Background–I love RPGs. From Wizardry, Ultima, Bards Tale, Wasteland to Diablo and World of Warcraft. While not every RPG interests me, I do enjoy a few. I saw ATOM RPG a couple of months ago and thought, I have enough games, maybe I’ll wait for a sale”. It went on sale and I bought it. I’ve probably played for about 10 hours now. I have to say the backdrop story is a little light, but not bad. The mechanics of global map movement, in town/area movement, and combat are perfect. The graphics are good. I like the intro tutorial which gives you a chance to figure out how the game works (picking locks, moving around, opening things, combat, shooting, etc). The suspense, adventure, exploration, and survival keep you involved. I wouldn’t say it’s totally open world because you have boundaries, but they are far out. Plenty of quests to keep you busy in most of the areas you visit. This really feels like a Wasteland type game, but for the 2000s. I have not found any fault with the game yet and would recommend this to others. I like the realism of dealing with poison, radiation, hunger/food forcing you to weigh decisions you make on resources available. I like that your weapon's ammo is not infinite. You really need to think about which enemies deserve a bullet and which ones get shanked or axed to death. I like crafting so far, but hope that it opens up more options for my character (in terms of recipes) later on. Not much I can make now worth anything. To craft, you need to scavenge, check out everything, and take everything you can. Advice/opinion: 1)Save the game! It will auto-save usually leaving/entering an area, but save as you go in an area. 2)melee or martial arts to start off with seem pretty important. I put points in big firearms - wished I had waited until I leveled up more to do that. Melee OR martial arts 3)found the gambling was helpful, made money when I gambled 4)some areas looting is stealing, others it's ok-save the game just in case before you try
Functionally, the game handles just fine. Simple controls, mouse and keyboard interface (movement keyboard, battles use mouse). Seems like a decent game. Character creation is simple. I like that you get 10 stat points, 2 traits, and skills pts to spend. I like the variance of races/classes - not too many, not too little. You get like 5 or 6 races each with its own benefits. You get classes like Fighter, Battle Mage, Wizard, Alchemist, Barbarian, Knight, some rogue class and I think that's it. Once you create your 4, you can enter the game. So why the 3/5 then? I couldn't figure out how to get out of the cage, so I had to look up a walk through to realize that giant log in front of the cage is actually a stick. The rest is history. What works: * graphics are ok * mechanics/UI are functional/simple * combat allows you to move around - best way to fight is not be there when someone tries to hit you * level up system seems easy to use * manage inventory weight and food * can slide left/right without having to turn * casters need to keep at least one hand free to cast spells what doesn't work: * maybe because I'm on normal, but encounters are few and far between * In reviewing the walkthrough of the first section, I realize that loot, monsters, etc are all scripted and static - I don't see any randomness to treasure * no money, no town to sell stuff in, not really seeing anything where I can buy upgrades, etc... * seems like every time I turn around there's some puzzle to solve (switch, pressure plate, trap, etc). * combat with monsters that move about can be tricky trying to manage slide and turn and move forward and back * casting spells in combat is a bit clunky. Each time you cast, you have re-queue up your spell * combat is mouse based and your toons don't auto attack. You click to melee and/or cast spells every single time you are free to do so. Each character has a delay after an action so you can work with another character for your next move
Played the game for a few hours. Not sure how I feel about the game just yet. I like it, but after a few hours, many of the quests feel the same. The map of the land feels small. If you lose your horse due to a lost battle in the beginning and you don't have enough currency to buy another, I'd recommend starting over or restoring a save game. Staying on your horse against hordes and ranged attackers is almost the only way to survive. The Good: * Combat mechanics are pretty good. As others have stated, I LOVE the ability to fight while riding your horse. I can take on bandits and low to medium level opponents with 20 bad guys to your 1 little old self. Just ride and dodge until the ranged attackers run out of ammo while picking off stragglers, unmounted, or lone attackers here and there and you can survive. The AI is okay in combat, but not overly spectacular. When 1 can take on 20 and win, well, that seems a bit lopsided, but still don't mind - you still have to earn the combat win - it's not easy. * There seem to be plenty of quests to go around. * graphics aren't bad * item variety is good * weapons and armor have characteristics to consider like speed, weight, damage and types of damage, etc. * can buy other horses * can build a horde of your own of prisoners, mercs - but don't get attached to them. While you may fight good, they may not be as nimble and quick on their feet. * can customize your character's attributes, skills, and weapon proficiency When you start out, you have two choices - an auto save with no chance to NOT save - meaning NO DO-OVER! You mess up, lose, get captured - that's that. Or, save as you wish option. If you are new, I'd recommend a save as you wish option at first to get used to the game and combat mechanics. Then if you feel considerably more gutsy, you can go with the auto save option. The Bad: * seems a little limited in map space * medium level of repetition * difficult to decide which faction to support/champion
Reviewed after playing 1 hour: While the game does feel a bit like a BG/IWD clone (interface and mechanics) I don't mind, and you probably won't either if you like RPGs. The graphics are very crisp and the story seems pretty good so far. If you are looking for a hack and slash quick action game, this isn't it. There are cut scenes and loading frames to read to help deliver the story throughout the game play, and that's okay as long as your brain hasn't de-evolved into a "Where's the action? Feed me action, now!" sort of impatience. You will want to move around, discover, solve puzzles, complete quests that move in parallel to your goals. Combat allows you to pause so you can better create strategy for your party or have time to think about your combat actions, or take out the garbage when your wife tells you to without losing your party to being AFK (again, just like the mechanics of BG and IWD). If you aren't familiar with those, then this means that with PoE, you have the ability to define actions individually for each of the characters in your party or for the entire party if you wish while combat is paused, then un-pause and see if it works or not. The game also includes an AI mechanics for your characters so they can function independent of your assignment/actions if you choose to be more hands off (example - your NPCs finish off one enemy and immediately start attacking the next enemy nearby rather than just stand there waiting for you to decide what to do next). And remember, you can pause and un-pause anytime you want during the combat sequence to adjust strategy, cast spells, add support for members of your party in trouble. You are permitted to save game pretty much anytime and often if you wish. So hours of play aren't lost to a single mistake In Summary: * Good game mechanics and flow * Crisp and clean graphics and motion * At least a descent story to accompany the game *Customize your main characters attributes, skills, background, and type
