, and in combination with the in-flight voice-acted dialogue improves the immersion into this fantasy galaxy. Few games induce tremors or cause me to sweat because, after playing a mission 10 times, you are further than you ever got before. Such are the emotions that Tie Fighter induces. Alongside the main story arc are bonus objectives that the Secret Order (mysterious cult under direct command of the Emperor) ask you to complete - adding an extra layer of challenge. Despite its age, the 1995 version looks acceptable in 640 * 480 graphics resolution. Only a few nit-picking critisms: I personally would have preferred more missions depicting the struggling factions as portrayed in the films (but this is a matter of taste). Sometimes missions were difficult to beat - but then this game was made in an era that really made you work to make progress - completing certain missions was a real achievement. Unfortunately you cannot assign wingment to defend targets - only attack. (Perhaps a feature rather than a flaw?) If an Advanced Concussion Missile is fired at you, it is *very* difficult to shoot down! Beware. It has been an enjoyable two years (playing on-and-off) playing Tie Fighter. Let's hope that the resurgence in the popularity of the Star Wars films will lead this game series to be revived!
When I was young, I used to love Typing of the Dead. I loved the concept -- use touch-typing skills to defeat enemies and progress through the story. Epistory appears to be its conceptual successor. Much like TotD, you type your way to unlock items and kill enemies. Epistory moves this up a level by allowing you to walk through the world and choosing power-ups (earned by gaining experience points). Therefore it combines 'type-'em-up' with RPG for a fantastic gameplay experience. The typing challenges were slightly on the easy side (despite leaving the adaptive difficulty setting on). Nevertheless, I feel that this was a good decision, as I never encountered an unbeatable challenge. The graphics are truly a work of art, inspired and modelled against paper and origami. There is a theme here revolving around paper, writing and story-telling, the artwork reflects this. This game also gets a bonus point as it runs flawlessly on Linux (using Kubuntu 16.04). Despite my enthusiasm for Epistory, there is room for improvement, which I hope the developers will take note of if they ever make an 'Epistory 2'. The story is quite metaphorical and relies on implication. I didn't really understand it, but this is a personal preference. I found some walking and typing set-piece puzzles rather simple. I would have enjoyed some extra challenge. The font ought to be adjustable, though the default was easily readable. There should be an option for British English typing words (though a mod is available for this, I understand). A greater variety of enemies (visually) would have been more entertaining. Some additional music tracks might have made each boss encounter unique. There appears to be a scoreboard for "Arena" challenges, but a true LAN or internet multiplayer would have increased the replayability immensely - and add some much-needed human competition! Well done Fishing Cactus, I'm looking forward to a sequel!
