A stylised art direction that survives the test of time, oozing with atmosphere and hugely fun and replayable gameplay. I don't really have any complaints, the game is what you make it. From someone who's done a playthrough in every style imaginable, just do what you find fun - chaos be damned. Personally I enjoy high chaos stealth, combing the map for lore and immersing youself in the world but the nonlethal methods of dealing with targets often make you interact with the world and levels more so than just sticking a sword in their neck and are definitely worth checking out. The whole series is great, but Dishonored 1 + TKOD/TBW remain king.
Coming from modern games and having my early gaming experiences based in AC2, Skyrim, GTA and Dishonored, I really didn't think this game would interest me. I was happily proven wrong. Snappy controls, a huge world, tons of quests, monsters and characters. The graphics are also charming in one sense but also leave a lot to the imagination. Picturing your party (or maybe solo adventurer if you're daring enough) treking through forests and dungeons is something you don't have to do with modern games with it all being laid by the devs but it's something I've found quite freeing. The devs have crafted something truly special and suprisingly engaging. I think this is the place to start if you want to start to explore games of the past. Take the chance, there's so much great stuff in this game and hopefully, like me, it'll lead you to explore the classics which have now largely been forgotten with time.
I'll keep it short and sweet, this game is a beauty. It's a retro game developed with the knowledge of modern games. Once you understand the controls and have gotten used to them, there's quite a few great systems at work creating an interesting adventure. The graphics have their charm and I enjoy how they (and games like the early Ultimas) leave a bit more for your imagination to fill in. Some people, like me, enjoy that, others less so. Plenty of land to explore, monsters to kill and quests to undertake. The DLC is well worth picking up if you enjoy the base game. I picked up thegame bundle and it fit seamlessly into the base game. I can't comment on the "ultimate bundle" but can say that the game is easy enough to follow and play without the book of hints provided in it. My main gripe with this game is the input lag. I understand it was coded on an Apple II/e, but man, I really wish movement was a bit snappier. I feel like this is something that could've been achieved with the emulators they've used for digital release and is the main reason for my 4 star rating. If you've tried the older Ultima games and didn't enjoy them I would give it a miss. If you enjoyed them, and don't mind taking your time (mainly to account for the lag) it's a great title with plenty to explore.
This game is so good. Great depth and replayability. A captivating historical back drop. I haven't had any issues running the GOG version of this game. Definitely worth picking up ALTHOUGH the base game by itself in 2023 is not a very fun play. It's expensive to get the full experience, but if you enjoy it as much as me, you'll get thousands of hours out of it.
Really, really slow and boring. The combat feels clunky and there's absolutely zero interaction with the environment. Certain features are just frustrating to me. Picking up a key and having to back track through a cleared area of the dungeon (which aren't too interesting looking) to unlock a room with 9 gold and some weapon that feels exactly the same as the last isn't my idea of fun. I really wanted to love it but unlike some of the reviews here, I can't. The game does run fine though. I had no issues with performance which is certainly a positive.
Horrible taste. If you want to make a modern-day virus management game go right ahead, but making a game and turning a profit with a virus that has just left many families with devastating loss is attrotious. How hard is it to use some bygone plague that resurfaced for the sake of the game - or just coming up with some random name for that matter? How this got past the brainstorm is beyond me.
As I haven't played the game prior to picking it up on GOG, I hope my review can give some insight without the tint of nostalgia. I haven't finished it yet but from what I have played I can say it's simple and fun to play. The aesthetic and atmosphere is top-notch. The Enhanced build offered by GOG means, coming from modern games, that you can pick this up and dive straight in without having to get used to outdated controls. There's a bit of clunkiness, hence the four stars, but I feel that's inherent to games of this era. At the end of the day, slashing through hordes of enemies doesn't get much better than this. At full price, it's certainly worth the price of admission, and on sale (at £1.99 as I bought it) it's without a doubt a must-try.
A great feat of 90s gaming. Coming from a background of only playing modern games, this one has aged like fine wine. I'm only sad I hadn't found it sooner. Also don't be like me, read the manual and follow the tutorial as soon as you boot up the game.
