On the plus side, "Redemption" is a great game for some meaty vampire story, that much can't be denied. This is, however, no "Bloodlines" by a long shot. And by that I only mean it isn't a all-time great CRPG. The combat and controls aren't in any way horrible, but they are extremely simplistic, to the point that the game is essentially a hack n' slash as far as combat goes (think Diablo meets KOTOR). The role-playing elements have been given alot of leeway in contrast to "Bloodlines" as well. Finally, this game is EXTREMELY linear. All that being said, these aren't really negatives in and of themselves. There is nothing wrong with a straight line romp of any RPG every now and then. The combat and nature of the quest are simply serving the story here. This game isn't particularly challenging and not in the least bit groundbreaking, and it doesn't hold a candle to it's classic sibling, but it is well worth playing at least once.
Let's get a few things out of the way. The combat system in this game isn't as fleshed out as many would like. However, it's nowhere near as bad as Arcanum's real-time mode (which is often compared to). You will need ALOT of potions, and the game can get tedious. But for that I say welcome to the wonderful world of CRPGs. There are certain spells and skills that are just about useless, and others that feel god-like. These type of games have never been about balance, but immersion. And this is a world worth getting lost in. This is a dark, dark game. The atmosphere damn near perfect, and the story, while often written a little off (this is from a Czech developer and is a translation) is worthy of a 300-400 page novel. The team that built this game worked on it for nearly a decade, and while they may not have been able to produce a Blizzard or Black Isle quality combat engine, there aren't many teams that ever did. "Inquisitor" isn't perfect but it's a hell of an effort any way you slice it. It is brutal and old-school, but you wouldn't even be reading this review if that wasn't what you wanted. For $10 or less, it's worth a shot.
