While it is very much a product of its time and a prototype for its superior sequel, Baldur's Gate still holds up. Generally speaking, the gameplay has aged rather well, especially when compared to more cumbersome RPGs of its era: the combat and inventory systems are surprisingly straightforward and easy to get a hold of. Since you have up to 6 characters with limited AI to manage (or rather babysit) simultaneously, some fights can get a bit chaotic, but as a DnD game there are largely enough options and combat configurations to make battles strategic and interesting: spells, buffs and debuffs, melee and ranged weapons... You have a lot to work with, and it's solid stuff. Overall, BG nails the feeling of liberty and adventure it's going for. The gameplay largely focuses on exploring cities and forests and stumbling upon unexpected quests and hostile encounters. Not a whole lot of time is spent in dungeons, which, frankly, feels fresh - even if a lot of the areas you get to visit feel a bit empty and make for somewhat repetitive gameplay. And while the game is no literary masterpiece, the story and dialogues are definitely solid and do a great job of making you feel like an adventurer sent unto an epic quest. It helps that the graphics still mostly hold up to this day: the prerendered and painted backgrounds not only ooze charm, they also look legitimately good and have aged pretty damn well! While this “Enhanced Edition” lets you play in HD and offers a new expansion and some neat tweaks, it also makes some unnecessary and inauthentic changes: the “modern” cutscenes look like fanarts and are somewhat jarring, the new characters and quests are kind of sweet but rather out-of-place... And for all these changes that no in-game option lets you revert, it feels like a lot of issues are left uncorrected. It's still a decent way to play BG for the first time, and at least purchasing it lets you retrieve the original game, but it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
Rune is brutal fun, and an emblem of this era when 3D games started to look good, while also being creative and ambitious in their storytelling. It is a simple and raw action game: the lack of autolock or combo system makes it feels like a movement shooter without guns rather than a beat 'em up, but the controls are very functional. Taking your biggest weapon and staying mobile while slicing enemies to bits is usually the go-to strategy, made even more satisfying by a fun dismemberment system! The most original feature is that each weapon lets you use a special power, often with devastating results. The level design is good and mixes combat, exploration and puzzles in a well-balanced manner. Common complaints, however, are that the exits are often hidden and hard to find, and that Rune's first hours are mostly about fighting annoying enemies, making for a rather unexciting start. Much like a Viking version of Half-Life or Unreal (which shares its graphic engine), most of the fun and epicness comes from the great sense of escalation given by the campaign, and the feeling of exploring a living world. The environments are huge, have awesome landscapes and architectures, and most of the narration and worldbuilding is done through visuals: while atmospheric and strange, the places you visit are grounded in a sense of practicality and detail which makes the whole game world surprisingly believable. The art direction and animations are pretty good for their time, and a great deal of emphasis is put on how brutal and grim this world and its inhabitants are – the overly manly way your character moves, grunts and picks up items is something to behold! This release lets you play both the original and "enhanced" versions of the game – I personally stuck with the original, which I think feels more authentic, although the newer one is apparently more player-friendly. Whatever you choose, Rune is a badass adventure that has some rough patches, but remains thoroughly awesome!
Made a while ago by two then-amateur developers, Anodyne may be a fairly unimpressive game, but it's still a fun romp and a commendable effort. It's clearly very Zelda-like in its gameplay and presentation (even though it's a bit more than a clone), and extremely basic in the way it plays. New elements will fortunately often come shake things up: each new enemy has its quirks and patterns that are fun to learn, and the puzzles mechanics are solidly implemented. Overall, Anodyne does not have much, but it does a lot with it. Sadly, it kind of overestimates the quality of its gameplay, and some platforming sections and hectic boss battle end up suffering of the limited set of moves – which is too bad, since a lot of those sections are otherwise quite well-designed! The music is good. The graphics are a bit uneven but do a fine job of creating a moody atmosphere and the look of a 16-bits game. The environments are sprawling, even maybe a bit too maze-like for their own good, and the game rarely directs you to your next stop: you never really know if you're on your way to advance the plot or just to a bonus location, so your appreciation of Anodyne may vary depending on how much you enjoy exploring a world that does not hold your hand and lets you get lost. There's about 6 hours of playtime, which is just the right length. Despite its qualities, Anodyne still felt sort of uninspired to me. It has some really bizarre and interesting moments but they don't really come together, and it includes almost every trope of early-to-mid-2010s indie games: it has pixel art graphics, it's quirky, it's contemplative, it has a psychological subtext, it's pretty derivative... and it ends up feeling kind of generic and unremarkable because of that. I would thus not really recommend it, but if you're a fan of old-school Zelda games or eccentric indie stuff like Undertale or Fez, and if you are willing to overlook its simplicity and occasional jankiness, then Anodyne may be your jam.
Tomb Raider: Legend totally rules. It keeps the over-the-top spirit of early installments intact, while bringing their gameplay into the modern age. The levels cleverly alternate between puzzles, platforming, and gunfights. The platforming is a ton of fun and makes great use of Lara Croft's movement palette, and while the combat could be more “mouse and keyboard-oriented”, it still has its share of badass moves and satisfying kills - it's the kind of game that was clearly designed for consoles, so you may want to play it with a controller. Overall, the campaign has a great pace: you will visit both ancient temples and modern facilities, each with their own design gimmicks, and when exploring a given location starts to get old, you get sent to a totally different one! The difficulty is also well-balanced, it's neither too hard nor too easy. The plot is... decent enough. It's written with the tone that best suits this franchise: serious and emotional when the situation allows it, and humorous and snarky when it needs to be. Lara Croft never misses an occasion to throw a quip, and the banter between her and her associates is often funny. The music is beautiful, and while it's a game of its time graphics-wise, the visuals are satisfying – the character animations still hold up, and environments usually have a great mood to them. There's also a crap-ton of bonus galleries and outfits to unlock, which is a great touch! If I had to find stuff to nitpick, I'd say that it has a few poorly-aged quirks that were typical of its era, like quasi-comical ragdoll physics and QTE sections that could be integrated more organically into the gameplay; you may encounter some bugs; the motorcycle sections have “meh” controls; finding all the hidden items can be a bit of a chore if you go for 100% completion; and finally, the last levels of the game are a bit anticlimactic and the cliffhanger ending is a let down. But otherwise? Legend is a ton of fun, and you should give it a go!
First, let's appreciate the fact that Tomb Raider 1 was an ideal candidate for a remake. Don't get me wrong, it is a classic: it had good level design and many innovative mechanics, but nowadays, its clunky tank controls and blocky graphics make it hard to play for anything else than its nostalgic and cultural value. Updating the game with better visuals and gameplay was not only a great idea, it also was necessary, and TR: Anniversary did just that! Since the controls are almost the same from TR: Legend, the game is easy to get a hold of, and is great fun to play. The platforming sections are awesome, so are the movements, and the combat is satisfying - if kind of limited. On top of this, this game also tries to preserve what made the original TR great... and it absolutely nails it. The equipment system forces you to be careful with your supplies; the levels are entirely remade to feel more grounded and natural, but the layouts, puzzles and design gimmicks that made the success of TR1 are still recognizable! A great job has been done on the atmosphere: while it looks a lot better, the feeling of isolation and claustrophobia that prevailed in Lara Croft's first adventure is alive and well here, to the point that Anniversary almost gives off survival horror vibes at times – but it still have its moments of wonder and breathtaking discoveries! The cutscenes build upon the story and bring nuance to the characters, which is neat. TR:A still has flaws. Much like the original, the 5 or 6 last levels are less fun and highlight the few design flaws of the game; it is buggy; and it's sadly the only classic TR game to have been remade. But overall, it fully understands what made its predecessor so good, and greatly expands upon it. It makes the adventure a lot friendlier to modern players, without bastardizing it or dumbing it down. It makes you feel what you would have felt playing it on a PS1 in 1996, without clunky controls and experimental mechanics. It's worth a buy!
Invisible War, while entertaining, is the textbook example of a dumbed down sequel. It was blatantly designed to target a perceived audience of console gamers, and as such feels lackluster in almost every regard. What a rotten way to die... Character customization has been stripped down to its minimum. The skill system is gone, you can uninstall your augmentations whenever you want, and all guns use universal ammo: in short, there are no lasting consequences as to how you build your character, and you can basically change your playstyle on a whim. The vast open levels have been replaced by small interconnected areas: the alternate routes and emergent gameplay that made Deus Ex so good are drastically reduced here, there are often no more that two or three different ways to go through a section. Due to much shorter dialog and levels, the campaign is twice as short as its predecessor and feels rushed. And despite running on a more advanced engine, the graphics are a lot more drab than the original DE: the decent lighting and textures do not make up for the lack of groundedness and detail on display here. So, are there things to salvage?... Well, yes. DE:IW even has a few advantages over its legendary brother. The combat is less janky, there are more secondary quests on offer (even though they tend to consist in basic fetch quests), and some of the gameplay changes like passive augs make it more player-friendly. The plot is fine, and there is some good dialog and a lot to enjoy in the worldbuilding: it's a lot more “sci-fiesque” than DE in its aesthetics, but the various factions and technologies on display are very interesting and imaginative overall. So, while there are a few things here that are worth a playthrough, IW is disappointing. It would be an interesting curiosity if it had no ties to the Deus Ex franchise, but it pales in comparison to its predecessor. You wanted orange? This game gave you lemon lime: it's not bad, but the taste is just not the same.
The brainchild of developer Jacob Janerka, Paradigm is a thoroughly fun adventure game. It will entertain you for a few hours with its weird tone, colorful visuals, cool puzzles, and its sexy protagonist who may or may not feel weirdly relatable. Taking place in a weird post-apocalyptic version of eastern Europe (or possibly regular eastern Europe), the game is nothing short of quirky when it comes to its atmosphere and worldbuilding: alcoholic mutant dogs, perverted AIs, cone-based superheroes... most things you see and interact with rank pretty high on the scale of insanity! Overall, lots of efforts were clearly put into Paradigm: the visuals are creative and detailed, and the soundtrack, sound design and voice acting are usually solid, making for a game that is refined, unique and fun in its aesthetics. Your mileage may vary on the humor: it's absurd, deadpan, and pretty dark at times - but never really feels mean-spirited or offensive. Even though some jokes fall flat or are already dated (the whole meta, fourth-wall busting aspect is very “mid-2010s”), it's hard not to giggle at some of the wackiest situations and lines here: you can tell Janerka had a great deal of fun writing it! I don't think the game has any big flaws, but it could have been improved: while its tone, visuals and story are certainly unique, gameplay-wise, Paradigm does not exactly break boundaries. It is a very standard point-and-click game which rarely feels experimental or original in the way it plays: you talk to people, find new items, use them on stuff, and you get to play a minigame from time to time. It is fun enough, and the low difficulty makes it a good choice for those unfamiliar with adventure games, but it's not particularly great. The writing remains the main selling point here. But hey, if you're looking for something in the spirit of computer games of old, or for an entry point to the genre, Paradigm is a good pick. It's well-crafted, funny, imaginative and even memorable!
Mixing first-person perspective, cyberpunk world, role-playing, deep customization and freedom of action, Deus Ex remains an unchallenged masterpiece. Now, let's be clear: it sucks absolute *ss if you play it as an FPS game. The clunky feel of the weapons and weird enemy behavior makes the strategy of running around and gunning people down reliable, but unfun, and a lot of the RPG elements are ungracefully implemented: cybernetic augs and special skills tend to be clumsy. But, the thing is: DE is a lot more than a shooter, or even an RPG. It is an adventure game all about possibilities, alternate paths, and choices that have repercussions: once you learn how to use items, body mods and skills to their full potential, you start to see each level as an open-ended playfield that lets you go forward the way you see fit. Lay traps! Sneak up! Snipe enemies from afar! Backstab them or knock them out! Hack bots to do your dirty job! Talk to NPCs to find clues! Blow up doors, or just pick their locks! I have finished it about ten times now, and not only do I still find new content, never have I completed a level twice the same way! Few games nail this feeling of liberty of action: how many recent titles let you kill children with cigarette smoke?! Hell, even the interface and controls are surprisingly well-designed and easy to get a hold of! The storyline is also pretty good due to solid twists and intriguing plot points. As a cyberpunk tale, it has a lot of interesting things to say about politics and the future of mankind – a lot of which is discussed through in-game docs and dialogues. It is quite riveting, and even the few bad writing and acting bits are very memeable (“A BOMB!”). And I don't even have room here to talk about the great atmosphere! So, yeah, DE can be hard to get into, and some levels (notably the last ones) are a bit weak. It's also an immortal classic that has rarely been successfully imitated and that every computer gamer should play at least once!
The gameplay is simple: you're trapped in series of arenas with dozens of enemies. They know where you are, they really want you dead, and it's up to you to slaughter them all. Painkiller... is hysterical. Literally. This game won't shut up. At all times, your senses are assaulted by screaming enemies, explosions and heavy metal music, an unending flow of madness where every second could be your last, and it's awesome. This sense of insanity would not be as effective if Painkiller's gameplay was not so solid. You move from one fight to the next without any key hunting, spending most of the time shooting stuff. Each weapon has two fire modes, which usually complement each other really well and put a good twist on the classical FPS arsenal: safe for maybe the weird chainsaw / grappling hook combo, they are insanely satisfying and relevant up until the end of the game. The slow movement speed makes sense since you're supposed to bunnyhop relentlessly. A “magic cards” system lets you unlock special abilities and powers: it's a bit unnecessary, but a neat touch nonetheless. I should also mention the atmosphere: not only is the music awesome, but a huge effort was put into making every level look unique and credible. The well-aged graphics, good art direction and badass architecture turn each stage into eye-candy! Sadly, this is not a perfect game. It has quite a few bugs; the secrets are absurdly well-hidden and demand to perform weird movements to be found; the story is anecdotal; the expansion is fine, but skippable; the healing items dropped by enemies tend to discourage you from staying mobile (this mechanic is removed on extra-hard mode, which actually makes it really fun); the boss fights, while visually impressive, tend to get janky and unsatisfying. Still, for all its faults and its apparent simplicity, Painkiller remains an absolute banger 17 years later. It is one of the most intense action games of its time, and an absolute blast to play and replay through!
I had never heard about Septerra Core. I randomly found it here, thought it had a cool name, played the demo and then bought it. It turns out that this small game, clearly inspired by JRPGs in its visuals, storytelling and gameplay, actually... kinda rules?... Granted, it is quite “meh” in some regards. 90% of the game is spent inside dungeons, which gets old fast: over and over again, you'll be solving the same switch puzzles and fighting the same monsters. The combat is reminiscent of FFIV or Chrono Trigger: it has some neat ideas and interesting features, like a magic cards system... but overall it tends to feel repetitive and slooow (no option to speed up animations), which would not be as bad is there was not SO MUCH of it! Despite these shortcomings, SC shines where it matters, and manages to be exciting enough for you to keep on playing. The plot, which follows the journey of a band of young adventurers, takes more and more epic proportions as it goes on, and it's good stuff. It is set in a very interesting world too, with a lot of cool, unconventional lore, as well as mythological and technological particularities that are often cleverly inserted into the story; despite their very low res, the visuals are fine and depict the setting with a lot of creativity. The characters are not very complex, but charming and unique enough to be likeable – plus, all are fully and solidly voiced! As for the exploration, you often have to figure out on your own how to progress using mechanics clearly borrowed from point'n'click games, rarely do you simply get directed to your next stop: it is more compelling than most JRPGs I have played, but also makes it easy to get stuck! In short, SC basically has the pros and cons of a JRPG: the gameplay can be unexciting, but there's clearly a huge amount of love and care put into the overall writing. It may not qualify as a hidden gem, but if you're out of classic JRPGs to play, this one is actually pretty solid and endearing!
